Resource: The grand energy book for sustainable living; a matter of organising and doing!
Description
The book starts by explaining different physical systems of the building environment, networks and energy flows in houses. In the book is an analysis of different methods and techniques as well as governmental arrangements. The book gives useful options for possibilities for energy saving. It shows which devices are present, and what the profit of each device is.
The book has a mix of both physical as well as social issues that should be addressed. It is written from the point of view of social housing organizations.
Implementation
Information
About 25 % of the total national Dutch use of electricity and heating is demanded by households. It appears logical that the government has put energy saving and sustainability in households as its core business. But in reality not much energy in households is saved a sustainable sector is still far away.
After analysis, the Dutch Energie Prestatie Coefficient (Energy Achievement Coefficient) (EPC) appears to be the only legal instrument to influence energy use in households. The EPC is mostly used as a mathematical tool for building permits.
There are some limitations to the EPC. The legislation does not demand an overall project approach with all stakeholders. It does not require quality demands for performance or residence and is only legally mandatory for new houses.
The EPC focuses mostly on building aspects and heating of the house Electricity and hot water, especially in new buildings, count up to 75% of the total energy. These aspects get less attention.
The EPC does not account for differences in residents behaviour for energy use and the method is not very useful for future residents. It turns out that less energy is saved than predicted beforehand by the EPC.
In this book the author has developed a new method to overcome the shortcomings of the EPC and he promotes a societal basis for energy saving. Starting point is the approach in which the physical environment (the house with facilities and devices) and the social system (the multi-actor network) connect with each other. The ideas are radical and imply social rethinking of the importance of energy saving and sustainability and how to finance that.