Energy efficiency measures are often the least expensive way to reduce energy expenditures for tasks such as heating, cooling, and running appliances and electronics.
- Energy efficiency is commonly defined as using less energy to perform the same task or produce the same result.
- While energy efficiency measures vary widely in upfront costs and payback period, many can be implemented at low cost, with payback periods of sometimes less than a year.
- Energy efficiency is one aspect of a broader "green building" trend that relates to new building construction, building rehabilitations, and operation.
This page provides a brief overview of relevant energy efficiency topics for tribal energy planning and projects. For more in-depth information, follow the links in each section and view the additional resources tab below.
Climate change resiliency in Galena, Alaska. Photo from Cold Climate Housing Research Center.
Energy efficiency implementation is typically a two-step process. The first step is conducting an assessment to determine what energy efficiency measures to implement, and the second step is the implementation of the selected energy efficiency measures.
An energy audit, also known as an energy assessment, can help a tribe understand a building’s energy use, comfort, and safety. The assessment can determine how much energy a building uses, where it is inefficient, and which problem areas and fixes should be prioritized to save energy and improve comfort within the building. An energy assessment is the first step before proceeding with energy-saving improvements and potentially adding a renewable energy system.
Typical energy assessment/audit steps:
- Pre-audit
- Collect/Analyze historical energy use data.
- Study building and operating trends.
- Audit
- Collect building information and consult with staff/occupants.
- Identify potential measures to reduce energy consumption and costs.
- Post-audit
- Perform engineering and economic analysis.
- Prepare a prioritized list of recommendations.
- Report results.
Home Energy Audit
Home energy audits can be performed by the homeowner or a professional. The audit consists of a series of tests and inspections to discover where the home can be more efficient. To learn more about energy audits, visit the following resources:
A home energy checkup helps owners determine where their house is losing energy and money - and how such problems can be corrected to make the home more energy efficient.U.S. Department of EnergyCommercial Building Energy Audits
Commercial buildings use a lot of energy. Investing in energy reduction measures can reduce energy expenditure and increase sustainability. Like for residential buildings, before energy-efficiency improvements can be made, an energy audit should be performed. To learn more about commercial building energy audits, visit the following resources:
- Energy Star’s Portfolio Manager benchmarks the energy consumption of the building and evaluates the performance level of the building.
- EERE’s Asset Score/Audit Template is a free and standardized online tool that can be used to assess the physical and structural energy efficiency as well as identify potential retrofits.
- Facility Energy Checklist, offered by the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), can help improve energy efficiency in buildings, central heating plants, and thermal distribution equipment.
- The Facility Energy Decision System (FEDS) is a tool that quickly and objectively identifies energy efficiency improvements to maximize life-cycle savings.
- EERE’s Guide to Energy Audits provides a comprehensive discussion on energy audit processes and considerations.
During a new building’s design and construction phase, incorporating energy efficiency measures, such as retrofits, is the easiest and lowest cost opportunity to implement these measures. Furthermore, some energy efficiency measures such passive design elements can only be implemented during this phase.
- Pre-audit
When deciding where and how to implement energy efficiency measures there exist multiple considerations. For renovations on existing buildings, these considerations include timing of projects in public buildings, assessing the existing infrastructure in the building (ex. insulation), and requirements for buildings to be brought up to code as work is being done. Sometimes upgrades can be done more simply, such as replacing an appliance that has reached the end of its life with a more energy efficient model. For tribes located in remote locations, EE implementation may require additional lead time and coordination due to limitations in accessing equipment and specialized labor.
DOE Weatherization Assistance Program
The DOE Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) is the nation’s single largest residential whole-house energy efficiency program. The program provides free weatherization for homes of low-income families including energy audits, insulation, and more. To learn more about the program and potential energy efficiency measures to improve tribal buildings, visit the DOE WAP website.
Energy efficiency implementation is easiest and least costly during a new building design and construction. When designing a new building or remodeling an existing one, investing in energy efficiency measures will save energy and money while also increasing comfortability and durability. Learn more by visiting EERE’s Design webpage.
Design for Efficiency
Before designing or remodeling an existing building, a priority of the planning process should include investing in energy efficient infrastructure to save energy and money. Potenrial approaches include taking a whole-house systems approach, or designing a passive solar home system. Potential non-EE measures may include addition of an RE generating system to produce clean electricity. Learn more by visiting EERE’s Efficient Home Design webpage.
Whole Building Design
The "whole building" design approach is a way of designing buildings by looking at the building structure, systems, and surroundings together and considering how all these systems work best together to save energy and reduce environmental impact. The intention of ‘Whole Building’ Design is to create a demonstrably successful, high-performance building through integrated design and a multidisciplinary approach early in the process. Building energy modeling can be used to determine the combination of design features that minimize costs or meet other objectives. These design features can include optimal building orientation (which can only be implemented during new construction), wind-to-wall ratios, HVAC, insulation, lighting, plug loads, etc.) It is recommended that costs be evaluated on a building life-cycle basis, not on initial capital cost. Learn more by visiting EERE’s Whole-House Systems Approach.
Additional resources:
- The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has developed codes for residential and non-residential buildings that are essential for meeting minimum energy requirements and having a baseline to compare to improved designs. Please see Standard 90.1-2019--Energy Standard for Buildings and Standard 62.1-2022--Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality (IAQ).
- Western Area Power Administration Building Commission Fact Sheet
- The U.S. Green Building Council is leading the way on green building through its Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, a voluntary certification system for high-performance, sustainable buildings.
Passive Solar Home Design
Passive solar design takes advantage of local site conditions to reduce energy consumption. One example of a passive technique is using thermal mass (such as a Trombe wall) to absorb heat during the day and release it into the house at night. Homes designed to be heated and cooled passively tend to be tightly constructed with a focus on controlling heat loss and gain. Learn more by visiting EERE’s Passive Solar Homes webpage.
Landscaping
Designing landscape around a building can reduce a building’s energy costs simply by understanding the climate zone of the United States. Whether the building is located in a temperate, hot-arid, hot-humid, or cool region, best practices such as the direction of windows, angling trees, and providing shade in certain areas are straightforward implement. Learn more by visiting EERE’s Energy Efficient Landscape webpage.
Types of Homes
Understanding the different types of energy efficient measures unique to various home types is integral to saving energy and money. Learn more by visiting EERE’s Types of Homes webpage.
A building’s envelope consists of everything that separates the interior from the outdoor environment and is a primary means of saving or wasting energy. This page elaborates on the various components that make up a building’s envelope and resources to improve the building’s energy efficiency.
Windows, Doors, and Skylights
Windows, doors, and skylights are vulnerable components of a building’s envelope that can be susceptible to air leakage, leading to a large loss in energy and money. To reduce heating, cooling, and lighting costs, solutions such as weatherstripping, framing, and window coverings are feasible and result in improved building comfortability. Learn more by visiting EERE’s Windows, Doors, and Skylights webpage.
Insulation
Properly insulating a building is integral to the resistance of heat flow to unneeded areas and lowering heating and cooling costs. Learn more by visiting EERE’s Insulation webpage and Where to Insulate in a Home webpage.
Air Sealing
Reducing air from leaking in and out of buildings is an effective way to reduce energy costs, improve the site’s durability, increase comfort for occupants, and improve the health of the building’s indoor environment. Learn more by visiting EERE’s Air Sealing your Home webpage.
Moisture Control
All building’s moisture levels should be properly controlled to improve energy efficiency, decrease energy costs, maximize the comfortability of an environment, and prevent mold growth. Moisture control will also improve the effectiveness of air sealing and insulation measures taken. Learn more by visiting EERE’s Moisture Control webpage.
Cool Roofs
Conventional rooftop designs can strongly impact a building’s ability to stay cool during summer, absorbing heat from the sun. Modernly designed cool roofs have the ability to reflect sunlight and absorb less solar energy, resulting in reduced home cooling costs and needs. Learn more by visiting EERE’s Cool Roof webpage.
Energy efficient lighting can significantly lower costs associated with lighting and air-conditioning. These techniques include LED lights and ballasts, lighting control systems, and daylighting techniques. Learn more by visiting:
A plug load is any device that is “plugged in” to an electric outlet. Electricity used by common residential and office equipment—including computers, computer network equipment, televisions, refrigerators, stoves, etc., —makes up a significant share of residential and commercial electricity used. Plug loads are a primary source of energy consumption in commercial buildings, making up 47% of all energy use in said buildings throughout the United States. To save money and energy, companies are manufacturing many types of energy-efficient appliances including refrigerators, water heaters, dishwashers, furnaces, and air-conditioners. Learn more about strategies to reduce plug load energy consumption and costs:
- EERE’s Appliances and Electronics webpage
- EERE’s Appliances and Commercial Equipment Standards webpage
- Energy Star
- Energy Star Cash Flow Opportunity Calculator
- Federal Energy Management Program’s search for energy-efficient products
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) Strategies for Controlling Plug Loads
- NREL’s Reducing Commercial Building Process Loads and Refrigeration Unit Energy Consumption.
Heating and cooling are one of the largest energy expenses for owners of homes and buildings. Learn how to select the best heating and cooling energy efficiency solutions while staying comfortable by exploring this section and visiting EERE’s Heating and Cooling webpage.
Home Cooling and Heating
For almost all buildings, heating and cooling are key challenges. The techniques or systems used for heating and cooling are numerous and varied. Different climates require different approaches — ranging from simple ventilation to complex machinery like furnaces, boilers, heat pumps, air conditioners, evaporative coolers, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, chillers, and cooling towers. The optimal use of the right combination (and right size) of heating and cooling systems can dramatically affect energy use in the home or business. Visit the following EERE webpages to learn about building cooling and heating solutions:
- Principles of Heating and Cooling
- Home Cooling Systems
- Home Heating Systems
- Heat Pump Systems
- Water Heating
- Commercial Buildings Integration
The Western Area Power Administration has also produced the following fact sheets on heating and cooling topics:
Ventilation
A ventilation system determines how air flows throughout a building, and it is very important to the energy efficiency of that building. Ventilation can also control a building’s moisture levels, impacting the opportunity for mold growth and structural damage. Learn more by visiting EERE’s Ventilation webpage.
Air Ducts
Air duct systems carry air from furnaces and central air conditioner systems throughout a building and its individual rooms. These systems are typically made of sheet metal, fiberglass, and other materials and run throughout the walls, floors, and ceilings. If a building’s duct system is poorly sealed or insulated, it could be adding hundreds of dollars a year to heating and cooling bills. Learn how to improve the efficiency of an air duct system in buildings on EERE’s Minimizing Energy Losses in Ducts webpage.
Thermostats
Programmable thermostats, a type of energy management control system, are a simple and straightforward solution for saving energy and money when heating and cooling a building. Through programmable technology, a building’s heating or air-conditioning can be set to a pre-set schedule and be stored in the system for future use. Learn more by reviewing the video below and visiting EERE’s Programmable Thermostats webpage.
Learn how to set your home thermostat to keep your home comfortable and save energy and money.U.S. Department of EnergySmart Building Controls (Energy Management Systems)
Buildings contain many different systems that use energy and interact with each other. For example, changes in a lighting system will have a direct impact on the energy used by the building's heating and cooling system. Energy management control systems use computer-based monitoring systems to optimize these systems and how they work together and can help minimize energy consumption. They range from simple systems (home setback thermostats, occupancy sensors, or timer-controlled thermostats) to smart buildings that have highly complex levels of automation. These systems integrate monitoring and control of heating and cooling systems, lighting, building envelope shading, elevators, security, fire control systems, and many other subsystems.
Electric meters measure electric power that is consumed by the user and electricity bills usually shows what is charged for the kWh that has been used. Smart meters measure electricity and provide two-way communication for users and the utility and can help make utilities maintain more reliable electrical services. Smart meters can also be used to improve energy efficiency by finding ways to save energy and money with home energy management systems that can be installed in tandem.
Learn more about smart building controls on EERE’s Electric Meters webpage.
Commercial Building Energy Controls
According to most recent data, commercial buildings account for 20% of the energy used in the United States economy, and of that percentage, heating, cooling, and lighting consumed 39% of the energy used in said buildings. A lack of building energy controls leads to preventable excess energy consumption, with as much as 30% of building energy consumption being preventable with accurate sensors and effective and advanced controls. Visit the following EERE webpages to learn more about commercial building energy control measures:
DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) promotes energy efficiency usage and integration through various technical offices and programs across all sectors of the U.S. economy.
Many organizations and resources have been established to promote energy efficiency across the country. A few resources include, but are not limited to:
- DOE and the Alliance to Save Energy have also produced a useful list of home energy tips.
- To address high energy use in casinos, the Western Area Power Administration has published the Casino Energy Management Fact Sheet.
- This is an Excel spreadsheet for calculating the costs and savings associated with installing energy efficiency projects.
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