Our field of work
In Western society roughly 40% of all the energy consumed is used in the built environment. This energy is predominantly used for either heating, cooling or electrical appliances.
These forms of energy-expenditure can be drastically reduced with the use of already available technologies. With enough effort from civilians, politics and industry, it's possible to have a completely energy-neutral built environment within 40 to 50 years.
To achieve this however, there needs to be a strong focus on three distinct areas:
Reduction
The most obvious and easy method to achieve energy-neutrality, is simply reducing the usage of energy. Reduction can be achieved in a number of ways, for example; cutting down on heating by improving a house's insulation, saving energy by using LED-light bulbs or by purchasing energy-saving appliances.
Sustainable production
The needed energy can be produced in various sustainable ways. Heating and warm water is provided by a solar water heater, electricity is produced by the solar-cells on the roof, a nearby windmill-park or a hydro-electric power station. The currently available technology is still largely time-dependent, but with improvements on energy storage, fully sustainable energy will be available at any time.
Behaviour
Civilians can have an immense impact on the energy-consumption in the built environment, not only in the choice to purchase energy-saving appliances or by building their houses in a sustainable manner. It is the way in which the general population uses energy that will have the largest impact. In promoting energy-aware behaviour a very important role has to be played by the government. By setting out rules and regulations, our governments can encourage sustainable use and production of energy en discourage unnecessary use of energy. The biggest challenge will be to involve the general public in all the actions that need to be taken.
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