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FROM THE EDITOR
As high-performance building systems become more and more efficient, concentrating on reducing plug loads takes on increasing priority. It’s simple math – as the HVAC and lighting pieces of the energy pie (sorry, still have Thanksgiving feast on my mind) shrink, the plug load piece increases and can be as much as 46 percent in some super efficient or zero net energy (ZNE) buildings. So by reducing plug loads dramatically, it’s possible to reduce the overall size of the pie.
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There are many ways to do reduce plug loads, ranging from new technologies to instituting stricter policies and procedures on what occupants can use at their workstations to fascinating experiments in psychology and behavioral analysis.
Regarding the latter, one of the more interesting things I learned about at Greenbuild last month was a program created by a researcher at Penn State University he affectionately calls Energy Chickens. The program ties an “energy chicken” – a virtual “pet” that bears more than a passing resemblance to an Angry Bird – to an energy-using device. As the occupant uses the device (a computer, task light, etc.) energy efficiently, the chicken is healthy. If the occupant is energy inefficient, the chicken gets sick. Of course, occupants don’t want their chickens to get sick, so they tend to concentrate more on efficiency – this according to David Kareda of the Integral Group, who has seen Energy Chickens in action.
It’s a fascinating study in behavioral change, and Kareda says strategies like Energy Chickens are much more effective than an ironclad across-the-board mandate that no one can use a certain piece of equipment or device. While necessary in some instances, these top-down policies tend to alienate more than they help get occupants on your side.
As always, I’m interested to hear from you. What strategies have you found effective for convincing occupants of the importance of reducing plug load energy?
Cheers,
Greg Zimmerman, editor
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Targeting Occupant Behavior for Energy Savings
This article explains some of the best tactics to get occupants on your side and save energy.
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