Increasing Energy Consumption in the United States
The tripling of energy consumption is not a surprise – due to the population increase over the last 60 years (151 million in 1950 up to 324 million in 2016), as well as technology developments (i.e. TV’s, central heat and air).
Interesting Fact:
Back in 1950 there were about 6 million TV’s in the United States.
By 1960 that number jumped to 60 million TV’s.
According to the Nielson Company, as in the company that produces the Nielson Ratings, in 2009 there were an average of 2.83 televisions per household with an average of 2.5 people per household. Therefore, that means that there are more TV’s than people in the United States. You can start to understand why our energy consumption has gone up so much.
HVAC Energy Consumption in Commercial Buildings
Notice that this chart shows that HVAC systems make up the largest piece of this pie. Building owners must upgrade their equipment to substantially higher efficiency units to reduce energy consumption and costs. However, what about the ductwork? If we upgrade the equipment without addressing the leaking ductwork, then we are simply more efficiently losing energy. At the end of the day, business owners spend money to make work environments more comfortable for their employees. By not having an efficient HVAC system, building owners will waste money and potential profits.
Can Decreasing Duct Leakage Save You Money?
Duct leakage equals less efficiency. Leaking ductwork means your equipment runs longer, you get a shorter life span with that equipment and shorter intervals between maintenance. The exact cost to an owner is a difficult number to pin down because of the different variables associated with buildings and how occupants use them. How much money could you save by decreasing duct leakage? On a medium sized commercial facility, the savings can be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.