July 16, 2019 How Electrical Engineering Services Are Embracing Green Practices
More clients today are asking for projects to incorporate sustainable (green) design principles in the electrical engineering plans. Whether that comes in the form of innovative electricity sources, more efficient systems for heating and cooling or new solar power designs, sustainability is playing a major role in how we power buildings.
What is Driving the Demand for Sustainable Electrical Engineering Services?
Many factors contribute to the increased demand for sustainability in electrical engineering practices. Chief among them are the continuously increasing energy prices and quality of life concerns, such as lighting, air quality and comfort. Building owners have become better educated on the impact that their building has on not only the environment, but also on occupant health. After all, what better way to attract employees than with forward-thinking, sustainable, healthy facilities?
Green building rating systems, such as the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, have become even more popular as they provide an independent and voluntary way to measure the success of a project’s sustainable designs.
Sustainable Designs for Electrical Engineering Services
According to IEA.org, “The buildings and buildings construction sectors combined are responsible for 36% of global final energy consumption and nearly 40% of total direct and indirect CO2 emissions. Energy demand from buildings and buildings construction continues to rise, driven by improved access to energy in developing countries, greater ownership and use of energy-consuming devices, and rapid growth in global buildings floor area, at nearly 3% per year.”
But, with the right energy efficiency strategies, IEA states that, on average, buildings in 2040 could be nearly 40% more energy efficient than today. And electrical engineers play a large role when it comes to the sustainability of a building design. For example:
Reducing Light Pollution
Sustainable lighting technologies can help to reduce light pollution, improve night time visibility and ensure that interior and exterior lighting are working efficiently.
Optimizing Energy Performance
One way to ensure that the building energy systems, such as space heating, water heating and space cooling, all work efficiency is through machine-to-machine (M2M) technologies. M2M technologies work by regulating energy systems and optimizing energy-wasting defects that may be overlooked by even the most astute human observer.
Producing On-Site Renewable Energy
Buildings that rely less on commercially generated electricity and more on onsite renewable energy sources, such as solar power, can reduce the overall environmental impact and improve ROI.
Professional Electrical Engineering Services and Solutions
As a full-service engineering solutions provider licensed in the United States and Europe, we work collaboratively with clients to apply green practices to electrical engineering services. Whether it’s brand new construction, retro-fit or renovation, every project is completely customized to individual company needs and goals. We balance costs and site constraints with environmental concerns to design the most energy-efficient buildings possible within client budgets. .
Combined with our other comprehensive engineering services, such as commercial PV Engineering, structural, mechanical and plumbing engineering, KMB provides innovative electrical engineering services that take into account the entire life cycle of the building from design to construction to operation. Our energy modeling services can also help you determine your building’s energy usage. This can be a powerful tool to assist in accurately evaluating future energy reduction strategies.
Contact us with any questions about electrical engineering services that deliver results on-time and on-budget and take a look at our portfolio to find out more.