Skip to main content

Energy Conservation

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Sustainable Cities and Communities

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals ((ENUNSDG))

Synonyms

Energy management; Managing energy use; Sustainable energy use; Energy use reduction; Efficient energy use; Saving energy

Definition

Energy conservation, especially as applied to the built environment, can be simply defined as deliberately choosing to use less purchased energy, particularly electricity, natural gas, and fuel oil (Huelman 2012). Energy conservation in the built environment is generally accomplished through (1) modifications to, or management of, the equipment within a building (such as adjusting thermostat settings for heating and cooling), (2) improvements in the structure and envelope of the building (such as increasing insulation or installing more efficient lighting), and/or (3) lifestyle and building usage changes (such as dressing in layers of clothing to allow lower thermostat settings within the building or managing window treatments to allow control of sunlight during the changing seasons).

Energy conservation as an important tenet in building design...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 699.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • About ASHRAE (2018) American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Engineers. Atlanta. www.ahsrae.org. Accessed 18 June 2018

  • About Energy Star (2018) US Environmental Protection Agency and US Department of Energy, Washington, DC. www.energystar.gov. Accessed 18 June 2018

  • About HERS (2018) Residential Energy Services Network. www.hersindex.com. Accessed 18 June 2018

  • About ICC (2018) International Code Council, multiple locations. www.iccsafe.org. Accessed 18 June 2018

  • Davis A, Fisher R (2015) Kitchen and bath sustainable design: conservation, materials, practices. Wiley, Hoboken

    Google Scholar 

  • Emmel J (2003a) Energy and home usage. In: Miller J, Lerner R, Schiamberg L, Anderson P (eds) The encyclopedia of human ecology, vol 1. ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, pp 221–225

    Google Scholar 

  • Emmel J (2003b) Energy efficiency in the home. In: Miller J, Lerner R, Schiamberg L, Anderson P (eds) The encyclopedia of human ecology, vol 1. ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, pp 225–228

    Google Scholar 

  • Emmel J (2003c) Energy: standards, codes and labels. In: Miller J, Lerner R, Schiamberg L, Anderson P (eds) The encyclopedia of human ecology, vol 1. ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, pp 218–221

    Google Scholar 

  • Follow the leader (2016) The Climate Reality Project. Washington, DC. www.climaterealityproject.org. Accessed 18 June 2018

  • How much energy is consumed in US residential and commercial buildings? (2017) US Energy Information Agency. Washington, DC. www.eia.gov/tools/faqs. Accessed 15 June 2018

  • Huelman P (2012) Energy conservation. In: Carswell A (ed) The encyclopedia of housing, vol 1, 2nd edn. Sage, Thousand Oaks, pp 162–166

    Google Scholar 

  • Juzych N (2003) Air quality. In: Miller J, Lerner R, Schiamberg L, Anderson P (eds) The encyclopedia of human ecology, vol 1. ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, pp 46–50

    Google Scholar 

  • Kayanerehkowa. The Great Law of Peace (n.d.) www.ganienkeh.net/thelaw. Accessed 18 June 2018

  • Kellert S (1999) Ecological challenge, human values of nature, and sustainability in the built environment. In: Kibert C (ed) Reshaping the built environment: ecology, ethics and economics. Island Press, Washington, DC, pp 39–53

    Google Scholar 

  • Kibert C (1999) The promises and limits of sustainability. In: Kibert C (ed) Reshaping the built environment: ecology, ethics and economics. Island Press, Washington, DC, pp 9–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Krigger J, Dorsi C (2012) Residential energy: cost savings and comfort for existing buildings. Saturn Resource Management, Helena

    Google Scholar 

  • Kruger A, Seville C (2013) Green building: principles and practices in residential construction. Delmar, Cengage Learning, Clifton Park

    Google Scholar 

  • Kutscher C (2007) The science and challenge of global warming. In: Kutscher C (ed) Tracking climate change in the US. American Solar Energy Society, Boulder, pp 165–172

    Google Scholar 

  • Laquatra J (2018) Sustainable housing. In: Anacker K, Carswell A, Kirby S, Tremblay K (eds) Introduction to housing, 2nd edn. University of Georgia Press, Athens, pp 341–355

    Google Scholar 

  • Monthly Energy Review (2018) Office of Energy Statistics, US Energy Information Agency. Washington, DC. www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/pdf/mer.pdf. Accessed 15 June 2018

  • Murphy G (1997) About the Iroquois Constitution. National Public Telecomputing Network. https://sourcebook.fordham.edu/mod/iroquois.asp. Accessed 18 June 2018

  • Newholm A, Shaw D (2003) Consumption, ethical. In: Miller J, Lerner R, Schiamberg L, Anderson P (eds) The encyclopedia of human ecology, vol 1. ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, pp 148–151

    Google Scholar 

  • Orr D (1999) Architecture as pedagogy. In: Kibert C (ed) Reshaping the built environment: ecology, ethics and economics. Island Press, Washington, DC, pp 212–218

    Google Scholar 

  • Parrott K (2003) Healthy indoor air. In: Miller J, Lerner R, Schiamberg L, Anderson P (eds) The encyclopedia of human ecology, vol 1. ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, pp 350–353

    Google Scholar 

  • Parrott K, Atiles J (2018) Home environments and health. In: Anacker K, Carswell A, Kirby S, Tremblay K (eds) Introduction to housing, 2nd edn. University of Georgia Press, Athens, pp 316–340

    Google Scholar 

  • Swisher J (2007) Overall energy efficiency. In: Kutscher C (ed) Tracking climate change in the US. American Solar Energy Society, Boulder, pp 39–50

    Google Scholar 

  • Turcotte D (2012) Green building. In: Carswell A (ed) The encyclopedia of housing, vol 1, 2nd edn. Sage, Thousand Oaks, pp 250–255

    Google Scholar 

  • What is US electricity generation by energy source (2018) US Energy Information Agency. Washington, DC. www.eia.gov/tools/faqs. Accessed 18 June 2018

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kathleen Parrott .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Section Editor information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Parrott, K. (2020). Energy Conservation. In: Leal Filho, W., Marisa Azul, A., Brandli, L., Gökçin Özuyar, P., Wall, T. (eds) Sustainable Cities and Communities. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95717-3_13

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics