40 percent of the World's energy use in Buildings

As many as 40 percent of the world's energy is used to operate buildings, ranging from houses, factories, office buildings up in developing countries, including Indonesia. China is the largest energy user in the world. Energy consumption in the country reached 20 percent of total world energy consumption. While the United States spends 19 percent, Europe 15 percent, and 6 percent by Russian.

40 percent of the World's energy 
use in Buildings.  (Picture from:  
http://fuelfix.com/)

"The majority of the energy that we have used for buildings. Huge buildings, like offices and apartments in many countries, still wearing individual air conditioning. It was very inefficient," said Dr. Milica Grahovac from the Technical University of Munich in the presentation at the German ASEAN Science and Technology Conference on Energy Efficient Buildings in Jakarta, on Monday, October 21, 2013.

The buildings such as hotels and office also considered wasteful of energy. "You sit in a cold room and had to be put on a blanket. While in Indonesia the weather is very hot outside. For me it was horrible," said Grahovac.

Grahovac said there are several things that we can done by the building owners or builders of new buildings to undertake energy efficiency. These include the shape and direction of the buildings, insulation systems, lighting, windows, and shadows fall setting. "Energy efficiency can also be obtained with the proper use of equipment and integrated design," he said further.

In general, air conditioning and heating system in the buildings are the most energy-intensive devices. The system uses up to 37 percent of energy. As for the 12 percent of the energy spent on water heating systems and 9 percent is used for lighting systems.

Grahovac call the building with a sloping roof is more effective for building energy efficiency rather than boxy. "The use of solar panels could be better at building with a sloping roof," he said.

Dr Hans Pleuger of International Networking in Science and Technology (INSTec) Aachen, Germany, said that energy efficiency also depends on individual behavior and decision-makers. "You can get a certificate of energy efficiency, but it's still a certificate, not directly to change behavior," said Pleuger. How's about you? *** [EKA | GABRIEL TITIYOGA | KORAN TEMPO 4381]

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