Has Someone Moved Our Cheese?

We live in a climate where heating loads have traditionally dominated household energy use (in our perceptions if not in reality). Based on analyses of energy use in the 1970s and 1980s, the emphasis of our energy efficiency programs for much of the past four decades has been to reduce this load. We added lighting loads to the programs about a decade ago. So, where are we now? What are current energy use patterns? Where would we like them to be if we are successful with our program implementation? Is it possible that space heating, and more broadly space conditioning, are no longer the largest loads in household energy use, particularly in houses with very efficient and tight thermal envelopes? If not space conditioning, what is the largest and what are the up-and-coming largest loads? What can we be doing now to refocus our policies and programs to stay ahead of the game? What skills will we need to increase our likelihood of success? Gary will discuss the changing use patterns and recommend ways for practitioners to adapt to these changes.

About Gary Klein

Gary Klein has been intimately involved in energy efficiency and renewable energy since 1973. One fourth of his career was spent in the Kingdom of Lesotho, the rest in the United States. He is internationally recognized as a speaker and educator. Over the past 15 years he has regularly spoken at conferences in the United States sponsored by ACEEE, ACI, ASHRAE, ASPE, AWWA, CEE, CUWCC, Eco-Build, the Energy Center of Wisconsin, Energy Out West, E-Source, IAPMO, ISH, PG&E, the River Network, Water Smart Innovations, and West Coast Green. His international speaking experience includes Green Plumbers Australia (2005) and Expo Zaragoza (2008). He regularly teaches classes around the United States for utilities and for Green Plumbers USA, and he consults with builders and plumbers around the country sharing with them the principles of energy, water and time-efficient hot water systems. Gary was also involved in developing the hot water distribution system credits used by LEED, NAHB, Build-it-Green, US EPA Water Sense, and other green building programs. Recently completing 19 years with the California Energy Commission, his new firm, Affiliated International Management, LLC, provides consulting on sustainability through their international team of affiliates.