The purpose of this memo is to propose an adoption of Energy Watch program to reduce energy used in buildings for San Jose County. This memo is organized problem-method-solution format. The Energy Watch program is a local government partnership to help reduce energy used in buildings and develop better building efficiency, it is to ensure the reduction will provide benefits to reserve the natural resources and minimize the greenhouse gas emission to the environment. The memo recommends that San Jose County adopt Menlo Park's Energy Watch approach to reduce energy usage.
Energy consumption has been a big issue during the past few decades. Almost everything requires energy to function; otherwise, our earth would not exist without it. The primary source of the energy is generated by burning fossil fuel (e.g. coal) which contributed greenhouse gas polluting the environment. Regarding the 2011 statistics data on residential and commercial building energy consumption in the United State, energy consumed 19% of global consumption which is the second largest energy consumed country in the world. The building alone accounted for 7% of the global consumption; 65% residential building, 25% industry building, and 10% from Transportation. The primary energy consumption for the building is coming from three main end uses; poor space heating/cooling, low efficiency windows and high energy lighting. The effective solution to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emission by upgrade the existing heating/cooling to more energy efficient ones, provide better insulation to decrease the infiltration for homes, install lights with higher efficiency (i.e. LEDs), and replace window with low-E types.
The City of Menlo Park is currently offering an Energy Watch program for homeowners to upgrade the existing home to more energy efficient; the program will give eight thousand rebates with free assessment any to participant. The primary goal of the Energy Watch Program is to provide service and solution on energy management in order to substantially reduce consumption as well as minimize the air pollution cause. The program has been adopted in the city of Menlo Park in 2011 with direct funding coming from California Public Utilities Commission, PG&E, and Ecology Recycle. The program provides energy reduction services locally by offering free energy onsite assessment to building identify any energy-saving opportunities. The improvement includes; install insulation, provide weather stripping, upgrading heating/cooling unit, replacing lights, and install energy-efficient windows. The substantial changes would effectively improve building efficiency and reduces community greenhouse gas emissions with minimal or no cost to homeowners.
I would highly recommend the Energy Watch approach to City of San Jose to improve our community, it give energy saving opportunities to homeowners with better home-efficient. I hope this will be happen soon.
Reference:
Sunset Books. (2001). 136 best ways to save on your home energy. Menlo Park, Calif: Sunset.
Nicholson, M. (2009). Energy in a changing climate. Dural Delivery Centre, N.S.W: Rosenberg.
Local Authorities Management Services and Computer Committee. (2009). Energy saving schemes in local authorities: Report of the O & M and Productivity Panel of LAMSAC. London: Local Authorities Management Services and Computer Committee.
