Previously we talked about the increasing demand for energy that is headed our way (or, let’s be real, it’s already here). On one side, there is the social push to more renewable and sustainable power sources. On the other side are a wealth of high tech devices hitting the market that consume more power than ever. At this point there are few non-traditional means of power production that can meet today’s current power needs.
The middle ground: a call for reducing the ecological footprint of traditional power production to help bridge the power supply we have now with the demands we will have in the future. The solution is conceptually simple: be more efficient with energy.
A Call for Energy Efficiency
Do more with less. It’s that simple. Motus Group does this by showing plants how they can operate more efficiently with upgrades and retrofits. To our clients, this means we are reducing their costs while increasing profit. Save some dollars, make some sense.
Beyond changing all the lights in your house to something lower power (more on that below), one of the best things we can do for energy efficiency is to correct the problem at the source. A lot of energy is spent to make energy – thermodynamics is finicky like that – and small things like proper ventilation and cooling systems can do wonders for your production. Less waste, more money. You get it.
LEED-Certified Everything
Office buildings use up a lot of energy. From climate control to technology use, every floor has different demands. Heating and cooling a modern building is a feat of engineering. Proper insulation, HVAC, and building automation can go a long way to keeping energy consumption down. Some building designers go so far as to use thermal glass, green roofs, and downspout energy to help manage their energy needs.
The upside: LEED buildings use less energy. You’d be hard pressed to find an office building put up in the last ten years that isn’t LEED certified in some capacity. The downside is that these buildings are built to be somewhat airtight. Heat isn’t leaking through the windows, there are no drafts, and having to replace something might compromise the ecosystem of the building. This also means mold and allergens are essentially sealed into the building – something that requires even more energy to filter out of the air.
The Transit Problem
The common refrain from the industry experts: your gas guzzler is the reason our energy systems are taxed. Solution: go electric., buy a Tesla! But it’s not all roses. A recent report showed that there is about a 13,000 mile “break even point” for a Tesla to be more “carbon friendly” than a Toyota Corolla when you consider the high energy cost behind car production.
Scale this number to millions of cars. Now scale it to replacing busses, long haul trucks, cargo ships, planes and consider that all of these vehicles will need to plug into (and further tax) a power grid.
. Lifetime carbon emissions of electric vehicles vs gasoline cars | Reuters
Policy Incentives
You can get a rebate on your taxes if you buy the right refrigerator. Over the life of the device, you might save a few bucks a year on your power bill. Nice, right? The true cost of the energy we all consume is far greater than what most of us pay out of pocket. Subsidies and tax breaks offered by public policy are the thumb on the scale of the energy system that keeps people plugged in and the economy moving.
Energy production is expensive. The technology demands of updated grids and power sources are only going to drive these costs up even higher. The last thing we need is a reason for people to use (and pay for) less energy while the new infrastructure is developed and rolled out. Continued investment and policy incentives at every level of our government is what ultimately gets us to the energy efficiency we need to power our future.
The future is tomorrow, and I bet you’re thinking about how you’ll get through today. That’s what Motus Group is all about: getting you to tomorrow. From tactile repairs to conceptual retrofits, we’re always looking at new ways to make plant operator’s life a little easier. We keep you running so you can keep your output high. We want to get to know more about what you’re thinking. Get in touch, let’s make something great happen.