World Energy efficiency day is celebrated globally in order to aware and enhance energy efficiency in their daily routine, which would ultimately create a great impact in company, home and country profits. 

This idea was emerged in Austria, when first meeting on Energy Efficiency was held with the aim to raise awareness to reduce energy consumption by sensible and sustainable energy use. Effective use of energy does not means compromising the comfort and quality of life by decreasing our energy use on a day-to-day basis. Optimizing energy efficiency is based on improving production processes and energy consumption, by use of renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels and promoting responsible consumption and recycling, among other things.

Some the ways by which energy can saves are use of daylight while switching off other lights. In same way building are designed in such a way, in which max daylight can be utilized which ultimately reduce the impact of electrical consumption. One of the beverages industry made warehouse roof transparent which allow them to use max daylight and put les impact on the grid, this initiative was highly appreciated and same concept was used by other units.

Turning off lights and other electrical devices which are not in use is another way of saving electricity. In the same way lighting system has been revolutionized. Traditional bulbs and lights have been replaced with LED bulbs and lights which consume less electricity than the traditional ones. this alternative can generate energy savings of up to 80% over traditional lighting and is also environmentally friendly. In same way sensors are also been installed in the area which are not manned and where there is no such requirement of light. The sensors will allow the switch ON the light when the room or hall is manned.

Replacement of the energy efficient equipment also reduce the energy consumption. Classes have been also introduced which identifies which appliances are energy efficient and which are not. Class A appliances and equipment are tagged as Green while non efficient appliances are tagged as red, this enables the user to identify and buy energy efficient equipment’s easily form market. These equipment class A (green) may be expensive but this amount is pay back is less time.

In case of mobility, instead of using individual transport use public transport or carpooling which will put less load on environment. In same way switching the air conditioner on 26C will consume less electricity. In addition to their environmental benefits, these actions can also lead to financial savings. For example, using less energy means a lower electricity bill.

Aside from the actions we can take in our day-to-day lives, World Energy Efficiency Day is the perfect day to learn about LEED and BREEAM energy efficiency certifications. Both are systems designed to verify the sustainability and energy efficiency of buildings, and although they have many points in common, they differ in some respects.

 The concept of LEED and BREEM has revolutionized the energy efficiency concept. Firstly, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification bases its evaluation on the analysis of six environmental impact categories.

  • A sustainable site
  • Water efficiency and reduction in water consumption
  • Energy efficiency and reduction in energy consumption
  • Recycled materials and natural resources
  • Indoor environmental quality
  • Innovation in design

Meanwhile, BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) certification was developed in the United Kingdom and evaluates buildings in ten categories:

  • Management
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Energy
  • Transport
  • Materials
  • Waste
  • Water
  • Sustainable land use
  • Pollution
  • Innovation

Both methods serve to identify sustainable constructions which, following their assessment, are given a rating: Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum in the case of LEED and Pass, Good, Very Good, Excellent or Outstanding when it comes to BREEAM.

If we apply energy efficiency systems in our daily life, not only we are saving energy for ourselves but also for our upcoming generations and also putting less load on the environment by recycling and less exploiting the natural resources.

About the Author: Meraj Ahsan Qureshi is young motivated, environment health safety official and also social activist, who is determined to educated and change the society through awareness and encourage other to be a part of change.