CIRCE, coordinator of the TRIBE European project, has published an online guide of energy efficiency measures aimed at both users and owners and operators within this initiative. From simple actions, such as properly using shutters and windows, to more complex ones, this guide seeks to encourage energy savings in buildings.
TRIBE is a project funded by the European Commission and coordinated from Spain by Fundación CIRCE´s research center. The goal of the project is to contribute to a change of habits in the users of buildings, encouraging a more responsible use of energy, electricity and water.
Among the project´s results, there is a guide that compiles 250 energy efficiency measures in buildings, so that different types of users can apply them and thus reduce their energy consumption.
The guide is available online and provides access to each of the 250 data sheets, which detail the benefits and limitations of the measure chosen, as well as the economic return resulting from its application and other information.
The tool classifies the measures according to different criteria in order to find the most suitable in a simple way. The first distinction is found in the short-term measures, which represent a low or medium investment, as opposed to the long term, which involve significant investments. So options ranging from the proper use of the computer or television, to works in the structure to improve isolation can be found.
From there, measures can be found depending on the type of building, such as academic buildings, homes or offices, the scope of application such as heating, cooling, lighting, electrical devices, etc. or the actor (users, owners or managers).
Energy efficiency measures
Among the 250 energy efficiency measures proposed by the TRIBE project, we find some like turning off the air conditioning 20 minutes before leaving the room where we are, adjusting the correct temperature of the air conditioners (in summer, each degree below 25 ° implies an excessive consumption of around 6-8%) or cleaning the surface of the radiators, since the dust that adheres to them acts as an insulation layer, so that the efficiency of the heat transfer of the radiators is reduced.
Another of the measures that TRIBE proposes is the placement of sheets of aluminum foil behind the radiators, since this will prevent the heat released from the radiator from escaping through the wall. Of this measure, TRIBE emphasizes that while it does not involve a considerable saving of energy, any type of saving, modest though it might be, is profitable.
