On the integration of refrigerators and air conditioners

A theme that ran through the energy panel at the Sustainability Conference today was integration. Refrigerators, for instance, will soon be able to communicate with the energy grid and adjust for peak fluctuations, and power down when the internal temperature is cool enough. Buildings and grids will get smarter—and will integrate our systems more thoroughly.

But integration goes further than just communications between individual appliances and the greater energy grid. Panelist Ash Awad made a great point about how we need to go farther than simply designing green buildings, but creating a design process that looks at the big picture—design, construction and operation—up front. Picking sustainable materials, for instance, is not enough: there must be communication with the building’s management to make sure it’s sustainably operated.

Awad asked the crowd how many of us had experienced a green building that could be more efficiently operated, and a few hands reluctantly went up around the room. Incredulously, he told us that he’d keep asking us until everyone’s hand was raised. And indeed, there I was sitting in a LEED-certified building at the height of the summer heat, shivering underneath my long-sleeved shirt in an overly air-conditioned room.

His point was a good one: green building certifications are useless if we don’t actually run them sustainably.

All blog posts on Shiny Green Button associated with the 2008 Southwest Washington Sustainability Conference reflect the individual views of AHA! employees and not the City of Vancouver. We want and encourage feedback, so tell us what you think. But please be respectful of our readers. Bloggers of Shiny Green Button reserve the right to reject comments containing offensive or inflammatory language.

Comments

[Nicholas Arnold]

This reminds me of shopping for produce. So many labels read "organic", but how many are actually grown organically.
Is it really "sustainable" if it isn't built sustainably. Joe Van Belleghem brought this up in the morning keynote address as well. Building a LEED certified structure doesn't mean much if the bricks or blocks come from an unsustainable system.

And I want one of those fridges superbad!

[TimsHead]

Hmm. Great point there by Mr. Awad. All of our LEED-certified buildings on campus seem about 10 degrees too warm or cold to most people, depending on the season. Of course, I think any college could save so much money and resources if they turned their dorms down from broil. For whatever reason, no one finds this suggestion simple.

[Rebecca]

Indeed! The sustainability label should carry some accountability. I fear this means slow government and slower legislation are going to come into play. Thanks goodness science is taking the lead already. Those fridges sound cool (no pun intended). Sounds like a clever speaker too!