Energy efficiency: a key asset for saving

Looking at the data in the last edition of the ACEEE (The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy), International Energy Efficiency Scorecard which analyse – at world level – the energy efficiency policies of 25 countries  representing 78% of all the energy consumed, we find Italy and Germany in first place, followed by France, Spain and the United Kingdom. France is in first place for transport, Spain for buildings and Italy and Germany for implementation policies. The average score recorded in the report was 50.5 points out of 100, i.e. all the countries analysed could still make great improvements.

At European standards level  Directive UE/2018/844 on smart buildings defines a framework for action for long-term strategies, supporting the renewal of the building stock with highly energy-efficient and decarbonised buildings by 2050, facilitating effective transformation in terms of costs of all the existing buildings into Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB), with systems and components which can increase the level of “intelligence” and interaction with users and smart grids, such as lighting management, management of air conditioning, recharging of electric vehicles and the constant monitoring of results.

Building energy retrofit or renovate a process and monitoring the results in real time – generating that awareness helpful for users and decision makers to understand how much they are saving and what can still be done – is advantageous not only because the energy bill is reduced or more sustainable behaviour is encouraged, but because the building and the activities carried out acquire added market value. And if energy efficiency then becomes an investment, one can talk of energy enhancement, especially when the application of smart systems which are not “seen” leads to more visible money in the wallet.

If, at the world level, buildings are responsible for 60% of the electrical energy consumption, it becomes fundamental to manage waste in this sector as well as possible and propose target solutions for Corporate Social Responsability Managers and Energy Managers, the decision makers of this important revolution.

From control and connection interfaces to cable management, from energy distribution to VDI (voice, data, images) distribution systems Legrand offers a series of solutions designed to manage lighting, energy, networks and access to buildings.

Choosing Legrand, the world specialist in electrical and digital infrastructures for buildings, to implement an Energy Efficiency programme, means selecting products with limited environmental impact, which guarantee optimum performance and long-term advantages and constant and continuous monitoring to improve processes and services.