Energy: Management, Supply and Conservation

With more and more concern being expressed over the Earth's dwindling energy resources as well as rising pollution levels, the subject of energy management and conservation is becoming increasingly important. Over half of all energy consumed is used in buildings so effective management of buildings whether commercial or domestic is vital. This book is a comprehensive text dealing with the theory and practice of the supply of energy to consumers, energy management and auditing and energy saving technology. It will be a core text on courses on energy management and building services, as well as updating professionals in the building sector.

Table of Contents:
Energy management in context; The utility companies and energy supply; Competition in energy supply; Energy auditing; Energy analysis techniques; Energy economics; Energy monitoring and targeting; Energy efficient heating; Waste heat recovery; Combined heat and power (CHP); Energy efficient air conditioning and refrigeration; Electrical services and lighting; Passive environmental control in buildings.

Review :
You might have thought that 30 years after the Saudi Oil Crisis there would be a glut of regularly updated comprehensive student, graduate, practitioner texts on energy issues in the built environment. There aren't! Which is why this one is so welcome. It summarises a lot of the important issues of cost, supply, taxation and policy as well as providing a lot of worked examples on everything from lighting layouts to heat recovery and a chapter on examples of passively designed buildings. It's good - and a rarity, a really useful, well written, timely textbook. It will be invaluable to students of building services although the number of worked examples risks spoon-feeding. That won't put them off! There isn't much evidence of encouragement of creativity and I would have liked to see more challenges to the reader to address sustainability issues in their designs, not just the politics although that is a start. That said for a student or practitioner with creativity in mind - it's a very good start. Dr Beggs is probably hoping to put his feet up for a little while, after such a mammoth undertaking, and perhaps get to know his family again. But I'm afraid I'd like to challenge him to write the sequel with a different emphasis. Also desperately needed is the same subject covered for aspiring passive designers and architects with more emphasis on worked examples from real buildings, more qualitative approaches to technology choice, and more explanation of the sometimes arbitrary factors which lead to over design. These are the skills that the industry needs along with the design guidance that is so well presented here. I also think on the evidence here that Dr Beggs would make a very good job of it. Sandy Halliday BSc(Hons) MPhil CEng MCIBSE FRSA Principal, Gaia Research