MAY 04

Is sprawl really so terrible? Of course we are trying to make greener buildings, and many think that efficiency improvements in buildings are the most important part of the solution. But the distance a home is from facilities, services and workplaces is a significant factor in the amount of energy that a home uses.

In conventional suburban development, an average American home uses 108 million BTUs (British Thermal Units--a measure of energy consumption) per year for operation (heating, cooling, lighting, etc.). But that same house uses 132 million BTUs per year in transportation energy use--for a total of 240 million BTU/year. In other words, for that average home, 55% of its total energy use is for transportation, and 45% is for operations.

A very green and energy efficient building can be more than undone by locating that building in a remote area. Even a net-zero energy house can be more of a drain on energy infrastructure if it is remotely located. Furthermore, the amount of energy and effort needed to extend infrastructure (roads, sewer and water lines, electricity and gas lines, etc.) is also an enormous drain on resources and materials.

Recently, the same complaint has been raised with the planned relocation of the EPA's Regional Headquarters in Kansas City KS, which is being moved from the downtown to a more isolated, suburban location, where transport emissions are expected to be 3 times as much as for the previous location.

Buildings need to be greener, but paying attention to the larger systems is also crucial in making meaningful change needed to get to a more energy efficient future.

image: CC BY-SA 3.0 by SimonP/Wikimedia

via: BuildingGreen

Comments (3)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

What about the layout?
written by Eletruk, May 06, 2011

Also the method of laying out the suburban tracts can add to the inefficiency. Rather than putting them on a grid, with easier direct routes, many suburban developments have winding streets that can require residents to drive additional distance, even miles just to get to and from their houses.

• 
• +1
• 
• 

Infill lots
written by Jessica Janes, May 19, 2011

Until gas prices are painful, many people will be under the false notion that driving to the burbs means more bang for their buck with or without an energy efficient home to go to. When we live closer to the center of our community, we are more likely to walk, bike, take public transportation and interact with people. The suburbs are hurting more than the environment and our wallet - -our communities.

• 
• +1
• 
• 

...
written by kathrine bocsh, July 09, 2011

sprawls are really not good

• 
• +0
• 
• 

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment