“A system-by-system technical retrofit guide for building professionals, Energy Conservation Projects delivers engineering-grade strategies across HVAC, lighting, electrical, controls, and envelope systems — all tied to measurable utility cost savings and real-world payback analysis.”
KEYWORDS: green buildings, energy conservation, energy audit software, hvac, electrical, water system, architectural, lighting
210 pages 6x9 Trade book Available as a Paperback, PDF book, or ebook Read a 15-page preview at Blurb.com
About the Book
From veteran energy engineer and auditor William H. Clark II comes Energy Conservation Projects: Save Energy Save $ — a rigorous, systems-level technical guide for building owners, facility managers, and engineering professionals serious about reducing operational costs and extending infrastructure life. Where most energy guides stop at behavioral tips, Clark goes deeper — delivering a structured, project-by-project framework for retrofitting real buildings across every major system, from domestic water and HVAC to lighting, electrical distribution, and building controls.
Each chapter targets a specific building system, pairing engineering principles — thermal bridging, fan laws, power factor correction, the stack effect — with concrete, actionable maintenance and retrofit strategies. Clark’s signature approach balances theoretical rigor with practical economics, ensuring every recommendation is evaluated against real-world payback periods and utility cost reduction. Supplemented by proprietary energy audit spreadsheet software for calculating project savings, Energy Conservation Projects is the definitive professional reference for anyone responsible for the operational performance of a commercial, institutional, or multi-family building. Stop guessing — start engineering your savings.
Target Audience
- Building owners and property managers seeking to reduce operational utility costs
- Facility managers and building engineers responsible for mechanical and electrical systems
- Energy auditors and green building consultants
- Architecture and engineering students studying sustainable building systems
- Contractors and retrofit specialists working in commercial and institutional buildings
Key Themes:
- System-by-system engineering approach to building energy retrofits
- HVAC optimization — fan laws, boiler staging, chiller sequencing, and cooling tower management
- Building envelope performance — thermal resistance, vapor barriers, shading, and load profiling
- Lighting efficiency — lamp selection, daylighting maximization, and fixture maintenance economics
- Electrical distribution — load analysis, power factor correction, motor balancing, and rate optimization
- Automated Energy Management Systems (EMS) — demand limiting, optimized start/stop, and controls sequencing
- Proprietary digital audit tools for calculating project savings and payback periods
Detailed Table of Contents
- The Domestic Water System — Covers water distribution optimization including leak reduction, storage temperature management, steam-generator efficiency, and insulation maintenance to minimize water heating energy waste.
- Building Envelope — Analyzes walls, windows, and roofing assemblies through the lens of thermal resistance, load profiling, shading devices, and vapor barriers to reduce mechanical heating and cooling demand.
- Ventilation and Infiltration — Examines the stack effect, building pressure management, and indoor air quality standards, with detailed maintenance protocols for dampers, fans, and ductwork to eliminate uncontrolled air exchange.
- Lighting Projects I — Introduces foundational lighting efficiency principles covering lamp types, color rendering indices, illumination standards, and the implementation of basic occupancy and scheduling controls.
- Lighting Projects II — Advances to sophisticated lighting retrofit strategies including daylighting maximization, fixture maintenance scheduling, and the economic justification framework for high-efficiency lamp and ballast upgrades.
- Heating and Cooling — Provides in-depth HVAC operational guidance covering fan laws, thermostat management, self-contained unit maintenance, and optimization of boiler and furnace combustion efficiency.
- Central Systems — Focuses on large-scale mechanical plant equipment — chillers, boilers, and cooling towers — with guidance on staging protocols, water treatment, and system-wide hydronic balancing.
- Electrical Projects — Details electrical distribution efficiency strategies including utility rate structure analysis, load profiling, motor phase balancing, and power factor correction to reduce demand charges.
- Controls — Guides the transition to automated Energy Management Systems (EMS), covering optimized start/stop scheduling, demand limiting, and sequencing logic for chillers and boilers.
- Architectural Concepts — Explores how structural design decisions and space planning — thermal mass, functional room sizing, and windbreak integration — directly influence a building’s baseline energy load.
- Energy Audit Software — Provides access to Clark’s proprietary spreadsheet-based digital audit tools for calculating potential project savings, simple payback periods, and return on investment across all building systems.
Purchase the Book
Please visit the book’s landing page on Blurb.com for a 15-page preview and options to purchase the paperback or PDF.
Further Reading
Visit the author’s website Energy-Tips.org for more energy-saving ideas + a search engine with thousands more energy tips!