Energy and Housing

Studies show that the energy used in construction is by no means an insignificant part of the overall energy costs of housing projects. The energy used in housing, whether it be a development of 20 houses or an estate of several hundred dwellings, is made up of three major components: the energy used in construction, the operational energy of the development as a whole and within the individual dwellings, and the energy used by household members in transport. Energy Used in Construction To determine the energy used in construction, it is first necessary to estimate the energy required to produce and transport construction materials. Then details of the material quantities and the method of construction can be used to obtain the total energy requirement for landscaping the site, providing infrastructure and access, and constructing the dwellings.