Investigating greenhouse challenge from growing trends of electricity consumption through home appliances in buildings

Abstract

Energy use in buildings accounts for 38% of global total final energy consumption, 45% of which in OECD countries. According to the International Energy Agency the continuing demand for new large and small appliances, often with new functionality, is resulting in rapidly increasing electricity consumption in both the residential and service sectors. Appliances contribution to the residential electricity use is increasing. Also, appliances types are changing in our homes. This paper aims to find the trend of energy consumption of appliances in the building sector and describing the driver of this energy consumption. For doing so, a review of the literature available in the topic is summarized first. Trends show that appliances energy consumption is growing, but also that are disproportionately powered by electricity, mainly due to the proliferation of electronics and other small household devices, especially in OECD countries. This trend, which have already brought millions of households out of poverty in China and India and promises to continually improve standards of living throughout the developing world, will also have a major impact on appliance energy consumption as many more households will be able to afford basic equipment such as refrigerators and washing machines. Moreover, because appliances generally consume electricity instead of renewable fuels or direct combustion fuels, they carry a relatively large carbon footprint in countries where electricity production is carbon intensive. Finally, appliances present significant opportunities for efficiency improvement, since most of the appliances to be implemented in the near future still have to be produced. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.