RAVE REVIEWS!
Hear what major book reviewers and
users from all walks of life are saying
about the Energy Efficiency Manual…
Praise from Users…
“We save thousands of dollars using the Energy Efficiency Manual. It is really easy to understand. You should see the look on a contractor’s face when I ask him an intelligent question about his specialty. This book makes sure that I get the job done right, and at the best price.”
Valerie Kendall, Owner
Rockville Automotive Recycling
“This book is a tremendous tool for reducing your costs and satisfying your tenants. It leads you through the steps of saving utility costs in all kinds of commercial and residential properties, using language that anyone can understand. Every property manager should have it.”
Robert Warriner
certified property manager
“A phenomenal achievement. This us the best organized, most complete guide presently available for making buildings and plants efficient and reliable. It breaks new ground in showing management how to reduce utility costs.”
Henry A. Borger, former Secretary,
Federal Construction Council
of the National Academy of Sciences
“Provides professional, practical, detailed guidance for today’s real world. Helps you obtain the optimum combination of efficiency and investment potential, whether in design, installation, operation, maintenance, or management.”
Clinton W. Phillips, PE
engineering consultant,
past President, ASHRAE
“Industry has been waiting for this book. It covers everything from the simplest activities and equipment modifications to sophisticated design improvements. Plant operators and designers will use it continually.”
Charles A. Wood
paper industry engineer
“An invaluable resource. You need this book to do thorough energy audits and to make efficiency improvements with confidence.”
Sean J. Gallagher
school system energy specialist
“This volume, more than any policy mandate or directive, makes energy efficiency a practical reality. Mr. Wulfinghoff clearly and systematically describes thousands of energy efficiency measures applicable to commercial, industrial, and residential applications. They are presented in a way that is immediately accessible to the facility managers who make daily decisions about utility use and system maintenance. The accessibility of this information advances the cause of energy efficiency more effectively than any open-ended policy proclamation. The technical details of each measure are complemented with a discussion of economics, which is crucial to securing the “corporate blessing” that most facility managers require to get things done. This text is a must-have item for facility managers as well as the companies that supply energy services.”
Christopher H. Russell
Alliance to Save Energy
“I would rather graduate a physician without the Physician’s Desk Reference than graduate an engineer without the Energy Efficiency Manual. This is the fundamental reference that every engineering and architecture student should study in school and continue to use throughout his career.”
Walter Scheider
Presidential Award science teacher
“This book is an excellent resource for people who care about ecoefficiency and industrial costs. It was very useful to me because I have been writing my MBA thesis about these themes and the book matches my topics exactly.”
Jose Luis Minolli
business student
Book Reviews…
“From home insulation to the energy conundrums facing the biggest industrial plant, the Energy Efficiency Manual answers just about any question that anyone – homeowner, plant manager, energy policy guru – might have about energy efficiency. Donald R. Wulfinghoff, an engineer who also works as an arbitrator in the construction industry, has spent more than 20 years breaking his encyclopedic knowledge into 400 “measures,” self-contained sections that are as practically useful as they are informative. The flagship publication of the Energy Institute Press, this massive reference is heavily illustrated with graphics and helpful sidebars. While parts of the book are highly technical, there’s more than enough information in these pages to help conservation-minded citizens walk the walk.”
[Jeff Zaleski, Publishers Weekly]
“Recommended… this hefty volume is designed to be accessible to everyone.”
[Mary Ellen Quinn, Booklist]
“… caught my eye for usefulness, production quality and importance … Twenty years in the making, this primary reference book written in layman’s English covers how to increase energy efficiency in the home, office, manufacturing plant, etc. Written by a gentleman who is a professional engineer, certified mechanic, broadcast engineer and construction industry mediator/arbitrator, the book is an absolute must for public libraries.”
[Mardi Link, Foreword]
“Drawing on his practical experience as a consultant, Wulfinghoff has prepared a very large and comprehensive guide to maximizing energy efficiency in all types of buildings. Since efficiency has only recently become a major concern in the building industry, most existing buildings are in great need of this type of upgrading. An important corollary is to avoid pitfalls of bogus improvements. The style is informal with pithy comments interspersed; e.g., “It is worth stressing that cheap junk units, which infest the market, will not last long enough to pay off….” An elaborate scheme of organization helps pinpoint specific topics and probable results. The grading criteria are savings potential, rate of return, reliability, and ease of retrofit. Major headings include “Boiler Plant,” “Chiller Plant,” “Service Water Systems,” “Air Handling Systems,” “Room Conditioning Units,” “Building Air Leakage,” “Building Insulation,” “Control of Sunlight,” “Artificial Lighting,” “Energy Management Tools,” “Energy Sources,” “Mechanical Equipment,” “Building Envelope,” and “Lighting.” Many illustrations, photographs, and charts; 42-page index. All levels.”
[J. C. Comer, American Library Association, Choice]
“This revolutionary how-to book explains the vital issues of energy efficiency in a way that all managers and technicians can easily apply to the areas of reducing energy costs, enhancing comfort, and protecting environmental health. It covers all aspects of energy conservation, from basic controls and equipment to the operation of the most advanced systems. It offers many opportunities to improve efficiency with simple changes. It also explains clearly how to improve complex systems that often perplex engineers and technicians. Upon initially opening the manual, I thought it was something for large industrial plant designers. But then, I quickly found that it covers all types of conservation, such as ways of reducing water consumption in sinks, showers, water heaters, and toilets. It also covers advanced conservation concepts, such as integrating daylighting with electric lighting systems. This is one of the most comprehensive reference publications that I have seen on any subject. During my years of work as a consulting engineer, I thought I knew all about efficient design. Now, I realize that I would have profited immensely from having a manual like this.”
[Kurt H. Schuler, Certified Engineering Technician]
“The Energy Efficiency Manual is a reference book for saving energy. For example, one of the book’s 400 energy saving activities says, “Lighting is likely to operate unnecessarily if it is not visible from the switch location. For example, this is a common problem with outside lighting.” To reduce the wasted energy, Wulfinghoff suggests installing a telltale light such as a toggle light that can be seen from the switch’s location. It has information for all businesses, institutions, industrial plants, farms, and the home as well as the latest technology and methods. Efficiency improvements cover boiler and chiller plants, service water and air handling systems, energy sources and management tools, and artificial lighting and sunlight. Besides the energy suggestions, the book also provides the savings potential, estimated cost, and payback period. This energy-saving book can be a powerful cost-saving guide.”
[Alex Moore, Foreword, Special Notes]
“In today’s fast paced world where we spend a good part of each day in buildings at work and play, it is important to plan building energy systems that meet our needs for heating, cooling, air flow, and lighting successfully and efficiently. The Energy Efficiency Manual offers up-to-date and practical solutions for energy planning applicable to building environments in one comprehensive volume. Wulfinghoff presents the information you need to plan, design, and construct efficient energy systems in homes, businesses, institutions, factories, farms, and other buildings. This easy-to-read, heavily illustrated work will be used over and over again by architects, engineers, contractors, code officers, environmental advocates, students, and homeowners who are dedicated to producing energy activities that save resources, are cost effective, reliable, and function at maximum efficiency. Nontechnical language is used throughout and terms are explained and illustrated when appropriate. Thus, the volume will appeal to a wide audience of users who are involved in building maintenance and those who just want to read it and learn more about energy conservation concepts.
The Manual is arranged in two parts. Part I, “Energy Measures,” presents 400 specific energy efficiency improvements and cost saving activities. The measures are arranged under 10 sections covering boiler plants, chiller plants, service water systems, air handling systems, air conditioning systems, building air leakage, building insulation, control and use of sunlight, artificial lighting, and independent components such as motors and pumps. Since many energy projects serve several parts of a building or facility, readers will find practical solutions to all their energy efficiency questions in this section. I chose some entries at random and was impressed with the wide coverage of nearly all aspects of energy design. There are measures for efficient operation of low load heating systems; managing refrigerants in cooling equipment; reducing energy consumption of water pumps; regulating outside air intake and building pressurization; improving the efficiency of heating with radiators and convectors; reducing air leakage through windows and window frames; insulating roofs to prevent heat loss during cold weather; using daylight to save energy in open buildings; spatial layout of fixtures and wiring to provide efficient lighting; and eliminating excess output in constant flow fans. Each measure gives an explanation of the activity and its relevance to building operation including a ratings and evaluation scoreboard that assesses the overall efficiency of the activity in terms of savings potential, rate of return, reliability and ease of retrofit or initiation. An economics summary estimates savings potential, cost, and payback period for the measure. A “traps & tricks” alert offers suggestions for avoiding pitfalls that will keep the measure running for the long term.
Part II, “Reference Notes Section,” supports the measures in part I by offering more information and facts regarding equipment, principles of operation, installation and operating practices, calculation tools, and air and lighting requirements. It reads like a reference book on energy that you would browse for an overall view of the topic. I browsed the 56 reference notes and was pleasantly surprised at the wealth of knowledge I gained from this section alone.
You don’t have to be an engineer to appreciate the Energy Efficiency Manual. It is well written with clear and precise explanations that anybody with a basic knowledge of energy concepts can understand. Readers may consult it to learn about a concept that interests them or they can browse the measures or reference notes for an overall view of energy efficiency in buildings. Supplementing the text are 850 eye-catching illustrations, tables or charts, and an index to lead you to a measure or reference note for your needs.
Although Wulfinghoff spent 20 years writing the Manual, he does not claim to have complete or perfect knowledge of each topic and points out that the book should not be used as your sole source of information. Nevertheless, he is a professional engineer and president of his own firm. He has lectured at universities, industry conferences and seminars, and is the author of many publications on energy research and application. He has been a consultant to industry and government and is a construction industry arbitrator-mediator. He is dedicated to designing energy efficient systems, and his experience and knowledge of the field come across loud and clear. Wulfinghoff has little patience for gimmicks and products that claim to conserve resources without examining how they apply to overall energy systems in buildings. If you are going to plan and install energy systems for a building, he urges you do it right and save money and resources in the long run.
Forget other energy efficiency publications in your home or office collection. Wulfinghoff’s Energy Efficiency Manual makes them obsolete. This is the manual that building engineers will consult first when planning an energy activity. It will serve the industry as a reputable and widely consulted publication for many years to come.”
[Irwin Weintraub, Electronic Green Journal]
“The first 1,200 pages of this enormous reference contain 400 activities for improving energy efficiency, grouped into sections on the boiler plant, the chiller plant, service water systems, air handling systems, room conditioning units, building air leakage, building insulation, control and use of sunlight, artificial lighting, and independent energy-using components. Each activity is scored with regard to its savings potential, rate of return for new facilities and for facilities considering a retrofit, reliability, and ease of retrofit. The last third of the book is devoted to information on various aspects of energy management tools, energy sources, mechanical equipment, building envelope, and lighting. The intended audience includes those involved in new construction (architects, engineers, construction managers, code officials); those who own, manage, or operate facilities; and specialists and advocates of energy efficiency. The author prepared the book over a 20-year period.”
[Jane Erskine, Book News Inc.]
“Donald Wulfinghoff’s Energy Efficiency Manual is a massive, 1,536-page reference work that is organized to guide the reader quickly to the right information for their particular energy project, problem, or inquiry. The first part of this “user friendly” manual has 400 logically grouped activities for improving energy efficiency. Each activity begins with Ratings and a Selection Scorecard to help the reader judge the merits and difficulties of that particular activity. “Economics” sidebars estimate the savings, cost, and payback period. The “Traps & Tricks” sidebars provide practical advice for avoiding pitfalls that plague energy conservation efforts. Energy Efficiency Manual will earn back its cover price over and over again. It is an essential, core reference for personal, professional, and library collections.”
[James A. Cox, The Midwest Book Review]