Energy Efficiency Manual: for everyone who uses energy, pays for utilities, designs and builds, is interested in energy conservation and the environment

Perhaps best of all, the author goes beyond theoretical considerations of high-tech efficiency products, with precautions of what works and what might fall short. He also reminds facility managers to be mindful of the human factors that can foil our best efforts. He offers suggestions on how to plan and manage efficiency upgrades complete with information for building operators and occupants, so that the savings persist.

Highly recommended for anyone managing energy use in facilities, ranging from individual buildings to college campuses to government facilities. [I am a local government energy manager myself.]


Provides practical advice for avoiding pitfalls   February 4, 2001
Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

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 friend" 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 estimates the savings, cost, and payback period. The "Traps & Tricks" sidebars provides practical advice for avoiding pitfalls plaguing energy conservation efforts. Energy Efficiency Manual will earn back its cover price over and over again and is an essential, core reference for personal, professional, and community library energy conservation and energy efficiency reference book collections.


Useful and interesting - STRONGLY RECOMMENDED   February 8, 2005
Joshua M. Levine (New York, NY)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

Despite the intimidating name and size of this tome, I found it fascinating to read. It covers everything from light bulb selection to rooftop chiller maintenance. The depth and breath of coverage is amazing.

This is not a hippie guide to backwoods eco-conservation. It is a practical manual, firmly grounded in science and economics that explains different strategies for maximizing comfort while minimizing energy use. In every case, the author examines both the pros and cons of the measure, and calculates the expected payback term. It is so helpful to have a book that is realistic in its treatment of energy conservation. Lots of books outline promising energy saving techniques, none I've read before talk so frankly about the problems you will encounter when you implement them.

Quite technical in many places, the text excels at explaining important concepts that are often ignored in other texts. I have a background in physics, but not until reading this book did I have a good grasp of the operation of absorption coolers or how the spectrum of a light bulb affects the visual comfort of the scene it illuminates. The concise overview of heat transfer mechanisms is more thorough than any thermodynamics textbook I've ever read.

Most important of all is the practical advice that is clearly based on a huge body of real experience. As the book so frequently points out, energy saving measures are useless if they break or are defeated by building occupants. Hundreds of (non-obvious) examples of these failures are given, with pictures.

This book would be great for anyone with responsibility for designing or maintaining buildings of any size. If you are hesitant to pay the high price, find it at a local library. I don't write many Amazon reviews, but after reading this book I felt compelled to strongly recommend it.



Landmark Reference for Practical Energy Efficiency   December 15, 1999
Christopher Russell (Washington, D.C.)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

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.


Excellent Resource   December 15, 1999
Valerie Kendall (Rockville, MD USA)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

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, recycling center owner