Fundamentals of Energy Efficiency:
Understanding the Other Side of the Meter
Fall 2011
Course numbers: TTP 289A-003/289B-003
Instructor: Alan Meier akmeier@ucdavis.edu
Tuesday and Thursday 2:10 pm – 4:00 pm
Instructor Units CRN Course No. Title Location
3 units - letter graded 81839 289A-003 Fundamentals of Energy
A. Meier Efficiency: 1120 Hart
Understanding the Other
1 unit – P/NP graded 81847 289B-003 Side of the Meter
Course Summary
Most people have a reasonably good sense of where our energy comes from but have a poor sense of
where it goes. For example, few people realize that almost 2/3 of all electricity is consumed by
electric motors or that 20% of auto fuel consumption is used to overcome rolling resistance of the
tires. This course introduces concepts and tools necessary to understand and critically evaluate how
people use energy and prospects for reducing consumption.
The course begins with a brief review of the basic concepts of energy and power, along with the key
units and transformations. The course then examines the kinds of services provided by energy-using
devices, including mechanical power, thermal comfort, and illumination. The concepts of energy
efficiency are explained in the context of the machines that provides these services.
Technical and economic limits to energy saving will be discussed, along with strategies that make it
possible to bypass them. Real-world examples will be presented to illustrate theories and generic
approaches.
Coursework will consist primarily of problem sets and an individual project. Students will make
their own measurements and calculations, using meters that are provided.
Students will emerge from this course with an appreciation of the technical, economic, and
behavioral aspects of energy use in addition to the tools to professionally evaluate conservation
opportunities.
This course is the first in a 3-part series examining different aspects of energy efficiency:
fundamentals, economics, and innovations.