Timothy J. Chiaverini
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the energy used in the average household is responsible for twice as many greenhouse gas emissions as the average car.
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The vast majority of homes throughout the United States are powered by fossil-fuel burning power plants which contribute to the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The United States Government has gone so far as to offer individual homeowners rebates and tax credits for taking steps to reduce energy consumption. Since energy demand will only rise with the growing world population, our reliance on fossil fuels must end, and a multi-faceted approach is necessary.
Many natural ventilation systems have been developed and tested over the past 50 years. These systems employ the natural process of convection through thermal expansion of air to create buoyant force. One example of a natural ventilation system that has been developed for residential structures, large building structures and power plants is the Solar Chimney.