What makes more sense: constructing 45 new nuclear power plants around the nation or encouraging construction of energy-efficient buildings instead?

The Santa Fe-based nonprofit Architecture 2030 says doing the latter not only makes more sense, but will save more energy than the nuclear plants could produce.

According to the firm’s founder, Edward Mazria, the road to energy independence, economic recovery and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions runs through the building sector.

As it did with its graphic “drop in the bucket” chart that illustrated an off-shore drilling article in the New Mexico Independent last month, Architecture 2030 has released an equally illustrative nuclear plants/electricity chart, which makes nuclear power’s contribution look like a needle-sized sliver in a gigantic haystack. In this case, the “haystack” represents U.S. electricity consumption.

The conclusion from this information, drawn by the nonprofit from information provided by the Energy Information Administration, is that it makes more sense to conserve energy through building construction and stop using such massive amounts of electricity. Such conservation could eliminate the need for construction of more power plants — nuclear or coal-fired.

Architecture 2030 says:

America’s proposed “Bold Energy Plan” would supply a meager 3 percent of the 118 QBtu of energy that the Energy Information Administration projects America will consume in 2030.

The 2030 Blueprint, a three-pronged solution centered on building energy efficiency, homeowner choices and renewable energy, would supply as much as 37 percent of America’s total energy consumption, replace 100 percent of its fossil-fuel-generated electricity and reduce its imported oil by as much as 89 percent.

According to an EIA report posted Oct. 8, a total of 20 nuclear power plant applications have been filed or are anticipated at the moment, and one project by the Tennessee Valley Authority has received a construction permit.

Construction of these plants would increase by almost 25 percent the number of reactors in the United States. As of Dec. 31, 104 nuclear reactors have been operating at 65 sites, according to the EIA.

The 2030 plan not only could save energy, but could create jobs. As the 2030 Blueprint states:

Investment in building energy efficiency is surprisingly effective. A single investment of $21.6 billion would replace 22.3 conventional 500 MW coal-fired power plants, reduce annual CO2 emissions by 86.7 million metric tons, save 204 billion cu. ft. of natural gas and 10.7 million barrels of oil each year, save consumers $8.46 billion in energy bills annually (less than a 3-year simple payback) and create 216,000 permanent new jobs.

Read how the 2030 Blueprint can be applied to building codes here.