WHERE DOES ALL THE ENERGY GO..? 

 Most thermal power plants operate at only about 35% efficiency, meaning that 65% of potential power output is emitted as “waste heat”, and lost to the atmosphere.   Of the 35% remainder which is fed to homes, offices, shops, and factories, etc., – much of it also lost to the atmosphere as “waste heat”.  In cold countries heat seeps out through walls, roofs, windows and doors.  In warm climates air-conditioners expel excess heat from buildings into the atmosphere.  

The Usual Suspects…

• ELECTRICITY GENERATION – 60-70% of power plants output is lost as “waste heat”
• TRANSMISSION LOSSES – could be eliminated with on-site power generation 
• STREET LIGHTING – traffic lights, hazard warning signs,  etc, etc.  
• HOUSES – emit heat through their roofs, walls, windows, and doors. 
• AIR-CONDITIONING – sucks hot air out of buildings and blasts it into city streets 
• OFFICE BUILDINGS expel lots of heat and often leave many lights on overnight
• FACTORIES & WORKSHOPS machines generate heat which is lost to the atmosphere.
• SUPERMARKETS – space heating competes against open chest freezers, ultra-bright lighting, etc.
• BIG-BOX STORES – vast, high-ceilinged, poorly-insulated buildings leak vast amounts of heat.
• ILLUMINATED ADVERTISING SIGNS 
• COMPUTER & DATA CENTRES – generate masses of waste heat
• BITCOIN MINING – ditto
• WATER SUPPLY INFRASTRCTURE – Dams, Treatment, Pumping Stations, Water Mains
• SEWAGE “TREATMENT” PLANTS – a euphemism for dumping and wasting a valuable resource.
• ROAD TRANSPORTATION – noisy, dangerous, polluting trucks.   Why not rail haulage?  Because trucks “create” more jobs..?

As a single large building, an Oasis City would be far more thermally efficient than thousands of smaller individual buildings  

• On-site power generation would virtually eliminate power transmission losses.   
• Homes would use far less energy – compact, super-insulated apartments
• Each apartment would have an air-lock entry lobby and just ONE exterior wall 
• Offices, shops, restaurants, workshops, etc., confined within a single building 
• Waste-heat could thus be harvested and utilised, e.g., as “DISTRICT HEATING”