OSLO, 29 March 2007 –
Significant gains can be made in efforts
to combat global warming by reducing energy
use and improving energy efficiency in buildings.
The right mix of appropriate government
regulation, greater use of energy saving
technologies and behavioural change can
substantially reduce carbon dioxide (CO2)
emissions from the building sector which
accounts for 30-40 % of global energy use,
says a new report from the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) Sustainable
Construction and Building Initiative (SBCI).
The new report, Buildings and Climate Change:
Status, Challenges and Opportunities, says
many opportunities exist for governments,
industry and consumers to take appropriate
actions during the life span of buildings
that will help mitigate the impacts of global
warming.
Citing the example of Europe, the report
says more than one-fifth of present energy
consumption and up to 45 million tonnes
of CO2 per year could be saved by 2010 by
applying more ambitious standards to new
and existing buildings.
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General
and UNEP Executive Director, said:"
Energy efficiency, along with cleaner and
renewable forms of energy generation, is
one of the pillars upon which a de-carbonized
world will stand or fall. The savings that
can be made right now are potentially huge
and the costs to implement them relatively
low if sufficient numbers of governments,
industries, businesses and consumers act".
"This report focuses on the building
sector. By some conservative estimates,
the building sector world-wide could deliver
emission reductions of 1.8 billion tonnes
of C02. A more aggressive energy efficiency
policy might deliver over two billion tonnes
or close to three times the amount scheduled
to be reduced under the Kyoto Protocol,"
he added.
"There is more low hanging fruit to
be harvested. Several countries, including
Australia, Cuba and the European Union are
looking to phase out or ban the traditional
incandescent light bulb that has been around
for well over a century in various forms.
The International Energy Agency estimates
that a total global switch to compact fluorescent
bulbs would, in 2010 deliver C02 savings
of 470 million tonnes or slightly over half
of the Kyoto reductions. We have to ask
what the hurdles are-- if any--to achieving
such positive low cost change and set about
decisively and swiftly to overcome them,
if they exist at all," said Mr Steiner.
Key Points from the Buildings and Climate
Change Report
In the life time of an average building
most energy is consumed, not for construction,
but during the period when the building
is in use. That is, when energy is being
used for heating, cooling, lighting, cooking,
ventilation and so on.
Recognising this, the report pushes for
a greater use of existing technologies like
thermal insulation, solar shading and more
efficient lighting and electrical appliances,
as well as the importance of educational
and awareness campaigns. Typically more
than 80% of the total energy consumption
takes place during the use of buildings,
and less than 20% during construction of
the same.
"To achieve improved energy efficiency
in buildings you often do not need to use
advanced and expensive high-tech solutions,
but simple solutions such as smart design,
flexible energy solutions and provision
of appropriate information to the building
users," says Olivier Luneau, SBCI Chairman
and Director for sustainability at Lafarge.
"Simple solutions can include sun
shading and natural ventilation, improved
insulation of the building envelope, use
of recycled building materials, adoption
of the size and form of the building to
its intended use etc," he said. "Of
course you can achieve even better results
if more sustainable construction system
solutions are used, such as intelligent
lighting and ventilation systems, low temperature
heating and cooling systems and energy saving
household appliances."
In addition to a greater use of relevant
energy saving technologies, the report stresses
the importance of appropriate government
policies on building codes, energy pricing
and financial incentives that encourage
reductions in energy consumption.
It also emphasizes that the building sector
stakeholders themselves, including investors,
architects, property developers, construction
companies, tenants, etc. need to understand
and support, such policies in order for
them to function effectively.
The report also notes that approaches to
finding building solutions will vary.
In developed countries the main challenge
is to achieve emission reduction among mostly
existing buildings, and this can largely
be done by reducing the use of energy.
In other parts of the world, especially
places like China where almost 2 billion
square meters of new building space is added
every year, the challenge is to leapfrog
directly to more energy efficient building
solutions, the report says.
The Buildings and Climate Change report
will be presented to the annual general
meeting of the SBCI, which is convened in
Rabat, Morocco, from 2 to 4 April 2007.
The SBCI is an international partnership
to "green" the multi-billion dollar
building and construction sector. Launched
one year ago with UNEP, it now has some
thirty members including some of the biggest
names in the business such as Lafarge, Skanska
and Arcelor.
The SBCI secretariat is hosted by the UNEP
Division of Technology, Industry and Economics
in Paris.
Copies of the UNEP SBCI Buildings and Climate
Change report can be downloaded from http://www.unep.fr/
or www.unep.org
Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson
