Energy Efficiency in Buildings

Help me, don’t tell me ….

I was delighted to be  invited to be one of the opening speakers at the recent General Assembly of EURIMA in Budapest. Eurima is the European  Insulation Manufacturers Association. It represents the interests of all major  mineral wool producers throughout Europe.  Their products have very good thermal properties and are therefore key to  improving energy performance in buildings.

I was asked to present a  global perspective on energy efficiency in buildings and set this in the  context of the stalled international climate negotiations, stressing the  urgency for action to tackle climate change. The issue has moved so fast during  last year and we seem to have reached a tipping point. I pointed out that the  present CO2 emission curve is already to the left of the famous  business-as-usual scenario curve.

In other words the task of achieving target  carbon dioxide concentrations is even bigger than we thought.

Less is More

Greetings! As a new intern at the WBCSD I have hit the ground running, learning as much as I can about the business role in sustainable development. Christian has invited me to write on the EEB blog, perhaps to provide an even fresher look on the world of energy efficient buildings than his own. As I have been focusing on this aspect of decreasing energy consumption, I am happy to contribute my thoughts, particularly in regards to energy neutral buildings.

Here at the WBCSD, I spend a majority of my time searching the globe (via online resources) for buildings that consume zero net energy. In fact, the goal of the EEB project is a world where all buildings create as much energy as they consume. It is a vision that may seem to many a little too lofty, a little too outlandish, and perhaps to some, a little too impossible. I had similar thoughts before I came here, but then I started devoting my time to actually reading about these “far-fetched” zero energy buildings. The truth is, they are here and they are ready. Already there are homes scattered all over the world where the owners enjoy an energy bill of zero or less. Yes, less, as in the building makes a monthly profit.

   

 

One such building will be the currently under construction Pearl River Tower in China. This 303 meter tall superstructure will be the world’s greenest skyscraper, creating surplus energy through solar panels and uniquely incorporated wind turbines. In Sweden, what once was a run down industrial plant has become a beautiful shorefront commercial and residential area that produces all of its own energy. In America, the first affordable (under $200,000) zero net energy house was constructed almost two years ago!

If there is one thing I can draw from my work so far, it is that the technology is available, the price is right, and the time is now. I know I sound like I’m trying to sell you something, but the truth is, with the Earth on a dangerous path towards an irreversible climate shift, the world will only listen to a sales pitch. With a recent report stating that carbon emissions have accelerated much more rapidly than had previously been projected, I wonder how many times we must be reminded that buildings consume around 40% of the world’s energy before we start to do something about it.

The people at the WBCSD are doing great work in approaching this crisis from the top down, but I believe that others, namely you and me, in our homes and in our businesses, need to work from the bottom up. Once a demand is created the supply will come running. Hopefully one day in the not too distant future, those coming from the top and those coming from the bottom will meet in the middle to discover a world where all buildings consume zero net energy.