by jbs050609d3 — May 8, 2009—In a rigorous new study, The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) demonstrates how to achieve a 60 percent reduction in the energy use of buildings by 2050 to help meet global climate change targets.
According the report, ambitious carbon footprint reduction goals set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change can be reached if the building sector achieves greater energy efficiency through a combination of public policies, technological innovation, informed customer choices and smart business decisions. Supported by specific implementation steps, this is the central message from the four-year, $15 million report, Transforming the Market: Energy Efficiency in Buildings.
The project took a data-intense and financially and market-driven approach to understanding the barriers to reduced energy use. Researchers analyzed energy use by building type for hundreds of millions of existing and new buildings projected out to 2050, accounting for differences such as climate, fuel type and building design.
The resulting report makes six principle recommendations:
- Strengthen building codes and energy labeling for increased transparency;
- Use subsidies and price signals to incentivize energy-efficient investments;
- Encourage integrated design approaches and innovations;
- Develop and use advanced technology to enable energy-saving behavior;
- Develop workforce capacity for energy saving; and
- Mobilize for an energy-aware culture.
United Technologies Corp. and Lafarge, which co-chaired the study, presented the report in Paris at the end of April at the Alliance to Save Energy’s EE Global Forum and Exposition. The report is also being released in Washington, D.C., and Beijing.
Full details of the proposed “transformation roadmap” for the building sector can be found in the report, available in English on the WBCSD Web site. A printed copy and multiple language versions will be available over the coming months.
