Abstract: ICEBO is held each year because buildings routinely use far more energy than needed by the systems in buildings to provide comfort, lighting, ventilation and other needs to the occupants. We will explore the limits of energy efficiency from operational improvements in today’s office buildings and discuss two additional perspectives. Assuming today’s comfort, lighting, and ventilation standards and today’s office services, what are the limits to energy efficiency in office buildings: (1) with the best systems available today; and (2) what are the scientific and engineering limits?
Abstract: The only major agreement during the 2009 Climate Negotiations in Copenhagen was to create a $30 billion fund from developed countries to help developing countries to deal with climate change challenges. This presentation presents major arguments why part of this funding should be in the form of an endowment to enable national competitions in each country to select one building project in each to be most energy and environmentally effective. The endowment funding would only be applied to fund qualified universities in each country to cooperate with a leading university in a developed country to apply best practices and to measure, verify and report the results. Beyond educating highly qualified professionals, this would create 1000 best practice projects in 5-6 years worldwide. The information gathered would lead to culturally, environmentally, economically, and technically appropriate best practices to address the fact that building operations contribute the majority of carbon emissions, globally. On average this figure is 40-50%, globally. In high density urban environments, such as New York City the percentage can reach up to 80%. By 2050 more than 70% of the global population of possibly 9 billion, it is predicted, will be living in cities. Beyond addressing the need for action and presenting associated statistics, the presentation will provide examples of nearly, or completely first cost neutral, or even first cost saving projects, technologies and practices. Life cycle economic data will be presented.
Abstract: The building sector is responsible for more than one third of global energy use and, in most countries, is the largest source of greenhouse emissions. In parallel, the sector has the potential to deliver very large reductions, without significantly increasing investment costs. The importance of the building sector in tackling climate change has now become recognized at the national policy level in various countries. However, there are significant global and local barriers which hamper the development of sustainable buildings, including a lack of standardized building codes. Several of these barriers, in particular the lack of common metrics, are best resolved by strong global leadership and partnerships. The purpose of a Common Carbon Metric & Protocol for buildings is to give the sector a way to measure, report, and verify reductions in a consistent and comparable way. With its high share of emissions the building sector has the responsibility and opportunity to take the global lead in reduction strategies. Awareness of these facts and widespread use of this tool for measuring and reporting is the key. The building sector has more potential to deliver quick, deep and cost effective GHG mitigation than any other. Significantly increasing building energy efficiency can be achieved in the short-term. Energy consumption in both new and existing buildings could be cut by an estimated 30-50% by 2020 through readily available technologies, design, equipment, management systems, and alternative generation solutions. This can be funded through investments that quickly payback and result in significant environmental, social, and economic benefits.”
