Energy Efficiency in Buildings

Many of us are proud of our home, and spend much time and effort making them comfortable. Some save much of their lives to buy one of their own, while elsewhere in the world, others just want to be able to live in one. Sizes, styles and strength varies, but all have an influence on the world we live in, no matter where they are.

Worldwide, more and more people are closer to cities, many of them hoping for a better life. In 2050, 70 percent of the population is expected to become urbanized, and everyone needs something to live.

At the same time, the total number of people is increasing. The world’s population is expected to grow by 50 percent, or three billion people, by 2050. Some 85 percent are expected to live in what we now call developing countries, and all of these too will need housing.

The pressures people put on the planet continue to grow, and so do the number of buildings we construct, to live and work in, to house manufacturing and other industries.

But few people know that buildings are responsible for about 40 percent of the world’s current energy use and about a third of our carbon dioxide emissions. This is more than any other sector. Based on 2050 projections, energy savings in buildings could save more carbon dioxide than the entire emissions of the transport sector.

The potential is huge. The knowledge and technology we already have could achieve dramatic reductions, but we are moving at a snail’s pace.

This past month we at the WBCSD have tried to pick up the pace by releasing our report, Transforming the Market: Energy Efficiency in Buildings. The report is the result of a four-year $US 15 million study that shows how energy use in buildings can be cut by 60 percent by 2050.

Energy efficiency is widely regarded as the most cost-effective way to mitigate climate change. Much of the technology we need to do this is already available. So why are we not doing more?

We do not need to wait until a deal is reached on a new climate agreement in Copenhagen. We can get started now.

In the building sector this means educating building professionals, a holistic approach to design, financial mechanisms that encourage investment, and behavioral changes in society as a whole so that consumers begin to embrace energy efficiency .

Each and every one of us needs to become energy-aware. We need to demand buildings that consume zero net energy, to demand transport systems and vehicles that have lower greenhouse gas emissions, and to expect products that use as little energy as possible.