Over the past five years, energy efficiency policies and codes have been made more stringent in many countries around the world, but for these measures to succeed stronger enforcement is needed, according to a report by Navigant Research.
“Globally, governments and regulatory agencies have increased their focus on commercial buildings, which are large consumers of the world’s energy,” adds Krystal Maxwell, research associate with Navigant Research. “Europe is a leader among world regions in energy efficiency policy, with the most rigorous building codes, performance standards, labeling, and benchmarking, as well as some of the most aggressive greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets.”
Commercial buildings, as large consumers of the world’s energy, have become primary targets for global governments and regulatory agencies. Increased regulation of policies, codes, and benchmarking must be enforced for successful policy reform, however, Navigant says.
Influencing code reform are the actions that many countries have taken to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targets. The U.K. has the most ambitious target: An 80% reduction by 2050, with the emission level of 1990 as the baseline. The U.S. is aiming for a 26-28% reduction by 2025 from 2005’s level.
Related Stories
| Dec 7, 2012
Georgia court limits contractors’ ability to foreclose on liens
The Georgia Court of Appeals ruled in 182 Tenth, LLC v. Manhattan Construction Company that lien claimants such as contractors, subcontractors, and materialmen, may not foreclose on a lien that includes unpaid general condition costs.
| Dec 7, 2012
San Francisco real estate records will include ‘green labels’
Ecologically-sustainable building practices, or “green labels,” will now be included on official land records maintained by San Francisco.
| Dec 7, 2012
Tokyo’s Green Building Program has reduced power consumption by 20%
Tokyo city officials calculate that its Green Building Program reduced energy consumption by 20% since its inception, a statistic they identify as the reason the power stayed on during the 2011 earthquake.
| Dec 7, 2012
New flexible options make achieving LEED certification easier on projects outside the US
A new set of Global Alternative Compliance Paths, or Global ACPs, are now available for all commercial projects pursuing LEED green building certification using the 2009 versions of the rating systems.
| Nov 29, 2012
New York contractors say they will pay tax despite a court ruling that the tax is unconstitutional
The New York Building Congress says it will voluntarily pay a tax declared unconstitutional by the courts because, it says, the money is vital to maintaining the city’s transportation infrastructure.
| Nov 29, 2012
Storms like Sandy highlight the need for stricter codes, says insurance expert
Experts on insurance, weather, and catastrophe modeling say the role of climate change in Hurricane Sandy and future storms is unclear.
| Nov 29, 2012
Quake simulation to test concrete building's strength in California
Researchers aim to gauge how buildings constructed with reinforced concrete withstand an earthquake by conducting a simulation test at a two-story building built in the 1920s in El Centro, Calif.
| Nov 29, 2012
AGC offers stormwater compliance webinar
An effective document management system is necessary to stay in compliance with new and forthcoming stormwater runoff requirements, says the Associated General Contractors of America.
| Nov 29, 2012
Government policies help accelerate adoption of green building
Green procurement policies or green building mandates can help accelerate the adoption of green building practices, according to research by Timothy Simcoe and Michael Toffel.
