American Chemistry Council (ACC) is touting projections in a new report by the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) showing that combining building efficiency improvements-made possible by innovations in chemistry–with lower-carbon fuels could lead to a 41 percent reduction in energy use and a 70& reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Of all the energy used in the U.S., nearly one-third is consumed by the building sector. Improving efficiency is critical, and during the next few decades the amount of energy used by the building sector will increase dramatically (more than 62% by 2050), as will the amount of CO? emissions (more than 87% by 2050), according to the ICCA report.
“The ICCA projections reinforce what we have known for long time – that the chemical industry is an indispensable provider of solutions that improve the energy efficiency of buildings,” said Cal Dooley, president and CEO of the American Chemistry Council. “Nearly every energy-efficient technology is dependent on innovations made possible by chemistry. Our products make the nation’s energy supplies go further while lowering energy costs for businesses and families.”
The ICCA Building Technology Roadmap, which will be officially released this week at the 18th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Doha, Qatar, examined the chemical industry’s contributions to energy efficiency and greenhouse gas savings in residential and commercial construction. The report focused on the potential savings from five chemically derived building technologies that are commercially available today: insulation, pipe and pipe insulation, air sealing, reflective roof coatings and pigments, and windows.
According to the ICCA report, energy-saving products installed in homes in the U.S. prevented nearly 283 million tons of CO? emissions in 2010–equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions of 50 million passenger vehicles. Studies show that if this trend continues, more than 7 billion tons of emissions can be avoided by 2050 in the U.S. alone–equivalent to the CO? emissions of more than 1.2 billion passenger vehicles.
Averaging at least 75% of the heat loss in households, single-family homes provide most of the potential for energy savings within the residential sector. In 2010, the cumulative energy savings from chemically derived building products in U.S. residential buildings was 46 times greater than the energy required to produce the products. +
Related Stories
| May 23, 2012
Summit Design+Build selected as GC for Chicago restaurant
Little Goat will truly be a multifunctional space. Construction plans include stripping the 10,000 sq. ft. building down to the bare structure everywhere, the installation of a new custom elevator and adding square footage at the second floor with an addition.
| May 22, 2012
Batson-Cook names Partin VP of Business Development
Partin joins general contractor from Georgia Hospital Association.
| May 22, 2012
Casaccio Architects and GYA Architects join to form Casaccio Yu Architects
Architects Lee A. Casaccio, AIA, LEED AP, and George Yu, AIA, share leadership of the new firm.
| May 22, 2012
O’Connell Robertson acquires Mitchell Design Consultancy
Mary Ann A. Mitchell, AIA, IIDA, MDC principal and founder, joins O’Connell Robertson as part of the acquisition.
| May 21, 2012
$61,000 awarded to students in Cleveland’s ACE Mentor Program
Mayor Frank G. Jackson gives keynote address at scholarship event for 80 Cleveland Metropolitan School District students involved in the ACE Mentor Program, which provides guidance and assistance for students interested in careers in the integrated construction industry.
| May 21, 2012
Wayne, Pa.'s Radnor Middle School wins national green award
Radnor Middle School among the most sustainable schools in the U.S.
| May 21, 2012
Winchester High School receives NuRoof system
Metal Roof Consultants attended a school board meeting and presented a sloped metal retrofit roof as an alternative to tearing off the existing roof and replacing it with another flat roof.
| May 17, 2012
EMerge Alliance forms new Campus Microgrid Technical Standards Committee
Intel leading the charge to connect multiple DC microgrids throughout commercial buildings; others invited to join effort.
| May 16, 2012
AIA issues guide to IGCC
Getting the IgCC adopted in all 50 states and in jurisdictions across the country is the primary mission of the ICC, which published the code in March.
| May 16, 2012
Architecture Billings Index reverts to negative territory
Decline is possibly a brief pause from unusually strong winter activity.