Energy Efficiency And Carbon Reduction

This portfolio discusses the importance of energy efficiency in reducing carbon emissions and coping with increasing energy prices. It explores the economic, social, and environmental impacts of energy efficiency in buildings and provides recommendations for improvement. The portfolio also includes a case study on the International for Local Environment Initiatives (ICLEI) and their efforts to promote energy efficiency in urban areas.

PORTFOLIO 3
ENERGY EFFICIENCY IMPORTANCE IN CARBON
REDUCTION AND INCREASING ENERGY PRICES

Energy Efficiency And Carbon Reduction
Table of Contents
Topic Introduction..............................................................................................................3
Discussion..........................................................................................................................3
Case Study........................................................................................................................3
Economic impact...............................................................................................................4
Social impact......................................................................................................................4
Environmental impact........................................................................................................4
Recommendations for improvement..................................................................................4
Conclusion.........................................................................................................................5
Reference list.....................................................................................................................6
Page 2 of 6

Energy Efficiency And Carbon Reduction
Topic Introduction
Energy efficiency of buildings
It is often said that energy is neither created nor destroyed. Energy is something that is stored in the earth
for several million years and humans continue to benefit from it. The concept of energy efficiency has
always been an issue of concern when energy conservation is spoken of. Energy efficiency deals with the
sustainable and proper use of energy while minimizing cost. The technical definition of energy efficiency
states the ratio of energy output to energy input and vice versa. In this context, the use of energy efficient
methods to reduce carbon emissions from buildings has been discussed under this portfolio. In addition, it
has been further elaborated how amidst increasing energy prices energy efficient methods can help in
sustaining the environmental standards.
Discussion
Figure 1: Methods of energy efficiency in buildings
(Source: Crawford et al., 2016)
Climate change has a direct impact on the environment. Therefore, energy efficient methods can go a
long way in limiting the impacts of the frequent changes in climate. Results of climate change like
increased warmth, pollution, depletion of ozone layer, acid rain etc. can affect the infrastructure of most
buildings. Buildings and concrete structures are externally affected due to the pollution in the air, which
causes the colour of the buildings to fade. The paint can chip in, and cracks can develop in between
walls. There are heating and cooling facilities, which take up a major part of the energy use in a building.
Heating and cooling facilities can be utilized by reducing the size of the systems, which have been
installed.
The heating and cooling system works simultaneously to provide cooling to homes and buildings during
the summer season. Similarly, during the winter season, the reverse happens when cooling systems and
Page 3 of 6

Energy Efficiency And Carbon Reduction
heating coils together work to provide warmth to homes and offices. According to the International energy
agency (IEA), energy efficiency accounts for 310 billion USD annually and presents opportunities, which
are economically viable for the urban environment in developing countries. In subsequent reports of the
United Nations Framework for Climate Change, it has been stated that energy efficiency has the
potentiality to reduce greenhouse emissions majorly amidst instances of climate change. Undertaking
regular energy audits of buildings by experts in energy efficiency can reduce most of the energy leak out
that happens due to poor insulation in buildings (Allouhi et al., 2015).
Case Study
ICLEI or the International for Local Environment Initiatives is an international organization with its
headquarters in Bonn, Germany. It has collaborated with local governments of selected cities, towns and
regions to adopt sustainable and energy efficient methods for urban areas. According to the ICLEI,
buildings are responsible for a third of the global energy consumption. They are also the reasons for a
quarter of the global greenhouse gas emissions. The organization also states that energy waste in
buildings is mostly behavioural rather than financial or technological. With respect to energy efficiency in
buildings, ICLEI has joined hands with the World Resources Institute to establish collaboration with over
seventy countries, their governments, and NGOs to come up with a framework known as the BEA or
Building Energy Accelerator. The aim of the BEA is to successfully transform markets in local regions and
improve building efficiency. Stakeholder engagement is one of the key objectives of BEA to enhance the
energy efficient systems in buildings (Allouhi et al., 2015).
The activities undertaken by BEA to enable energy efficiency in buildings of cities and towns across the
World are as follows:
 Providing technical expertise and tools for maintaining energy-efficient buildings
 Prioritizing policies, which are locally suited to the efficiency in buildings.
 Tracking the actions and documenting the progress of energy efficient methods.
 Engagement with cities and regions so that adequate methods can be implemented based on the
particular needs of a city, town, or region (Ruparathna, Hewage and Sadiq, 2016).
Economic impact
The economic impacts of energy efficient methods in buildings have been stated as follows:
 Energy efficient buildings help in reducing the cost of emissions in developing nations.
 Costly renovations can be avoided if energy efficient buildings are made.
 Efficient buildings, which have proper ventilation, are phenomenal in reducing costs related to
health and illness.
 Investment in energy efficient buildings can lower the costs in future, which might come up due to
repairs and energy reduction methods (Crawford et al., 2016).
Social impact
The social impacts of energy efficient buildings are as follows:
 Due to the adoption of energy efficient buildings, jobs are created which in turn reduces
unemployment. Energy efficient techniques require labour and expertise to be set up in buildings
or homes, which creates opportunities for employment.
 Homes, which have proper insulation, can save a lot of money on repairs and drafts, which
happen due to climate change.
Page 4 of 6

Energy Efficiency And Carbon Reduction
 Having energy efficient buildings means that one is contributing to the overall ecological impact,
and helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (Crawford et al., 2016).
Environmental impact
The environmental impacts of energy efficient buildings are as follows:
 There will be less impact on resources like water and electricity.
 There will be less heating and drafts, which would reduce the consumption of energy in buildings
to a maximum.
 The less consumption of energy would, in turn, contribute to the less impact on ozone layer
depletion.
 Buildings adopting energy efficient methods are known to contribute less to the carbon footprint.
Recommendations for improvement
The recommendations for improving the methods of energy efficiency are as follows:
 Buildings in the same cities and towns should follow a common path for the reduction in energy
emissions. They ought to adopt methods such as using light emitting diodes instead of CFLs and
using centralized heating and cooling systems.
 Insulation and using weatherproof paints can also help in the reduction of energy wastage.
 Water resources in toilets and washrooms ought to be conserved. Instead of flushing system,
there should be a system that allows the manual use of water.
 Rainwater harvesting system can be installed on rooftops so that the water can be used later
(Ruparathna et al., 2016).
Conclusion
It could thus be observed from this portfolio topic that energy efficiency is an important factor in sustaining
buildings and reducing overall energy consumption. Timely use of energy efficient methods can help in
making the buildings sustainable and endure bouts of climate change largely. Greenhouse emissions as
well as ozone layer depletion could be controlled by the effective use of techniques and designing the
buildings in a way, which affects the environment positively instead of negatively.
Page 5 of 6

Energy Efficiency And Carbon Reduction
Reference list
Allouhi, A., El Fouih, Y., Kousksou, T., Jamil, A., Zeraouli, Y. and Mourad, Y., 2015. Energy
consumption and efficiency in buildings: current status and future trends. Journal of Cleaner
production, 109, pp.118-130.
Crawford, R.H., Bartak, E.L., Stephan, A. and Jensen, C.A., 2016. Evaluating the life cycle
energy benefits of energy efficiency regulations for buildings. Renewable and sustainable
energy reviews, 63, pp.435-451.
Ruparathna, R., Hewage, K. and Sadiq, R., 2016. Improving the energy efficiency of the existing
building stock: A critical review of commercial and institutional buildings. Renewable and
sustainable energy reviews, 53, pp.1032-1045.
Page 6 of 6