Make Buildings Energy Efficient
Saturday, April 25th, 2009The April-May edition of ECOS magazine discusses improving the energy efficiency of Australia’s existing commercial buildings and it compares this with the commitment by Los Angeles to retrofit for energy efficiency all city-owned buildings larger than 7,500 square feet or built before 1978. This is simply not happening here. There are a few 5 star new buildings but retrofitting just isn’t happening even though improving the energy efficiency of ourexisting commercial buildings is one of the fastest, most effective ways to reduce the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Energy efficiency upgrades can also reduce running costs for tenants, and enable the building’s owners to attract valuable clients, such as large corporations and government agencies, which are increasingly opting for energy-rated offices.
The everyday electrical services of both residential and commercial buildings – such as lighting, air-conditioning, lifts and hot water – account for close to one-quarter of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.
When you consider the embodied energy in a building it makes much more sense to upgrade existing buildings in preference to constructing ‘green’ buildings from scratch and we retain the existing look and feel of our cities.
Technorati Tags: energy efficiency, commercial buildings, green buildings, energy ratings, embodied energy, greenhouse gas emissions
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