Paris – While energy efficiency in buildings continues to improve worldwide, the building sector has not yet made full use of its energy efficiency potential. This is one of the findings of a new report from the International Energy Agency.
The world needs less and less energy to produce one unit of
gross domestic product (GDP). Energy intensity has declined at an
average rate of 2.1 per cent per year since 2010, a significant
improvement over the average growth rate of 1.3 per cent between
1970 and 2010, writes the International Energy
Agency (IEA) in its latest market report on energy
efficiency.
But energy savings are not distributed evenly across economic
sectors. While the industrial sector has succeeded in reducing its
energy intensity by nearly 20 per cent since 2000, the building and
transport sectors are lagging behind.
According to the IEA, while annual net building-related
greenhouse gas emissions decreased from 2013 to 2016, buildings
final energy consumption grew steadily from 119 EJ in 2010 to 124
EJ in 2015. Increasing floor area growth, which is outpacing energy
intensity reduction, is to blame for this rise in energy
consumption.
Some countries, such as Denmark and Germany, are focusing on
building envelope policies to drive energy efficiency, while
others, like Japan and South Korea, see heating, ventilation and
air conditioning (HVAC) equipment as a key driver. Efficiency
improvements of 10 per cent to 20 per cent are possible in most
countries from appliances, equipment and lighting products that are
already commercially available.
As the IEA points out, two key international agreements – the
Paris climate accords and the Montreal Protocol on ozone depletion
– are targeting energy efficiency in buildings as a means to
achieve broader goals. “The result could be a significant boost for
energy efficiency efforts worldwide.”