Transferred Just on Paper? Why Doesn’t the Reality of Transferring/Adapting Energy Efficiency Codes and Standards Come Close to the Potential?

Joseph J. Deringer, The Deringer Group, Inc.
Maithili Iyer and Yu Joe Huang, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Keywords

Abstract

Is it simply bad design, implementation problems, and corruption? Evaluation of programs transferring/adapting energy efficiency building codes (EEBCs) and standards from the North to developing countries often fails to realize the substantial potential benefits due to institutional problems both within the host countries and within the international donor organizations. Successful adoption/diffusion of energy-efficient practices can depend on complex interactions among manufacturers, retailers, contractors, consumers, policy makers and code-enforcement officials. Dissemination of even proven and effective practices have often failed when faced with such combined barriers as (1) lack of government support for implementation, (2) absence of effective building code enforcement infrastructure, (3) underemphasis by international donor programs on implementation and enforcement, (4) insufficient attention and follow-up by donor programs on a long-term basis, (5) traditions in some locations of corrupt enforcement practices. Local goals and realities of the countries often differ from established international goal setting practice. What prevents us from designing programs that align goal setting with local realities of the countries while addressing the barriers?

This paper assesses current EEBC practices and their strengths and weaknesses. The paper starts with an account of the status of the development of international energy code for buildings. It then summarizes transfer processes to developing countries for energy code development/implementation. The paper concludes by identifying key barriers to successful use of EEBCs to save energy in developing countries, and by discussing how such barriers might be overcome.