Barriers to Greater Energy Efficiency within the Building Industry

Panel: Commercial Buildings: Program Design, Implementation, and Evaluation

Author:
Constant Van Aerschot, Lafarge

Abstract

Barriers exist which are slowing the spread of energy-efficient buildings. The Energy Efficiency in Buildings (EEB) project1 of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has investigated these barriers in workshops and seminars with leading suppliers to the industry and experts in several fields, and by commissioning international research. This paper is based on the project's first findings.

The paper analyses two separate but related barriers. The first concerns the nature of the building sector. The analysis concludes that the complex commercial relationships between the many specialists involved in the sector act as an impediment to energy efficiency being a significant priority in construction projects. This structural barrier is reinforced by practices in the industry which segment the building delivery process, limiting potential for holistic, longterm approaches.

The second barrier concerns the awareness, knowledge, experience and attitudes concerning energy efficiency of participants in the building industry. These factors are clearly important in the ability of individuals to overcome the structural barriers identified in the first part of the paper. The second part of the paper reports the results of research in eight countries to investigate building professionals' awareness and involvement. The research found that awareness is high in most countries covered, but there are significant barriers preventing widespread involvement: There are serious gaps in knowledge about energy efficiency among building professionals, as well as a lack of leadership throughout the industry.