Barriers to energy efficiency in school buildings - Technical and policy issues: a case-study in Portugal

Panel: Panel 4: Sustainable Energy Use in Buildings

Authors:
Antonio Gomes Martins, INESC
Paulo Amaral, Polytechnic Institute of Leiria (ESTG)
Pedro Marques, Polytechnic Institute of Leiria (ESTG)

Abstract

In spite of a variety of regulations, programmes and measures towards increasing energy efficiency in buildings, namely in the EU, an overwhelming number of situations exist where buildings are operated in a way far from efficient. In many cases building design is the first cause of problems, in other cases careless end-use equipment choices are predominant, in a great number there is a total lack of preventive maintenance both of the buildings and equipment. Several barriers to efficient use of energy have been identified in the course of past research projects, ranging from biased policies to the well-known lack of user education.

The paper is motivated by and based on the results of a recent energy survey study, in the context of the SAVE II Programme, directed at school buildings, that included three EU countries. In Portugal, this survey has been conducted according to several pre-defined targets that included also the identification of barriers to the efficient use of energy, from the building design stage to the actual building use. As a background, some considerations are made on aspects of the Portuguese energy policy and on the present role of public administration, to allow the identification of management causes for inefficiency. The paper also provides insight into the main identified problems related with school planning, building design and user behaviour. A census is made of the main barriers to the efficient use of energy and possible ways to circumvent these barriers are identified, both at political and managerial levels, aiming at a realistic transformation of energy / environmental policies.