Building efficiency for triple bottom line

The energy future for our cities and to address global issues such as climate change. We need improvements in the efficiency of buildings especially their use of energy to reduce carbon emissions and improving local economic development, air quality, and public health. Due to rapid growth in global population, our cities need to accommodate for more people. Along with that population density, levels of resource consumption also increase. Efficient energy and water use in new and existing buildings in cities must therefore be a priority. Wasted resources represent an economic and environmental lost that is likely to prove unsustainable.

We need to focuses on how to improve resource efficiency in buildings; the structures that provide shelter to families and businesses, and which range from single family and multifamily housing to retail, office, and institutional structures. Building efficiency generally relates to how productively resources like energy and water are used to provide services such as heating, cooling, and lighting, and to run appliances and equipment installed or used in the building. Building efficiency codes and standards can be use as regulatory tools that require a minimum level of energy efficiency in the design of new or existing buildings. When well designed and implemented, codes and standards can lower energy expenses over a building’s lifetime.

Efficient buildings can improve economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Design, construction, operation, and renovation of buildings are large contributors to a city’s economy and to local employment. Building efficiency creates many direct and indirect job opportunities for low and high skilled workers to provide energy related products and services and strengthen a city’s economic and climate resilience. Efficient design and construction techniques could dramatically increase energy access and affordability for poor residents of cities for social development. Energy, particularly electricity, is fundamental for access to many basic services such as education, clean water, and quality medical care.

Building efficiency has the potential to significantly reduce energy demand and associated emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants, particularly in urban environment. Sustainable buildings are designed sensitively to economic, environmental, and social impacts in mind to minimize required inputs of energy, water, and food and minimize waste outputs of heat, ambient air pollution, greenhouse gases, and water pollution.

Source-http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/business/business-energy/11532327/construction-industry-carbon-targets.html

Image Source- http://www.nesea.org/buildingenergy-bottom-lines-og

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