As with all business decisions, the “build or not to build” decision depends on a cost-benefit analysis: a particular construction project or installation is executed if it is expected to generate monetary value that exceeds the price. If, on the other hand, perceived costs outweigh benefits, the project is shelved. The same basic rule applies to construction of green buildings.
Global climate change has taken center stage as an environmental concern. To address it, policymakers around the world are designing and implementing policies to reduce energy use and lower annual carbon dioxide emissions, capture and burn methane gas, and change refrigeration technologies. Buildings consume a significant amount of electricity, and in most parts of the world require air...
Energy policies to improve building efficiency often favor voluntary, incentive-based approaches over mandates. Tax credits, financial rebates, loan guarantees and other mechanisms all serve as carrots dangled in front of decision-makers to encourage steps in the direction of greater efficiency. One notable exception occurs at the beginning of a building’s or a product’s life cycle.
Clean energy is key to environmental sustainability. Reliable, affordable energy is fundamental to economic development. While dense megacities continue to emerge as the dominant population centers of the 21st century, over two billion of the world’s people still lack access to basic energy services. Affordable energy infrastructure and technology, coupled with the development of a...
In the past, energy efficiency and on-site renewable energy programs have often advanced along separate pathways. However, a 2007 study conducted by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) concludes that investments in both energy efficiency and renewable energy are essential to creating a secure energy future for the U.S.
Al igual que con todas las decisiones comerciales, la decisión de “construir o no construir” depende de un análisis de la relación coste-beneficio: un proyecto de construcción o una instalación particular se ejecuta si se espera que genere un valor monetario superior a su precio. Si, por el contrario, los costes percibidos superan los beneficios, el proyecto se abandona.
We all know that the term "green building" does not refer to plants that decorate it , but there is no single definition to explain exactly what makes a building is environmentally friendly. Instead, they should be considered multiple elements, although currently being debated what are the most important.
For many building owners, the challenge is not just to dial down energy use in a single building, but to improve efficiency across an array of buildings.
Reduced to its essentials, carbon management is about setting a goal to reduce emissions and then working to attain it. Once an organization has completed a greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory, it can establish a carbon emissions reduction target. Setting a that target based on an accurate and thorough inventory of GHG emissions communicates a company’s commitment to managing its footprint.
Establishing a carbon management plan depends first on getting an accurate read on the extent of an organization’s emissions. This is not as simple as reading the meter on energy use, however, as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions emanate from many different aspects of doing business.