Handbook on energy efficiency in buildings

This technical handbook has been prepared for energy communities working in the buildings and building construction sector (e.g., engineers, architects, building developers) in members of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), as well as ADB operations teams to support demand-side investment projects and technical assistance. There is growing consensus that over 50% of global emissions need to be reduced by 2030, from 2010 levels, to be on track for the 1.5-degree Celsius (°C) target by 2050.1 The buildings and building construction sector is among the most emission-intensive sectors and offer considerable potential for carbon dioxide (CO2 ) emission reduction. In 2020, this sector consumed about 36% of global total final energy consumption (i.e., residential, nonresidential, and buildings construction industry), as shown in Figure 1, and generated 37% of energy-related CO2 emissions (i.e., construction and operation of buildings). Some progress has been made since 2015 in decoupling energy consumption from floor space expansion as well as the adoption of efficient heating technologies, particularly because of policy adoption in developed countries. In 2020, the buildings and building construction sector emitted 11.7 gigatons of CO2 , an unprecedented drop of emissions by 10% from 2019, largely due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. However, the sector is not on track to meet the climate commitments by 2050, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). In 2021, there was a sharp rebound of CO2 emissions globally, nearly back to the pre-pandemic level, adding the urgency for concrete and immediate actions.2 Energy efficiency offers the most cost-effective and one of the fastest measures to cut emissions. It is thus essential to improve energy efficiency and ultimately decarbonize the buildings and building construction sector. This handbook covers in detail a range of actions and measures needed to help reduce emissions and ultimately decarbonize the sector, such as the promotion of energy-efficient design strategies and technologies, the development of optimized financing instruments, and business models for future scale-up. It is to develop capacity and knowledge of ADB operations, decision-makers, and professionals in developing member countries (DMCs) of ADB by providing a practical reference for the design of building energy efficiency projects. This handbook is a contribution to opening a sensible avenue for the transition to a zero-carbon, efficient, and resilient building stock. Energy efficiency improvements typically refer to the utilization of less energy to provide the same services. Buildings, together with transport and industry, are among the key areas for energy efficiency improvement. In the global discussion, a distinction is made between supply-side energy efficiency (SSEE), aiming at decreasing energy losses in energy production and in the delivery of electricity or heat, while demand-side energy efficiency (DSEE) focuses on the consumption of less energy for the same level of service3 in energy consuming sectors such as industry, buildings, and transport. Yet, buildings can be energy producers as well. Further, decarbonizing the buildings and building construction sector requires efforts to cut emissions throughout the entire life cycle, including land use and urban planning, design, construction and retrofits, manufacture of building materials, operation, decommissioning, and appliances. Energy efficiency in buildings usually covers building construction and operation, including building envelope, appliances, and equipment (e.g., lighting, space heating, cooling, ventilation, water heating, management system). This handbook looks at the efficiency at the point of consumption in buildings (DSEE) and focuses on heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning, which make up around 40% of energy use, in the technology chapters.

source :

https://www.adb.org/publications/handbook-energy-efficiency-buildings