WRI releases new cities report on building efficiency

WRI (World Resources Institute) Ross Center for Sustainable Cities has launched a new report, Accelerating Building Efficiency: Eight Actions for Urban Leaders, which finds building efficiency is the most cost-effective way to reduce emissions in cities and urban leaders are the critical actors to unlock this change.

“Building efficiency has often been an overlooked strategy because it requires a rethinking of business as usual away from thinking about single building transactions toward considering the whole lifecycle of a building and all the different actors involved,” Eric Mackres, Manager, Building Efficiency Initiative, and co-author of the report, told Cities Today. “Rather than thinking primarily about the costs and benefits of constructing, buying or leasing a building, an understanding of the benefits of efficiency shifts people toward also thinking about costs and benefits of operating a building over its lifetime. What will energy and maintenance costs be? How productive and comfortable will occupants be?”

Buildings are responsible for a third of global energy consumption and a quarter of human-caused CO2 emissions. With many national climate commitments focused on reducing emissions, improving building efficiency is the most cost-effective way to reduce this burden. Every US$1 invested saves US$2 in new electricity generation and distribution costs, and increased efficiency could cut global emissions from buildings 83 percent below business-as-usual by 2050.

Makres explained how helping urban leaders to simply understand the multiple benefits for efficiency to cities, is the foundation for action and of this report. But even with understanding and a commitment to action, information, technical knowledge, and financial and legal arrangements to support improved building efficiency are often missing. This report provides a menu of options available to urban leaders to address these barriers to action on efficiency.

“Mayors already have it in their authority to lead by example with their city buildings and encourage businesses and residents to take action,” added Makres. “Central governments can be most helpful to urban leaders by providing enabling programmes and assistance for city action. Many local governments have limited staff capacity, so programmes that make city action easy—like bulk service and product procurement, prequalification of efficiency businesses, assistance with building code implementation, data on building energy use, and incentives for efficiency actions—are extremely valuable.”

Leading cities often want to do more than their current authority from central governments allow and this needs to be addressed to allow for innovation, but all cities have more that they can do even within their current authorities.

WRI’s new policy guide outlines a comprehensive approach to improve building efficiency through eight clear and specific actions. These recommendations will help mayors, city planners and local governments, real estate companies, financial institutions and utilities usher in an era of better buildings designed for the 21st century. As an urban development strategy, better buildings can increase economic opportunities, meet local and global climate goals, and improve the quality of life for urban residents.