Energy savings

 

While the COP17 conference is still fresh in our minds, it is worthwhile to take a look at the efforts made by construction professionals in reducing carbon footprint in a industry which uses high embodied carbon materials.

 

A school in Arizona has recently been completed which actually generates more energy than it consumes! While the footprint may be small, repeat this a number of times and the gains are multiplied. Why couldn't lessons learned here be translated to large more polluting projects? It would serve the South African industry well to seek out greener methods, materials and Maintenance on a wide variety of public and private sector buildings to increase this type of multiplier effect.

 

In a country which is still struggling with energy shortages, reducing the demand side of the equation is a pro-active way of reducing the challenge.

 

It is often too easy to do things the way we did them on the last project. How often does a project team really sit down and review sustainability options willingly because they believe it is the right thing to do, and not reluctantly, because they have to. With a willing pro-active approach, creative solutions can lead to large inexpensive energy savings. If the process is a LEED or GBCSA box ticking excercise, the full benefits of their valuable processes will not be realised.

 

Perhaps it is time for SAICE to include a portfolio for sustainability on each of their divisional committees? In this way each decision and initiative by the committees will have passed through a green vetting process.