Project description

Launched in 2006, the Energy Efficiency in Buildings (EEB) project focused, during its first phase of work, on delivering an understanding of the international building sector’s use of energy. The project produced recommendations and a roadmap for a transformation of the building sector to reach an 80% cut in energy use by 2050, while being economical and socially acceptable. Since early 2011, EEB has been scoping its future phase of work to actually trigger implementation within this complex and fragmented sector.

Why it matters

Buildings represent 40% of primary energy use globally and if we include the energy consumed in manufacturing, steel, cement, aluminum and glass used in building construction, this number grows to more than 50%. Energy consumption in buildings is projected to rise substantially in the world’s most populous and fastest-growing countries, such as China and India.

The rapid growth of new buildings in developing countries is part of the challenge, but the low rate of replacement of inefficient buildings in developed countries means it is not enough just to create new, low-energy buildings

Opportunities exist to reduce buildings’ energy use, at a lower cost and a higher return than in other sectors. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that energy efficiency could account for more than 60% of global CO2 emissions reductions until 2030. A significant part of this would need to come from buildings.

The knowledge and technology available today could achieve dramatic reductions in building energy consumption, but it is happening slowly. Market and policy failures and behavioral barriers stand in the way of achieving the huge progress that is both necessary and possible.

EEB’s key outcomes so far

The Energy Efficiency in Buildings (EEB) project, created to respond to these realities, has led to three major outcomes until now:

• It provided a market assessment of the challenges, opportunities, and perceptions of energy efficiency in buildings;
   
• It performed a thorough qualitative and quantitative assessment of how to transform the building sector based on various market and regulatory mechanisms including codes and regulations, finance and price signals, design and technology, skills upgrading and behavior;
   
• It gained commitment from the WBCSD members to do more to improve their energy use in their own buildings, through the EEB Manifesto.

Current and future work program activities: EEB 2.0

Since early 2011, the project has been scoping its future phase of work, which will focus on triggering implementation within the building sector. EEB 2.0 – Triggering EEB Implementation, Getting to 1000 Proposal – EEB2.0 Project Scoping is a 2-pager produced to summarize EEB 2.0’s approach and objectives, which should be confirmed and officially launched during the next WBCSD member.