Science

Term PHYS 142

Term PHYS 142

Matthew Pilgrim

PHYS 142

Environmental Initiatives Reach Out to Existing Buildings

BOMA International

The effort to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere has already been extended to existing buildings owned by both the public and the private sectors . Existing buildings are now being inspected because they are already considered to be one of the solutions in reducing carbon dioxide and other gas emissions maybe due to the dependence on fossil fuel (BOMA International , 2007

More than 400 mayors from all

over the country have already thrown their support behind an aggressive movement to limit greenhouse gas emissions This means that my 2010 , existing buildings should have been renovated and new buildings designed in such a way as to achieve a 50 reduction in their use of energy . By 2030 , the goal is to have buildings which are carbon-neutral ' - or buildings which do not emit carbon . The most common approach adopted by the mayors is to offer economic incentives to building owners who could incorporate certain green design elements In Seattle , for instance , an incentive is being granted for incorporating design standards which were certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED ) which aim for buildings that do not emit greenhouse gases (BOMA International , 2007

Although it is believed that buildings are not directly emitting carbon dioxide , estimates show that they are responsible for almost 40 of greenhouse gas emissions all over the world - in fact , about 70 in the case of old cities like New York . This discovery has turned the focus of policymakers to existing and about-to-be-constructed buildings . In this connection , former President Bill Clinton announced on May 16 that the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI , a project of the Clinton Foundation has created the Energy Efficiency Building Retrofit Program . This program pools fifteen of the largest cities in the world with banks and energy-service companies to bring about reduced consumption of energy in already existing buildings . This is in furtherance of the objective of CCI to fight climate change in practical and measurable ways ' Under the program , funds will be made available to cities and the private sector for the purpose of retrofitting their existing buildings with energy-efficient materials . The goal of the program would be to achieve a 20-50 savings in energy use (BOMA International , 2007

The energy-service companies participating in the program will have several functions . First , they will perform an audit for the purpose of determining the extent of the use of energy in the target buildings Then they will retrofit the buildings so that they will become energy-efficient . Finally , these energy-service companies will issue a guarantee which will certify that the retrofitted buildings are energy-efficient . Every participating bank , meanwhile , committed to make available to cities and private sector owners 1 billion each for the purpose of retrofitting their existing buildings at no net cost ' In other words , the savings generated after their buildings were retrofitted will be used to repay the loans...