Monday 19 March 2012

Energy efficient buildings vital for climate change

The reduction of energy consumption in buildings is vital for combating climate change, says the International Energy Agency (IEA).

According to the IEA, the energy demand of buildings in 2008 in most IEA countries was around 40% of their total energy consumption. This is set to rise in the future with the increase in global population and development of economies. The organisation believes that cutting back on the amount of energy used in buildings will help strengthen energy security and fight against climate change.

Maria van der Hoeven, IEA's Executive Director said: "The IEA believes that it is crucial to reduce the energy demand of the buildings sector by making buildings more energy efficient. Energy efficiency policies for buildings should be based on a long-term strategy with ambitious targets for consumption reduction in both new and existing buildings."

The IEA has developed a Building Energy Efficiency Policies (BEEP) database, which will act as a one-stop shop for buildings energy efficiency policies.