JUMP-STARTING THE BUILDING SECTOR ’ S CARBON NEUTRAL TRANSFORMATION
Q & A WITH P2S VICE-PRESIDENT ARAVIND BATRA AND SUSTAINABILITY DIRECTOR JAMES DEL MONACO
ARAVIND BATRA Vice President
JAMES DEL MONACO
Associate Principal & Group Manager
Within building industry and energy policy circles , the concept of decarbonization has quickly risen to become one of the most discussed topics of conversation . And while it may dominate the landscape , the process of building decarbonization is still very much in its infancy . While reducing and removing carbon-based greenhouse gas ( GHG ) emissions from buildings seems like a simple enough goal , the process of getting there is anything but easy . Eliminating or even substantially reducing GHGs emitted by buildings is complex and requires multiple layers of decarbonization technology , design strategies and clean energy production to work in tandem . To add to the complexity , the mix of layers best suited to decarbonize buildings varies according to whether a building is a new construction or an existing building , residential or commercial , building location and climate , and even to the characteristics and interior equipment of an individual building .
But while there is no one optimal formula that can be used to decarbonize the entirety of the building sector , building professionals and policymakers are developing a framework from which to start . P2S is active on both fronts , taking part in the industry effort to define a common decarbonization framework and diving into the nuts and bolts of GHG emission inventory and decarbonization for individual facilities . To discuss these efforts , we ’ re joined by Vice-President Aravind Batra and Sustainability Director James Del Monaco .
Buildings account for 39 % of GHG emissions in the U . S . That ’ s the second-largest share of GHG emissions behind only transportation . How do stakeholders begin to reduce the building sector ’ s emission profile ?
Aravind Batra : Decarbonization really begins with maximizing the efficiency of the building systems . Increasing building systems efficiency and decreasing energy consumption are crucial first steps to decarbonization , and it ’ s something most owners would readily do since it reduces operational and maintenance costs . At the project level , we need to adopt an integrated design approach by maximizing the efficiency of the envelope , which helps reduce external loads , optimizing daylighting to minimize the use of electric lighting and promoting efficient MEP systems to reduce the overall energy use of the building and associated emissions . Maximizing building efficiency is the first step towards decarbonization . Once the energy efficiency is maximized , the next step is to promote electrification by utilizing heat recovery systems for space and domestic water heating to minimize natural gas consumption and associated emissions . The last step in decarbonization is to integrate renewable energy sources to offset overall annual energy use and greenhouse gas emissions .
James Del Monaco : Educating our stakeholders is one of the most important factors . The education process makes them aware that reducing their facility ’ s emissions is not only achievable , but we can do it within budget . We help them understand what policies are in place or upcoming and , most importantly , lessons learned / best practices for design and construction and what technologies are available to help us achieve these goals . Often with newer technologies , owners want to make sure that they ’ ve been implemented on similar projects before . They don ’ t want to be the first ones to adopt a technology they perceive as unproven .
What are the most significant barriers to widespread building decarbonization ?
AB : I would say costs and limited technologies are big barriers . Clients are new to these technologies and systems , and they can be quite expensive . As demand increases from both market forces and current and future legislation , more manufacturers will enter the marketplace , which will help reduce prices . But no matter the costs , when technologies are new , you need to spend time educating clients about their benefits , their operation and associated maintenance
As engineers , we instill confidence in our clients by sharing other projects that have used similar technologies . We often take clients to other facilities to show them how the equipment performs and talk to the facilities staff about operation and maintenance . We also continue to monitor these technologies and implement lessons learned from past projects where we have deployed them to not only
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Issue 03 / 2021