ASHRAE has issued a position document on building decarbonization and its role on mitigating the negative carbon impact of buildings on the environment.
The ASHRAE Position Document on Building Decarbonization aims at achieving a reduction in emissions through the renovation of existing building stock and improvements to new building designs.
ASHRAE’s position is that decarbonization of buildings and its systems must be based on a holistic analysis including healthy, safe, and comfortable environments, energy efficiency, environmental impacts, sustainability, operational security and economics.
By 2030, ASHRAE wishes to see the following positions and recommendations:
- All new buildings are net-zero GHG emissions in operation,
- Widespread energy efficiency retrofit of existing assets are well underway, and
- Embodied carbon of new construction is reduced by at least 40%.
Additional positions and recommendations include:
- Increasing stringency and enforcement of energy codes are critical for decarbonization.
- Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment must be considered in future building codes to reduce embodied and operational GHG emissions related to buildings and their HVAC&R systems.
- Building Performance Standards (BPS) should be considered as a policy tool for existing building decarbonization.
- Decarbonization policies must contemplate and mitigate impacts on disadvantaged communities and less-developed nations.
- Building decarbonization strategies and policies must consider healthy, safe, and comfortable environments; environmental and social impacts; sustainability; resilience; and economics.
- Promote research and development of heat pump technology.
- Support the development, update, and adoption of relevant standards and guidelines that facilitate the whole life reduction of GHG emissions from new and existing buildings.
- Encourage greater collaboration and the development of standards and guidelines among the energy, transportation and building sectors to improve secure building-grid integration, data communication, and optimization of energy performance (generation, use and storage).
- Work in partnership with industry to increase the capacity and opportunities for a skilled workforce supporting building decarbonization.
For more information, visit ashrae.org/decarb.
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