Battling climate change – What can we do with buildings?

Battling climate change – What can we do with buildings?  

Climate change is a more actual topic than ever. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report demands limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees. There is a lot the building sector can do to battle climate change, here are just some examples.

Towards zero energy buildings

The industry, commercial and residential sectors together constitute about 30% of global GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions. Construction of new buildings in the European Union area is moving towards nearly zero energy buildings. In projects, our design & build expertise is valuable and we can act as a partner for procurement, design, construction works and engineering of building technology systems, ensuring energy efficiency at every stage.

One step further is our life cycle solutions deliveries where we are responsible for project execution and property maintenance, guaranteeing the same building conditions for the next 20 to 25 years. In Finland and Denmark, we already have many life cycle projects like this ongoing, such as the National Courthouse in Denmark and Kuntolaakso recreation centre in Kuopio, Finland.

What can we do for existing buildings?

However, the buildings are slowly renewed and therefore it is essential to improve the energy efficiency of existing buildings. Caverion has expertise in building energy efficiency, which will cut down CO2 emissions. For example, Caverion replaces the existing lighting with energy-efficient solutions, installs air-source heat pumps, and improves the control functions of building systems related to energy efficiency. Ventilation systems can be upgraded and heat recovery systems can also be installed. The City of Oulu in Finland and Skien municipality in Norway are great reference cases of ESCO clients.

Electricity and heat production cause 1/4 of all global CO2 emissions. Renewable sources such as wind or solar power are among the cleanest ways to produce electricity. The greater the portion of wind- or solar-generated electricity, the better for the environment. Caverion’s advisory services support clients in energy related questions and actions.

In summary, the global economy and markets will change due to climate issues. Caverion wants to be a flexible partner that is on the front line providing future services and added value to our customers and society. Climate change is a challenge but also a possibility for Caverion to really make a difference as the society needs to move towards longer life cycles and circular economy.

Sources: Green Building Council, EPA, Motiva, Statistics Finland, and Sitra

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