sintali-web-logo-black-1sintali-web-logo-black-1sintali-web-logo-black-1sintali-web-logo-black-1
  • About Sintali
    • About Us
    • Careers
    • Our Services
    • Our Partners
    • Sustainability
  • EDGE Certification
      • EDGE
      • About EDGE
      • Our Approach
      • Zero Carbon Portfolio
      • Pricing
      • Technical Queries
      • Expedited Reviews
      • Get a Quote
      • EDGE Training
      • EDGE Experts Training
      • Book Training
      • Request Training
      • Resources
      • Case Studies
      • FAQs
      • List of Banks
  • Green Finance
  • Training program
    • EDGE Experts Training
    • Book Training
    • Request Training
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • News
    • Webinars
CONTACT US

Net Zero for Buildings – Is It a Pipedream?

Published by Eleni Polychroniadou on September 18, 2020
Categories
  • Blog
Tags

The sustainability world loves buzzwords. Over the last twelve months, that word has been net zero (alternatively known as zero carbon). And it isn’t going away anytime soon. Ever since the IPCC report came out in October 2018 (jargon buster: the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), global emphasis across governments, NGOs and the corporate world has been on limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. That translates to getting to net zero emissions globally by 2050 – not a small task!

2050 seems far away, and for many, transitioning to net zero emissions is a lofty pipedream. But in the building world, 2050 is right around the corner.

Think about the buildings around you. How long have they been there? The infrastructure we build today will still be there in thirty years, so the decisions and choices that we make now are critical. Developers, building owners, investors and the entire construction supply chain globally need to take the decision today to focus on net zero design and getting buildings as close to zero carbon as possible.

Wondering whether this is just idealistic thinking?

There are three key questions we need to address to consider whether this is a pipedream or a reality.

What does a net zero carbon building actually mean?

The very simplified definition is that a zero carbon building is one that meets its energy needs without relying on fossil fuel derived energy.

There are two key nuances that affect this definition:

  1. The limits of what is included in the accounting of a building’s emissions
  2. Whether the building is generating it’s own renewable energy, procuring zero carbon energy or offsetting any fossil fuel derived energy that it uses

This is translated into different terminology. You may have heard some of these terms before: net zero energy buildings (NZEB), net zero emissions buildings, zero carbon buildings, operational carbon, embodied carbon… and the list goes on.

Some definitions only account for the energy that a building is using, whereas other definitions include all the carbon that goes into developing the building, including the carbon emissions of manufacturing construction materials (think brick, cement etc) that go into the final building. Some buildings are zero carbon because the owner offsets the entire carbon footprint of the building, whereas others are zero carbon because they use on-site renewable energy.

There is no right or wrong answer, but it’s important to understand how you define zero carbon buildings to ensure that what you read is accurate.

From our perspective, we go by the following definition, which is accepted by Architecture 2030: a highly energy efficient building that produces on-site, or procures, enough carbon-free renewable energy to meet building operations energy consumption annually.

There is a broader industry conversation around accounting for the carbon that actually goes into the materials that go into the building (embodied carbon) but we will save that for another blog.

Can every building be zero carbon?

One of the biggest challenges in the market isn’t the technology to get buildings to zero carbon, but rather the perception of what it will take.

When we hear of zero carbon buildings, and in fact green buildings in general, we often associate them with the impressive, expensive buildings covered in solar panels and rooftop gardens. And in reality, some of them are.

But they don’t have to be.

I have had multiple conversations with developers around the world, and everyone asks me the same question. Is zero carbon possible in [insert country name here]?

Every building has the potential to reach zero carbon, no matter its typology or location.

If you are interested in the nitty gritty details, my colleague, Youssef, put together a great blog that clearly illustrates how any building can reach zero carbon.

There are, of course, challenges with getting to zero carbon globally. These are primarily around the availability of renewable energy and the procurement of green energy. Some countries do not yet have the infrastructure in place to allow for the procurement of green energy sources or have renewable energy options that are cost prohibitive, which limit the opportunities for transition to net zero buildings.

Yet the pace of renewable energy uptake is rapidly increasing globally at scales that were unimaginable just a decade ago. In a few years, green energy will be available globally.

That means building owners and developers need to start preparing now by investing in energy efficiency and designing buildings to be zero carbon ready, so that when the procurement is available, the transition will be easy.

Are zero carbon buildings a Western concept?

The climate crisis is global. If we are to minimise the damage globally and keep warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, we need global solutions. Transitioning to net zero buildings is one of those solutions and is something that needs to be applied across the entire global building stock.

The good news is that net zero buildings are already popping up in almost every continent across industries and sectors.  

Just a couple of months ago, Procredit Bulgaria became the first EDGE Zero Carbon building in Europe with its accreditation for its headquarters in Sofia, Bulgaria. Shifting continents over to Asia, Arthaland has certified its Century Pacific Tower with EDGE Zero Carbon. If we go over to Latin America, RAC Engenharia’s headquarters in Bacacheri are certified net zero operational carbon through the Brazilian Green Building Council Zero Energy Standard. In North America, there are numerous buildings certified as net zero operational carbon using the ILFI Zero Energy Standard such as Pitzer College Robert Redford Conservatory in California.

Offices, universities, homes, retail buildings…It’s all possible. And this is just the beginning.

WGBC launched its Advancing Net Zero coalition a year ago, with the goal of developing tools, programmes and resources to promote the urgency and achievability of net zero carbon buildings and build industry capacity to deliver them. In just twelve months, 66 companies have signed up to the initiative and committed to owning, occupying, and/or developing exclusively zero carbon buildings from 2030, as well as 28 cities and 6 states around the world.

Momentum has shifted globally to support the transition to zero carbon, and it will only continue to get stronger as legislation becomes stricter and governments continue to set binding emissions reductions targets.

So, is a net zero carbon building stock a pipedream?

Absolutely not.

Every building can start the transition today to be zero carbon ready. It’s just a matter of will.

Share
0
Eleni Polychroniadou
Eleni Polychroniadou
Eleni Polychroniadou is the Commercial Director and a Co-Founder at Sintali. In her role, Eleni leads the commercial division of the organisation and drives business development activities to help the EDGE market grow internationally.

Related posts

January 31, 2023

Green Building: A portfolio approach


Read more
December 15, 2022

Sintali brings you a Year in Review


Read more
November 4, 2022

How to make infrastructure projects bankable in Africa


Read more


Recent News

  • ProCredit bank Kosovo – the first institution in Kosovo to achieve EDGE Advanced Certification for its Head Office Building
  • Green Building: A portfolio approach
  • Sintali Co-Founder named one of 2023’s most inspiring female entrepreneurs
  • Sintali brings you a Year in Review
  • Sintali partners with consulting company Zero Energy Building to accelerate the uptake of EDGE in Greece

Blog Archive

  • March 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • July 2020

Categories

  • Blog
  • Events
  • Knowledge Hub
  • News
  • Uncategorized
CONTACT US

Sintali Limited
Cardinal Point Park Road
Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire
WD3 1RE, United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)204 5342514

sales@sintali.com
STAY CONNECTED

Follow us on social media and get updates in real time


JOIN THE COMMUNITY

Stay up to date with the latest from Sintali

© 2022 Sintali Limited
Website design by Create + Deploy
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT ALL
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.

CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Functional

Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.

Performance

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

Analytics

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

CookieDurationDescription
_ga2 yearsThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gid1 dayThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the website is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages visted in an anonymous form.

Advertisement

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.

Others

Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.

CookieDurationDescription
_gat_gtag_UA_176578450_11 minuteNo description
asp_transient_idsessionNo description

SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo