Global and Local Approaches to Energy Efficiency in Green Building Certifications: A Comparative Analytical Study

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Architecture Engineering, Faculty of Engineering ,Canadian International College

Abstract

This research explores the role of green building certification systems in promoting energy efficiency, focusing on internationally recognized frameworks such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), alongside local systems like DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council) and Egypt’s Green Pyramids Rating System. The research problem is the limited effectiveness of sustainable building systems and standards at the local level in achieving energy-efficient design and construction. The study aims to leverage insights from global sustainable building standards to enhance the efficiency of local systems in achieving energy savings. Using a comparative analytical approach to evaluate both global and local standards, the effectiveness of these systems is analyzed by examining their criteria and approaches to energy optimization. The study investigates the varying emphasis placed on energy efficiency across these certification systems, taking into account regional factors such as climate, resource availability, and local building practices. A SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) assesses the effectiveness of these systems in enhancing energy efficiency. Ultimately, the study provides recommendations to improve energy efficiency strategies within these frameworks, fostering a more sustainable built environment.

Keywords

References

  1. U.S. Green Building Council. (n.d.). LEED v4: Building design + construction guide. U.S. Green Building Council. Retrieved from https://www.usgbc.org
  2. U.S. Green Building Council. (n.d.). What is LEED certification? U.S. Green Building Council. Retrieved from https://support.usgbc.org/hc/en-us/articles/4404406912403-What-is-LEED-certification
  3. American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers. (n.d.). Standard 90.1: Energy standard for buildings except low-rise residential buildings.
  4. ASHRAE. (2019). Energy modeling best practices and applications.
  5. AltEnergyMag. (2020, December). Using renewable energy for LEED certification. AltEnergyMag. https://www.altenergymag.com/story/2020/12/using-renewable-energy-for-leed-certification/34241/
  6. Accuenergy. (n.d.). LEED v4 for advanced energy metering. Accuenergy. https://www.accuenergy.com/articles/leed-v4-for-advanced-energy-metering/
  7. ASHRAE, & U.S. Department of Energy. (n.d.). Advanced energy design guide for small to medium office buildings. American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.
  8. Katipamula, S., & Brambley, M. (2005). Building automation systems: Energy savings potential. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).
  9. U.S. Green Building Council. (n.d.). LEED energy & atmosphere overview. U.S. Green Building Council.
  10. BREEAM. (n.d.). BREEAM new construction. Retrieved October 18, 2024, from https://breeam.com/standards/new-construction/
  11. BREEAM. (n.d.). BREEAM: [ENE 01 - Reduction of energy use and carbon emissions]. Retrieved October 18, 2024, from https://kb.breeam.com/wp-content/plugins/breeamkb-pdf/pdf/?c=838
  12. O’Reilly, T. (2021, December 1). The decarbonization challenge: 4 passive strategies for energy-efficient building systems. ArchDaily. https://www.archdaily.com/994391/the-decarbonization-challenge-4-passive-strategies-for-energy-efficient-building-systems
  13. BREEAM. (2016). BREEAM: [New Construction / International / 03 - Energy]. Retrieved October 18, 2024, from https://kb.breeam.com/wp-content/plugins/breeamkb-pdf/pdf/?c=816
  14. BREEAM. (2022). GN32: Energy prediction and post-occupancy assessment – BREEAM UK new construction 2018 (v2.0). Retrieved October 18, 2024, from https://kb.breeam.com/knowledgebase/gn32-energy-prediction-and-post-occupancy-assessment/
  15. Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM). (2024, October 19). New construction/international/2016/03 - Energy/ENE 01 - Reduction of energy use and carbon emissions. https://kb.breeam.com/wp-content/plugins/breeamkb-pdf/pdf/?c=2862
  16. Stanford University. (n.d.). Introduction to renewable energy. Stanford: Understand Energy. https://understand-energy.stanford.edu/energy-resources/renewable-energy/introduction-renewable-energy
  17. Building Research Establishment. (2024). Ene 02 - Energy monitoring. BREEAM Knowledge Base. https://kb.breeam.com/wp-content/plugins/breeamkb-pdf/pdf/?c=965
  18. HMC Architects. (2019, February 6). Energy-efficient building design: Thermal-efficient construction. HMC Architects. https://hmcarchitects.com/news/energy-efficient-building-design-thermal-efficient-construction-2019-02-06/
  19. Kibert, C. J. (2016). Sustainable construction: Green building design and delivery (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons. (https://books.google.com.eg/books?hl=en&lr=&id=2xgWCgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR15&dq=Kibert,+C.+J.+(2016).+Sustainable+construction:+Green+building+design+and+delivery+(3rd+ed.).+John+Wiley+%26+Sons..&ots=GaVu9Jd-xy&sig=OmvxcLu4LrQPWi0cUqNerlvATK0&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false)
  20. Hafez, F. S., Sa'di, B., Safa-Gamal, M., Taufiq-Yap, Y. H., Alrifaey, M., Seyedmahmoudian, M., Stojcevski, A., Horan, B., & Mekhilef, S. (2023). Energy efficiency in sustainable buildings: A systematic review with taxonomy, challenges, motivations, methodological aspects, recommendations, and pathways for future research. Energy Strategy Reviews, 45, 101013. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esr.2023.101013.
  21. Hoxha, K., & Skenderi, A. (2018). The impact of energy efficiency measures on the BREEAM rating system. Journal of Building Performance, 9(1), 32-39. https://doi.org/10.21837/ebpj.v9i1.570.
  22. CIM. (2024, March 1). The BREEAM rating system explained. CIM. https://www.cim.io/blog/the-breeam-rating-system-explained.
  23. DGNB. (n.d.). DGNB certification. https://www.dgnb.de/en/certification/
  24. DGNB. (n.d.). About the DGNB system. https://www.dgnb.de/en/certification/important-facts-about-dgnb-certification/about-the-dgnb-system
  25. Hanga-Fărcaş, I. F. P. (2023). The building certification system - A tool of sustainable development of university campuses. Journal of Applied Engineering Sciences, 13(1), 105-112. https://doi.org/10.2478/jaes-2023-0014.
  26. DGNB. (n.d.). Certification for buildings. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen. Retrieved October 19, 2024, from https://www.dgnb.de/en/certification/buildings
  27. Hamedani, A. Z., & Huber, F. (2012). A comparative study of DGNB, LEED and BREEAM certificate systems in urban sustainability. WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, 155, 51–62. https://doi.org/10.2495/SC12011.
  28. GPRS (Green Pyramid Rating System) (2017), “GPRS V2 for New Buildings and Major Renovation”, Published May-2018, HBRC, Egypt. Dev, P. K. (2017, November 25).
  29. Evaluating Green Pyramid Rating System: Potentialities & Revival. 1st International Conference on Towards a Better Quality of Life. Technical University Berlin Campus El Gouna. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3167435.
  30. Arafat, M. Y., Faggal, A. A., Khodeir, L., & Refaat, T. (2023). Customizing the Green Pyramid Rating System for assessing university buildings’ sustainability: A stakeholder-involved weighting approach. Ain Shams Engineering Journal. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aej.2023.10.013.
  31. Daoud, A. O., Othman, A. A. E., Robinson, H., & Bayyatia, A. (2018, March). Towards a green materials procurement: Investigating the Egyptian Green Pyramid Rating System. Paper presented at the Green Heritage International Conference (Chance - Change - Challenge), Cairo, Egypt. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323588948_Towards_a_Green_Materials_Procurement_Investigating_the_Egyptian_Green_Pyramid_Rating_S.
  32. Bonna, H., El-Hakim, A. S., & El-Behairy, H. S. (2018). The GPRS-V2-2017-NB National Rating System of Sustainable New Buildings and Major Renovation: A technical evaluation. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3324044.
  33. Khoshbakht, M., Gou, Z., & Dupre, K. (2017). Cost–benefit prediction of green buildings: SWOT analysis of research methods and recent applications. Procedia Engineering, 180, 167–178. https://www.academia.edu/79565998.
  34. Apanavičienė, R., Maliejus, K., & Fokaides, P. (2020). Sustainability assessment of the building construction stage using building sustainability assessment schemes (BSAS). IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 410(1), 012064. IOP Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/410/1/012064.
  35. López, A., & Al-Mohammad, A. (2019). Multiscalarity in international sustainable assessment systems: A qualitative comparison of LEED, CASBEE, BREEAM, DGNB and ESTIDAMA on building, neighbourhood and city scale. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 290, 012056. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/290/1/012056.
  36. Dev, P. K. (2017). Evaluating green pyramid rating system: Potentialities & revival. In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference: Towards a Better Quality of Life (pp. 1-10). Technische Universität Berlin Campus El Gouna, Egypt.

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics