Overview:

Summary: Green building practices and energy efficiency standards improve building performance that reduce solar gains, energy consumption, and urban heat islands.

Implementation: Establish voluntary green building or energy efficiency performance standards, which establish a baseline that can be leveraged through more stringent mandates or public pressure at a later time.

Considerations for Use: Resources associated with ratings and certifications can provide upgrade recommendations that are applicable to all buildings not only participating buildings.

• Policy Levers:
  
  
  CommitmentGovernments set ambitious goals or targets to guide prioritization and investment.
• Trigger Points:
  
  
  Preparatory measures (actions to establish authority to act)Actions to establish/ ensure the authority to act when appropriate trigger-points occur.
• Intervention Type:
  Buildings and Built Form
• Sectors:
  Buildings

Impact:

• Target Beneficiaries:
  Property owners, Residents
• Phase of Impact:
  Risk reduction and mitigation
• Metrics:
  Number and scores or levels of certification for buildings that receive ratings

Case Studies:

• LEED (US) (UNEP Pg 129)
• NABERS (Australia (UNEP Pg 129)
• EU's Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (UNEP Pg 129)

Implementation:

• Intervention Scale:
  City, Nation, Region, State/Province
• Authority and Governance:
  City government, National government, State/provincial government
• Implementation Timeline:
  Medium-term (3-9 Years)
• Implementation Stakeholders:
  City government, Private developers
• Funding Sources:
  private investment, Public investment
• Capacity to Act:
  High

Benefits:

• Cost-Benefit:
  Low
• Public Good:
  N/A
• GHG Reduction:
  Medium
• Co-benefits (Climate/Environmental):
  Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• Co-benefits (Social):
  Increase property values, Save on utilities