Roadmap to net zero buildings

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has released a roadmap on decarbonising buildings in South East Asia warning that emissions will continue to grow without ambitious policy actions.

The roadmap identifies key energy-efficient and low-carbon actions and activities that governments could consider for implementation by 2025, 2030 and beyond, moving towards net zero-carbon buildings.

In the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), buildings account for close to a quarter of the region’s total final energy consumption and energy-related CO₂ emissions. With continued economic development, urbanisation and population growth across the region, energy use will continue to grow.

“Improving the energy efficiency of building envelopes and systems, increasing renewable energy utilisation, phasing out the use of traditional biomass and switching to clean cooking and electricity, while enhancing energy access for vulnerable households across the region, can result in more than a 60 per cent reduction in CO₂ emissions from buildings by 2040 in relation to 2020, and provide many other benefits to households, society and governments,” the report said.

The Roadmap for Energy-Efficient Buildings and Construction in ASEAN focuses on the policy tools available for ASEAN member states to drive energy efficiency improvements in the building sector to help meet growing needs for residential and non-residential floor space and energy services, while limiting the growth in energy demand and related emissions