A survey conducted by heating and cooling equipment provider Johnson Controls concludes that companies look at improving buildings' energy efficiency as their first option for reducing their carbon emissions. The main reasons for this are the cost-savings from energy efficiency, followed by the need to reduce carbon emissions and the need to comply with the legislation in this field.
The survey, conducted in partnership with the International Facility Management Association, indicates that using renewable energy in buildings is the second preferred option to reduce the companies' carbon footprint.
A study conducted by a research institute (IIASA) on behalf of the European Commission concludes that emissions from the air-conditioning and refrigeration sector are predicted to increase by over a quarter by 2020 and by half by 2030 relative to 2005 levels. However, despite the predicted increase, the cooling sector will continue to represent less than 10% of total non-CO2 greenhouse-gas emissions. Curbing cooling sector emissions is likely to be expensive with marginal costs estimated at over 30 per tonne.
Source: ICSC
