Improving energy and carbon management in construction and civil engineering companies—evaluating the impacts of the CO₂ Performance Ladder

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• 作者：Martijn G. Rietbergen ; Ivo J. Opstelten ; Kornelis Blok
• 关键词：Energy and carbon management ; Construction industry ; Programme evaluation ; CO2 Performance Ladder
• 刊名：Energy Efficiency
• 出版年：2017
• 出版时间：February 2017
• 年：2017
• 卷：10
• 期：1
• 页码：55-79
• 全文大小：655KB
• 刊物类别：Earth and Environmental Science
• 刊物主题：Energy Economics; Renewable and Green Energy; Environmental Economics; Environment, general; Sustainable Development;
• 出版者：Springer Netherlands
• ISSN：1570-6478
• 卷排序：10

文摘

In the Netherlands, the CO₂ Performance Ladder has been introduced as an energy management programme to facilitate continuous energy efficiency and carbon performance improvement in non-industrial sectors. This paper addresses the question: ‘What is the impact of the CO₂ Performance Ladder on improving energy and carbon management and reducing CO₂ emissions in construction and civil engineering firms’. The research was based on interviews, descriptive analysis of energy efficiency and CO₂ emission reduction measures and quantitative analysis of CO₂ emission reductions. The research results indicate that the CO₂ Performance Ladder has improved various energy management practices at administrative level, while internalization of energy management practices at lower levels in the organization has just gradually started. Companies have implemented a wide range of new energy efficiency and CO₂ emission reduction measures. However, most measures only affected supporting business processes instead of companies’ core processes. About 30–50 % of these measures have been identified as additional. Green electricity purchasing and the adoption of behavioural measures were particularly stimulated. The annual CO₂ emission reduction rate due to energy efficiency improvement and fuel switching amounted to 3.2 %/year (2010–2013). First estimates suggest that about 1.0–1.6 %/year of these CO₂ emission reductions can be attributed to the CO₂ Performance Ladder. However, these figures should be handled with caution because of various uncertainties. Overall, we conclude that, driven by the potential competitive advantage in contract awarding, the CO₂ Performance Ladder has been responsible for improving energy management and enhancing CO₂ emission reduction among construction and civil engineering firms, which most likely would not have been achieved otherwise.