The following a highlight summary of AHR EXPO 2024 Educational Session – Enlisting Buildings to Tackle Global Emissions
With sustainability regulations evolving globally, your customers are seeking your guidance on energy and emissions measuring and optimization. Understanding the associated risks and opportunities is crucial for navigating this complex landscape. Here are the complexities, risks, and opportunities associated with decarbonizing buildings. The diverse perspectives shared on this expert panel, can help your team guide customers’ sustainability journey.
- The Importance of Navigating the Gray Zones: The discussion emphasized the need for the industry to understand and navigate the complexities of decarbonizing buildings, moving beyond simplistic “black or white” solutions. This involves recognizing the risks and opportunities associated with this process.
- Risks and Opportunities of Messaging: The panel discussed the importance of messaging around decarbonization efforts. There are risks associated with both overstating and understating a company’s environmental impact. Overstating claims can lead to class-action lawsuits and regulatory issues, while understating them can lead to missed opportunities to attract customers, investors, and talent.
- Tax Incentives as Opportunities: The current legislative environment, particularly the Inflation Reduction Act, offers significant tax incentives for energy efficiency and green building initiatives. These incentives can be a powerful tool for encouraging decarbonization efforts.
- Importance of Understanding Client Needs: When working with clients on decarbonization projects, it’s crucial to understand their specific needs and goals. This involves considering their entire portfolio of buildings, their long-term plans, and the regulatory pressures they face.
- Risks of Inaction: Delaying decarbonization efforts can lead to significant risks, including fines and penalties due to stricter regulations and missed opportunities to benefit from incentives.
- Challenges and Opportunities in Retrofit Projects: Retrofit projects present unique challenges due to their complexity and the need to integrate new technologies with existing systems. However, they also offer significant opportunities for energy savings and emissions reductions.
- Importance of Operator Engagement: Building operators play a crucial role in the success of decarbonization projects. Engaging them early on and ensuring they are trained and supported in using new technologies is essential.
- Commissioning and Maintenance: Commissioning and ongoing maintenance of new technologies are critical to ensuring their optimal performance and longevity.
- Cybersecurity Considerations: Cybersecurity is an emerging risk associated with the increasing digitalization of building systems. As buildings become more connected, they become more vulnerable to cyber attacks.
- Supply Chain Pressure: Suppliers are facing increasing pressure to be sustainable in their own operations and to offer products and services that support their customers’ decarbonization efforts.
Our thanks to Cochrane Supply for helping produce the AutomatedBuildings.com AHR EXPO 2024 Educational Sessions.
Moderator: Lauren Scott, V.P. Marketing & Sustainability – ISG, Acuity Brands
Panelists:
Abby Massey, Tax Incentives Director, Calvetti Ferguson, Stephanie Poole, Decarbonization Engineer, SES Consulting, Gary Graham, Energy & Sustainability Consultant, Raneem Shammas, Software Manager Integrated Building Technology, Modern Niagara
