Nigerian government has begun to develop plans that will address green buildings and environmental sustainability, a matter and issue on which Malaysia has wide-ranging experiences. Through a comparative study on green building policies in Malaysia and Nigeria, the study identified important lessons relevant to Nigeria green building policies and programmes and creates a general explanation of Malaysia green building policies that could be applicable to Nigeria.

The rationale for energy efficiency policy can be framed in terms of a variety of different benefits. This paper considers how different benefits have been used within the overall rationale for energy efficient retrofit policy in different contexts. We posit that different rationales may be used for the same policy response, and that the form of rationale used may affect the design, delivery or the level of policy support, with different rationales making it easier to account for different results.

The current shift from fossil energy resources to “green” energy — renewable energy plus storage in smart grids, many with electric vehicles providing grid services — is now a global phenomenon (International Energy Agency 2016; International Renewable Energy Agency [IRENA] 2017b).

Sustainability assessment tools aim to promote high sustainability outcomes in residential buildings, ensuring less consumption of water, energy and less emission of greenhouse gases. However, existing literature often presents variations between the estimated outcomes from the assessment tools and actual outcomes after building occupation. Research suggests that actual energy consumption could be significantly influenced by resident behaviour in addition to the dwelling conditions and the energy efficiency of appliances.

For building owners, the renovation process can be a hassle, shaped by the ambiguity of the measures to implement. Uncertainty is one of the reasons why the renovation rate continues to linger around 1% and private investments remain limited. Achieving the full market potential of renovation calls for a paradigm shift, where a more service-oriented supply-side together with a deeper awareness on the demand-side play key roles. The BetterHome case study shows how innovative business models can drive energy renovations across Europe.

Energy transformation towards 100% renewable energy is economically inevitable, and socially and environmentally desirable, yet it may produce negative signals in outdated statistics as fossil trade diminishes and the sector shrinks. This paradox on should be addressed in a joint report by, e.g., IRENA, IMF, OECD, andthe World Bank, and the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures. Fossil fuel extraction and commodity trade will end, and fossil asset values erode.

Urban density significantly impacts urban energy use and the quality of life of urban residents. Here, the authors provide a global-scale analysis of future urban densities and associated energy use in the built environment under different urbanization scenarios. The relative importance of urban density and energy-efficient technologies varies geographically. In developing regions, urban density tends to be the more critical factor in building energy use.

Buildings are major consumers of energy for heating and cooling. The number of buildings is growing rapidly with demand for energy. To reduce consumption, governments worldwide have implemented codes, standards, and building practices. In New South Wales, Australia the planning department introduced a web-based energy-modelling tool intended to increase the thermal performance of the residential building's envelope prior to development applications. The modelling tool, Building Sustainability Index (BASIX) was introduced in 2004.

The built environment contributes 40% of total global greenhouse gas emissions and 87% of the buildings we will have in 2050 are already built. If predicted climate changes are correct, we need to adapt existing stock sustainably. Outside Australia there is a history of office to residential conversions. These conversions number few in Sydney although evidence suggests a trend is emerging in conversion adaptations.

India’s growth of energy demand in the building stock, and efforts to curb it, are placed into an international context by adapting the reporting criteria developed for the Global Alliance on Building & Construction's (GABC) Global Status Report (2017) on buildings and construction.

The Nationally Determined Contributions are allowing countries to examine options for reducing emissions through a range of domestic policies. India, like many developing countries, has committed to reducing emissions through specific policies, including building energy codes. Here we assess the potential of these sectoral policies to help in achieving mitigation targets. Collectively, it is critically important to see the potential impact of such policies across developing countries in meeting national and global emission goals.

Limited literature exists on how insurance companies incorporate a focus on environmental sustainability into their core business strategy and practices. The article is intended to contribute to the implementation of corporate sustainability practices by presenting a framework or blueprint for insurance companies to follow which will enable them to integrate sustainability goals into their culture, core business, strategy and structure.

The difference between actual and calculated energy is called the ‘energy-performance gap’. Possible explanations for this gap are construction mistakes, improper adjusting of equipment, excessive simplification in simulation models and occupant behaviour. Many researchers and governmental institutions think the occupant is the main cause of this gap. However, only limited evidence exists for this. Therefore, an analysis is presented of actual and theoretical energy consumption based on specific household types and building characteristics.

This paper applies cost–benefits analysis (CBA) and transaction cost (TC) theory to systematically evaluate the costs and benefits of implementing the green building economic incentives, with focused study on the Gross Floor Area (GFA) Concession Scheme in Hong Kong. The data of costs and benefits indicate how the GFA Concession Scheme motivates stakeholders and how much it benefits the built environment, which provides a solid foundation for the improvement of the GFA Concession Scheme.

This study describes the results of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) applied to 24 statistically-based dwelling archetypes, representative of the EU housing stock in 2010. The aim is to quantify the average environmental impacts related to housing in Europe and to define reference values (baseline scenario) for policies development.

Building energy codes have been widely implemented in the world to regulate energy consumption and CO2 emissions from the building sector. In order to assess the impacts of building energy codes on Australian building performance, this paper has compared the energy efficiency requirements of the Building Code of Australia (BCA) with the USA ASHRAE Standard 90.1 and Chinese GB50189, in terms of the building envelope, HVAC chiller efficiency, internal load density, and HVAC temperature set-points.

The article deals with efforts to reduce energy as a means to support the formulation of climate change public policies and strategies. Energy use in building design and operation is integral to these efforts. Energy efficiency advocates suggest that new buildings can (and should) be net-zero energy, and retrofitting existing buildings can achieve savings of approximately 50% (Architecture 2030, 2014).

The main problem in creating successful efficiency improvement policies is adjusting objectives to local development programs, dependent on public awareness. This article attempts to find a framework for the costs of changing energy policies using neural networks to identify the social-infrastructure conditions. An analysis model is presented of social-infrastructure conditions of energy costs reduction and buildings’ efficiency improvement.

India has demonstrated that it is possible to reduce energy demand and increase the energy efficiency of its buildings, particularly for air-conditioning appliances. Given the rapid and large expected increase in India's building stock over the next 20 or more years, the opportunity exists to make significant increases in overall energy efficiency and reduce energy demand through the application of its Energy Conservation Building Code that influences the design, construction and operation of buildings.

Smart city experiments have the potential to reshape urban climate change governance. Smart city initiatives have been supported by international technology companies and the European Union for many years and continue to be promoted by national and municipal governments. In relation to sustainability and climate change, such initiatives promise more efficient use of resources through the use of information and communications technology in energy infrastructure.