02 Aug How Buildings Generate Carbon Emissions And Ways to Reduce Them

In most cases, people think of cars stuck in traffic when thinking of carbon emissions. Now, let’s make it clear that cars do emit a lot of carbon pollution, but that does not mean buildings are far behind. In fact, you can call buildings the silent carbon emitters since they are responsible for 39% of total carbon emissions. This figure is much higher than that of the transport and industrial activities sector.           

However, most people still seem to be unaware of the role buildings play in the entire global carbon emission dynamics. So, this blog is here to generate more awareness with a closer look at how buildings contribute to carbon emissions and ways you can reduce them.

How Do Buildings Generate Carbon Emissions? 

When we talk about buildings generating carbon emissions, you must understand that there are two types of emissions: direct building emissions and indirect building emissions. Direct building emissions are mainly the ones resulting from the direct use of any combustion-reliant equipment. Some of the best-known examples of direct building emissions include water 

heaters, furnaces, boilers, and even on-site power generation.     

On the other hand, there are indirect building emissions where the building itself is not responsible for emitting carbon dioxide. For instance, you might have one of the most energy-efficient HVAC systems in your building, but it still needs electricity to run. Now, if that electricity is sourced from a power plant using coal, the HVAC will become responsible for indirect emissions.     

What this means is that while we can equip our buildings with the latest electronic systems, they will still need electricity from the power station to run. As a result, the overall global carbon emissions figures remain unchanged, with only you feeling good about your carbon-efficient building. All that this complex ordeal does is shift emissions from your house to the power plant.  

Effective Ways To Reduce Your Building’s Carbon Emissions 

Now that you have a better understanding of how buildings generate carbon emissions, it is time to analyze some effective ways to reduce them. So, here are some of the best ways to reduce a building’s carbon emissions:

1. Upgrade Your Existing HVAC System  

Every building, regardless of its size, requires a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Unfortunately, there is barely any feasible alternative to these systems that require a lot of energy to run. This is where using an efficient HVAC system becomes one of the most important requirements for reducing a building’s carbon footprint.        

If your building’s HVAC system has seen better days, it is time you consider upgrading to a more energy-efficient system. For instance, you can replace your old boilers with a new energy-efficient variant to save on energy bills and reduce the building’s carbon footprint. 

2. Use Green Roof Technologies To Your Advantage 

Another innovative way to reduce your building’s carbon emissions is to use the green roof technology to your advantage. This does not mean you need to spend a handsome sum of money on your roof. Instead, you can take a more modest approach and plant some green vegetation on the roof. 

This will help reduce the carbon footprint by allowing plants to consume carbon dioxide from the air. Besides that, these plants also offer excellent insulation, which helps save energy that would otherwise be spent on heating or cooling the building. Lastly, green roofs are also great at reducing stormwater runoff, which prevents water pollution. 

3. Get a Carbon Offset Program   

A carbon offset program is another highly innovative solution for reducing your building’s carbon emissions. These programs are simple but highly effective, as all that you need to do is purchase carbon credits representing the removal or reduction of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. 

Whoever earns these credits can use them to offset carbon emissions from the building or its operations. This could be any operation relevant to the building, be it the lighting, heating, or even cooling that the building needs to keep everyone comfortable.      

4. Use Energy-Efficient Lighting Solutions

Every building needs proper lighting solutions, and these solutions consume a lot of energy, 

contributing to the building’s increased carbon footprint. This makes it very important to get rid of any old lighting solutions and use new energy-efficient solutions instead.       

You can start using LED light bulbs that require far less energy compared to most conventional lighting solutions. What’s even better is that new energy-efficient lighting solutions like LEDs also last much longer than conventional lighting solutions, making them the perfect cost-effective alternative. 

5. Make the Most of Sun’s Energy 

Solar energy is one of the most easily accessible and useful energy forms on the planet. Unfortunately, we humans do not use even the slightest of the sun’s energy we receive, and it is time to change that with proper solar panels. 

You can install solar panels on your building’s roofs and walls to get the best of the sun’s renewable energy. Make sure you have proper storage solutions to store the extra energy from sunny days and save it for gloomy days when the sun is not at its best.            

Also Read: Reducing Energy Usage in Commercial Buildings

In Conclusion 

The adverse effects of global climate change are now becoming more evident than ever. This requires a collaborative effort from the entire human race to make efforts to reduce their carbon footprint, and reducing your building’s carbon footprint is a great way to start. 

You must identify areas that can benefit from further enhancement in terms of your building’s energy efficiency. Besides that, you must leverage the aforementioned tips to reduce your building’s carbon footprint and contribute to a greener future.         

FAQs:

1. What is the green roof technology?

The Green roof technology is a simple strategy to plant vegetation on your building’s roof to trap carbon dioxide, provide better insulation, and maintain proper temperatures. 

2. How many types of building emissions are there?

There are two different types of building emissions: direct and indirect emissions. 

3. How can I enhance my HVAC system’s energy efficiency?

Ensuring regular maintenance is a great way to ensure your building’s HVAC system functions optimally and requires less energy. 

4. Are carbon offset programs helpful?

Carbon offset programs can be very helpful in reducing a building’s carbon footprint.