The
William J. Clinton Foundation announced the Energy Efficiency Building Retrofit
May 16 at the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit. This project hopes to cut carbon emissions, reduce energy use and save
money on utilities in existing city-owned buildings in 16 cities around the
world.
The
William J. Clinton Foundation announced the Energy Efficiency Building Retrofit
May 16 at the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit in New York City. Financed by
worldwide banks and backed by four well-known climate control manufacturers,
Clinton’s project hopes to cut carbon emissions, reduce energy use and save
money on utilities in existing city-owned buildings in 16 cities around the
world.
The Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA) and the American
Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) will
provide technical assistance to the energy-saving renovation campaign, which is
a project of the Clinton Climate Initiative organized by former President Bill
Clinton.
“MCAA views our work with the program as a great opportunity to show the world
what mechanical contractors can do to help solve one of the most pressing
issues of our time,” said MCAA President David J. Kruse.
Many of the responsibilities that the MCAA and ASHRAE will offer are still
being considered, but both associations will likely offer design expertise and
training programs to do the needed work.
The program brings together Honeywell, Johnson Controls, Siemens, and Trane,
which will each compete to conduct energy audits of city-owned and private
buildings. The companies will also guarantee the energy savings that will come
from the retrofit projects that they manage.
In North America, the initial cities will be Chicago, Houston, New York City,
Toronto, and Mexico City. Other cities around the world are Bangkok, Berlin,
Delhi, Johannesburg, Karachi, London, Melbourne, Mumbai, Sao Paulo, Seoul, and
Tokyo.
The cities will put up their own buildings for retrofit in order to streamline
permit requirements and provide incentives for private building owners to do
the same.
Clinton’s foundation said much of retrofit work has the potential to reduce
energy use by as much as 50%.
“ASHRAE is in the best position to provide immediate support to the cities
seeking guidance through the Clinton Climate Initiative due to our 30-year
involvement in design guidance for energy conservation for both new and
existing buildings,” said ASHRAE President Terry Townsend.