Principal of Graphite Engineering Ltd. and registered professional engineer Sonia Brown has called for the implementation of an energy code in The Bahamas.
In a conversation with Guardian Business, Brown advocated direct policy action to address the inefficient construction of buildings in The Bahamas, with public education, changes to the building codes and standards and tax relief among the tools that will need to be deployed to effect the change she said is necessary.
"If we look at the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code, there are guidelines for R, or resistive values, for walls and roofs for example. We could set guidelines for lighting efficiency and targets to work toward for air-conditioning design. The criteria would change based on if the building were residential or commercial.
"To help all this happen, tax relief would be needed on efficient products. Right now if you have the money, you can hire engineers to advise you. This way the information is universally available to everyone and mutually beneficial. If we all use energy in a smarter way, we reduce our individual bills and reduce the need to import fuel and constantly buy new plants for BPL," Brown said, referring to Bahamas Power and Light, the subsidiary of the Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) now responsible for power generation, transmission and distribution in The Bahamas.
Asked what level of intervention she thought was necessary, whether public education or government mandate, in order to effect the change, Brown argued that a community must always start with public education.
"A lot of wastage can be attributed to human behavior - leaving lights and appliances on, idling cars, setting thermostats too low, leaving air-conditioners on when spaces are unoccupied. If persons understood how their behavior was causing them to spend more money and also harmful to the environment, some will make the necessary changes.
"We need to adopt or adapt from the many energy codes and standards that are currently available, such as the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers, or ASHRAE, Standard 90.1 Energy Standard for Buildings and 189.1 Standard for the Design of High Performance Green Buildings. There is also the International Green Construction code and many others. The implementation of these codes is proven effective in reducing energy use along with public education and incentives from power companies. Latest reports from the U.S. show consumption being relatively flat despite rising GDP since 2010," she said.
"Every country started out somewhere and had similar or worse problems to ours," Brown said, addressing the question of whether any of these codes were "easily adoptable for a country like The Bahamas already beset with problems".
She said those who work in the construction industry work with international codes all the time as they are referenced in the present building code. Careful study would be need to determined which code is right for The Bahamas at this time, and the process should be ongoing.
"This is achieved by not only building structures that perform better but by also encouraging consumers to self-generate power using renewable means. An initiative is desperately needed to help our hotels reduce energy costs by providing technical support and financing options so they might make their facilities greener," Brown argued.
She asserted that, with a concerted effort, an energy code for The Bahamas could possibly get "off the ground" in a year to eighteen months to allow broad consultation.
"This could be done by local consultants from the industry architects, engineers, quantity surveyors and building inspectors. We would review the relevant codes and narrow down those that most closely reflect our local condition and then line by line examine what should stay and what should go.
"It might be necessary to send local representatives to participate in code courses held by these agencies to ensure we understand why some item was in the code," she said.
According to Brown, an energy code would set standards around suitability of building sites to ensure minimal negative impact to the environment and even possible damage to structures due to flooding and storm surges. Water usage guidelines would be provided, she said, so that resource is not wasted; in line with these guidelines, the industry would take advantage of opportunities to harvest or reuse "grey water", that is, the relatively clean waste water from baths, sinks, washing machines and other kitchen appliances.
Brown said clear guidelines should be set on the use of insulation, window types and indoor air quality, and that information should be available on acceptable building materials and proper disposal of construction waste and waste handling during the course of construction.
"We have no energy code now. Oftentimes when I work with large firms from abroad who are doing projects in The Bahamas, the first question asked is what energy code we are working toward and I have to tell them none is currently enforced. It is up to the owner to then decide how much they will spend on energy efficiency. Many times, though, owners think this is a good thing until the bills start rolling in and they then retrofit with energy saving measures after the fact.
"An energy code would help The Bahamas directly by giving us more control over how much we spend on energy. It would also be a great message to our millions of guests that we care about this corner of the planet that we have been made stewards of," she said.
By K. Quincy Parker
Guardian Business Editor
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