This was the week that was

Everyone thinks the last week of May in Paris is all about tennis – Roland Garros, the French Open. Far from it for those working on sustainable energy issues!

For two days, there was the 2nd building sector symposium organised by the Global Buildings Performance Network (GBPN). The main objective of the meeting was to provide global members of the GBPN, members of the GBPN’s Strategic Advisory Group, representatives from ClimateWorks network, regional and global building sector professionals, and key policy thought-leaders with a forum for sharing ideas and actions to reduce energy related CO2 emissions from buildings globally. And that it did. There was lots of brainstorming on new buildings, existing buildings and data that should give the GBPN much food for thought as it prepares its strategic plans for upcoming years.  It is encouraging to see how buildings energy performance is being taken very seriously.

The International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation (IPEEC) organised a workshop on building energy ratings (the energy performance certificates in Europe).  It brought together experts from Australia, Asia, the US and Europe.  The experts represented policymakers, analysts and the real estate sector.  The workshop, chaired by Adam Hinge of the US, showed there is still much more to do and much to learn from each other. There was an excellent scene setter written by David Leipziger of the Institute of Market Transformation.  It is available here. The results of the workshop should be made available on the IPEEC website.

Separately, EiD also had excellent meetings with many who were in Paris (not to go to the tennis).  This included Bill Bordass, one of Britain’s most influential experts on buildings energy performance and one of the principals of the Usable Buildings Trust. Bill was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) for his services to the architectural and engineering professions and to sustainable development in the 2013 New Year’s Honours List.  EiD also met with Randall Bowie from Rockwool International and eceee board member, one of the real “movers” of energy efficiency in Europe over many years. Finally, EiD met with Tudor Constantinescu, Principal Adviser in DG Energy in the European Commission and one of the leading experts on energy efficiency in the EC and throughout Europe. Tudor was in Paris for EGATEC – 2013, the European Gas Technology Conference.

If this was the week that was, what will next week at the eceee Summer Study be?