Government move to cut carbon emissions from buildings great step but questions remain over whether it goes far enough, says FMANZ

Responding to today’s government announcement that buildings will have to display their energy use from 2024, Jo Duggan, chief executive of the Facilities Management Association of New Zealand, the group of thousands of professional Kiwis who run building operations across the country, said:

“Buildings use up large amounts of energy, driving up climate pollution, and have a huge role to play in slashing this pollution.

“That’s why today’s announcement to make the energy use of buildings transparent for all to see is a great step in the right direction.

“However, it seems to be lacking a few important details. For instance, it would be great if it included measures to ensure minimum standards of energy efficiency. We hope too that this announcement is intended to cover as many buildings as possible, rather than just large buildings over a certain size.

“Transparency alone may have been enough a decade ago, but the science on climate change is telling us we need to move much faster now, which is why mandatory minimums are needed. Government buildings already have to meet energy efficiency standards, and other buildings should too.

“And including as many buildings as possible would help to tackle climate change further, and also encourage more building owners to employ the silver bullet of energy efficiency to drive down operational costs.

“There are thousands of dedicated facilities management professionals working hard to ensure our public spaces and workplaces are safe, healthy, sustainable, productive and fit-for-purpose, and they’re ready and willing to play their part in addressing climate change.”

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