What is a grid-interactive efficient building, and why should we care? The short answer is: by becoming ‘conscious consumers’ of electricity, owners, operators and occupiers of buildings can save money, cut emissions, encourage more renewable energy investment, contribute to a more reliable electricity grid, and help accelerate decarbonization of the economy. That’s a lot! And the best thing is … they can do all this by simply shifting some of their electricity demand from times of constraint to times of abundance.
At Buildings Alive we have developed an array of technologies and innovations to support grid-interactive efficient buildings, but for many building owners and operators, the concept of shifting focus from ‘energy efficiency’ to ‘carbon efficiency’ has been challenging to contemplate. That’s why we were delighted to be commissioned by the Green Building Council of Australia to lead-author the GBCA’s latest publication, “From net zero to zero: a discussion paper on grid-interactive efficient buildings”.
The paper, which was sponsored by the NSW Government, provides a thorough introduction to the what, why and how of grid-interactive efficient buildings. As noted by the GBCA’s CEO, Davina Rooney, at the paper’s launch:
“The principles in this paper underpin the new grid resilience credit in our new Green Star rating tools. They will guide our advocacy and education programs in the coming years, as grid interactivity becomes an increasingly critical objective for decarbonising the built environment.
“By incorporating grid-interactive strategies into building design, operation, and management, we can create a sustainable and resilient future for the built environment, ensuring a smooth transition to zero-carbon buildings.”
We thank the NSW Government and GBCA for their leadership and welcome the opportunity to engage with policy-makers, regulators and stakeholders from the energy and property industries to address the crucial role, and enormous opportunities, that grid-interactive efficient buildings can address.
The paper is available for free and can be downloaded here: ‘From net zero to zero: A discussion paper on grid-interactive efficient buildings’.