Energy efficiency devices are installed in one-quarter of non-residential building projects and the more expensive the project is, the greater the likelihood that it will utilise these products, according to a recent study.
Economic and industry forecaster, BIS Shrapnel, has just completed a study, Attitudes of Non-Residential Builders to Energy Efficiency and Water Saving, which examines the degree to which energy efficiency and water-saving devices are used in non-residential building projects.
The study shows that the primary reason for installation of energy efficiency devices is owner demand (34% of responses), followed by government legislation (27%) and architect specifications (21%).
By building type, builders indicated they believed the biggest increases in the use of energy-efficient or water-saving products in the previous two years has been in hotels/motels and education projects, with the lowest in offices.
The survey showed that a quarter of the builders sought advice or information on energy-efficient or water-saving devices, mainly from manufacturers (21 per cent), plumbers (19%) and architects/designers/draftsmen (17%) are the leading sources of this information. Builders are most likely to seek advice in projects exceeding $5million.
Seventy-six per cent of builders surveyed expect the implementation of such devices to increase greatly in the coming two to three years. The leading reason identified for an increase in the use of these devices is government regulation.
New South Wales builders are particularly strong in this belief. The research results demonstrate resounding agreement that government legislation should support the use of energy-efficient and water-saving devices across all building types.
Study leader, Ruth O'Grady, concludes that the recent decision by the Australian Building Codes Board to include energy efficiency measures for commercial buildings in its Building Code of Australia policy for 2006, will inevitably improve the rate of use of energy-efficient devices in non-residential building projects, even if these guidelines are not immediately adopted by all states.
