With high economic development, Viet Nam is coming into the stage to require substantial amount of material and energy to construct the nation, develop socio-economic infrastructure and improve living standard. Because of this, energy demand would grow faster than GDP and its GDP elasticity exceeds 1.0. At present, power shortage remains in Viet Nam and electricity demand is considered to grow faster than the trend of ASEAN countries. The environmental studies have shown, in the next 15 years, the building contributes 20% greenhouse effect. Only in the separate building, residential building is responsible for about two thirds of greenhouse gas emissions are created. Of these, 80% energy consumption from the use of hot water and heating or cooling of the houses and as the result of energy inefficiency.
In 2003, the Vietnamese Government issued Decree 102 on the use of energy saving and efficiency, which refers to problems of energy efficiency and conservation in buildings. In 2005, the Ministry of Construction also issued construction standards for building energy efficient. And then, the Law of Energy Efficieny and Conservation was issues in 2011. However, it is very limited for implementation for saving energy in buildings, especially new buildings from residentials.
According to the Ministry of Construction, annually new residential buildings is about thousands which contributed a large number of energy comsume and if not efficiency, the residential building group will create much C02 to the environment. There are a few households/owners, especially who build new buildings not realizing the importance of how energy efficieny affects to their future. Energy efficiency and planning in buildings is one of vital features in the fight against climate change. Our planet has seven billion people and is growing rapidly, but energy resources to power industry and housing is rapidly declining. Every architect, every investor or households/owners of buildings has a responsibility to learn about energy efficiency and planning and in an effort to rescue our living environment before it is too late.
Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Tran Nam said in an energy efficiency conference “we have the Law of Energy Efficiency, we have Regulations and Ordinances to deal with this, but in fact it does not work well, mainly because lack of public awareness on energy efficieny, especially residential buildings. The owners are willing to pay more money for house facility but reluctant to pay more money on the energy efficiency technologies or not willing to pay more money for qualified architects who can design and consult their houses with energy efficiency”.
According to Greening Building Council (GBC) Viet Nam, public awareness about energy efficiency is limited. Owners of buildings think that to build houses with energy efficieny are too expensive (up to 20% higher cost than usual construction) and they do not think about the benefit with energy efficiency if their houses could have good design and good planning. In fact, according to director of GBC, the residential building with energy efficiency is only 1-2,5% higher cost in comparison of the conventional buildings in Vietnamese situation.
The problem here is how to start to bring these energy efficiency and planning to residential buildings? How to make the large amount of households of these residential building change? There are many solutions/measures/strategies to deal with the problem, one of the most important strategies here is to raise the public awareness of residentials understanding about the energy efficiency and planning and its benefit to long-term economy for themselves and for the society. The problem is clear that lack of public awareness to get the target of energy efficiency. Therefore, it is urgen time that Viet Nam needs some kinds of these projects for changing people behavior on this issue.
By Le My
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