Journals Proceedings

Abstract

The building industry is a significant contributor to global Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and is responsible for approximately 30% of global CO2 emissions. In order to evaluate energy efficient practices in the building sector, the authors propose a Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC), assessing the costs and reduction potentials of abatement measures, based on data obtained from Building Information Modelling (BIM). This integrated approach combines a building stock forecast with CO2 abatement measures modelled with BIM, providing more valuable insights to policy makers for the achievement of emission reductions in a cost-effective manner. With the financial support of the Colombian Ministry of Environment, the model is applied up to 2040, capturing the building stock of three major cities representing the diversity of the Colombian climate. Results are given as a MACC for reduction of CO2 emissions from Colombian office buildings, showing that there is a significant cost-effective potential that could be reached through abatement measures not yet implemented in the country. The application of the model is flexible given that results can be produced for any building stock, for different building types, and for the performance of individual measures in any building type.