Motivations, barriers and leverage points: Exploring pathways for energy consumption reduction in Canadian commercial office buildings

Whitney, Stephanie; Dreyer, Bianca C.; Riemer, Manuel

doi:10.1016/j.erss.2020.101687

Cited by 16 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…However, as noted, the decision of whether to build/retrofit green is made by a few stakeholders early in a project's development process [30]. This is supported in the literature [38,39]. The key stakeholders are real estate developers, institutional investors and owner landlords.…”

Section: Decision To Build or Retrofit Greenmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…Other studies have expanded this investigation of drivers. Whitney et al [38] looked at the issue of energy usage in Canadian commercial office buildings. Taking a commercial property investor's perspective, a 2020 study by Leskinen et al [39] reviewed 70 empirical studies that looked at the impact of green certification on discounted cash flow and value.…”

Section: Non-financial Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Decisions by Key Office Building Stakeholders to Build or Retrofit Green in Toronto’s Urban Core

Ensign

Roy²,

Brzustowski³

2021

Sustainability

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The environmental impact of greenhouse gas emissions from buildings—especially in global cities such as Toronto—is well documented. Green mitigation of new and existing buildings has also been researched. Few studies, however, have focused on the decision to build or retrofit green. Are key stakeholders in Toronto’s office building sector aligning their decisions to achieve sustainable environmental goals? Do they support LEED certification regardless of the impact on market valuation? Are tenants willing to pay higher rents in LEED office buildings? The study first obtained data on 16 LEED and 52 conventional buildings to determine if LEED certification has a significant impact on net asking rent. Pearson correlation and linear regression analysis did not find LEED certification to be statistically significant in explaining the variance in net asking rent (market value). The second stage included interviews with senior executives engaged in Toronto’s office building sector. The expert informtabants were asked to assess if financial drivers are the deciding factor in decisions to pursue LEED certification. They concurred that LEED certification is not the primary driver. It is a combination of numerous factors that overall have an impact on a firm’s financial bottom line.

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Section: Decision To Build or Retrofit Greenmentioning

confidence: 82%

Section: Non-financial Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decisions by Key Office Building Stakeholders to Build or Retrofit Green in Toronto’s Urban Core

Ensign

Roy²,

Brzustowski³

2021

Sustainability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Kim et al (2019) detailed the crucial role of facility managers in HE building EE projects. Whitney et al (2020) mentioned the motivation, barriers and leverage points to achieve an energy reduction for (commercial) buildings. In tandem with EE and energy flexibility, the introduction of renewable energy is an essential tool to realise a carbon-free society Blazquez et al (2020).…”

Section: Energy Efficiency (Ee)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Student energy-saving in higher education tackling the challenge of decarbonisation

Franco

Macke

Cotton

et al. 2022

IJSHE

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Purpose This study aims to explore students’ sustainability attitudes and behavioural intentions and their relation to energy use, to promote energy saving and decarbonisation in higher education settings. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a validated energy literacy survey to assess undergraduate students’ attitudes and behavioural intentions towards energy saving in two countries (Brazil and Belgium). The questionnaire, administered online, comprised 23 Likert scale questions and three questions eliciting socio-demographic information. Results were analysed using a linear regression model and compared with previous research using the same energy literacy instrument. Findings The research identified three dimensions of sustainable attitudes: citizens’ role, scientists’ role and government’s role, explaining 65.5% of respondents’ energy-related attitudes. Three dimensions of sustainable behaviours were identified, explaining 64.5% of energy-related behavioural intentions: consumption of eco-friendly products, financially driven behaviours and household energy saving. The linear regression model identified scientists’ role, consumption of eco-friendly products and financially driven behaviour as the key predictors of student energy use. Differences between the two contexts also emerged. Research limitations/implications Individual action to improve energy saving is necessary, but not sufficient for decarbonisation. However, student attitudes and behavioural intentions towards energy are an important element of campus decarbonisation: these “micro” experiments can become a “network” searching for synergies at the campus level (in collaboration with the neighbourhood) and act as a catalyst towards a more profound carbon-free society. Limitations of the research include the use of a survey to ascertain estimates of energy use; however, the study offers a model for further research and a mode of analysis that would be useful to other researchers. Practical implications This research enables universities to better understand the drivers and barriers to student energy-saving activities and thereby promote decarbonisation on campus. This is a crucial underpinning in the creation of sustainable universities, linking education and campus developments. This survey was one of the catalysts to set up a total new maintenance energy performance contract (MEPC) at one of the authors’ institutions, where energy efficiency was realised alongside other sustainability aspects, such as water saving, circular renovation and waste reduction. Social implications This research illustrates the challenges and opportunities of working with key stakeholders in university settings for university-based decarbonisation efforts. Intensive involvement of students and teachers in the new MEPC offers an example of co-creation with building “users” – which may have implications for other university building developments. Increasingly, universities need to consider the need for a new business model in which shared and multiple value creation is a key feature. Treating societal challenges as business opportunities is an important new dimension of corporate strategy and a powerful path to social progress, which higher education institutions should not overlook. Originality/value Student attitudes and behavioural intentions towards energy are an important element of campus decarbonisation and can act as a catalyst towards a carbon-free society. Although energy literacy research has been undertaken in the USA and UK, this research is the first of its kind for Belgium and Brazil, and the mode of analysis – using a linear regression model – differs from the earlier work, offering a novel methodological approach.

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“…In 2020, the US used 18% of its end-use energy in the commercial sector [26] . The potential for emission reduction and energy efficiency in the building sector is huge [ 27 , 28 ]. To promote CO 2 reduction in the building sector, attention should first be paid to commercial buildings, which have a higher CO 2 reduction potential than residential buildings [29] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of COVID-19 on the energy consumption of commercial buildings: A case study in Singapore

Cai

Gou

2024

Energy and Built Environment

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Motivations, barriers and leverage points: Exploring pathways for energy consumption reduction in Canadian commercial office buildings

Cited by 16 publications

References 59 publications

Decisions by Key Office Building Stakeholders to Build or Retrofit Green in Toronto’s Urban Core

Decisions by Key Office Building Stakeholders to Build or Retrofit Green in Toronto’s Urban Core

Student energy-saving in higher education tackling the challenge of decarbonisation

Impact of COVID-19 on the energy consumption of commercial buildings: A case study in Singapore

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