Kathryn B. Janda

Buildings don't use energy: people do

Reducing energy use in buildings is a critical component of meeting carbon reduction commitments. There are several ways of accomplishing this goal, each of which emphasizes actions by a different set of stakeholders. This article argues that building users play a critical but poorly understood and often overlooked role in the built environment. In the face of climate change, the article finds purely architectural solutions, such as those proposed by the Architecture 2030 Challenge, to be necessary but not sufficient to achieve climate change mitigation targets. To fully address the task ahead, it argues that architects need to develop their professional expertise to improve buildings and seek ways of integrating user involvement in building performance. Moreover, from a professional standpoint, this paper suggests it may be wise for architects to claim a leadership role in this area before another group of building professionals does.

Telling tales: using stories to remake energy policy

To benefit and protect the populace, government policies often promise aspirational changes to current practice. Different kinds of narratives are important in the framing, explanation, motivation, and understanding of policies and strategies. For example, the UK governments 2008 Climate Change Act proclaimed that all new homes will be zero carbon by 2016. This ‘hero story’, where society is ‘saved’ by clever technologies, is inspiring, positive and familiar. An alternative is the ‘learning story’, where things are not quite as simple as they first seemed. In a learning story, protagonists are normal people who need to overcome a challenge. In energy policy, the learning story could address the gap between the technical potential and what is achieved in practice. Three real-world examples from retrofit and new-build projects are used to show how implicit narratives can create conflict when the tellers (e.g. researchers) have to tell one kind of story but have data for the other. Recommendations are provided for a balanced approach to the deployment of different kinds of tales by policy-makers, researchers, implementers and users. Harnessing the learning story and developing a ‘caring story’ could motivate policy-makers and the public to invest effort in building performance.

Learning from the “data poor”: energy management in understudied organizations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present new empirical data on leases, energy management, and energy meters in the UK, with a particular focus on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and other “minor” players. The paper develops a new segmentation model that identifies six different combinations of energy and organizational conditions. Design/methodology/approach – The authors surveyed participants in an online energy management and data analytics service. A 30-question online survey gathered data from 31 respondents on three kinds of infrastructure – legal, organizational, and technical. Findings – SMEs and other minor players are generally “data poor,” lack energy managers, and have legacy meters that are read only annually or quarterly; some rent via leases that inhibit permanent alterations to the premises, including the meter. Research limitations/implications – The research is exploratory and subject to self-selection bias. Further research is needed into: lease language, governance structur...

The Evolution of 'Greener' Leasing Practices in Australia and England

Improving the environmental performance of the built environment is a ‘super wicked’ problem, lacking a simplistic or straightforward response. This is particularly challenging where space is rented, in part because the relationships between the various owners, users and managers of the space is regulated – at least in a formal sense – through the lease. Traditional leases largely ignore environmental considerations and present barriers to making energy efficient upgrades. Leasing practices are evolving to become greener. Evidence from a Sydney Better Buildings Partnership (BBP) study, Australian leasing experts, a UK commercial lease study and a case-study of a major UK retailer, Marks & Spencer (M&S), suggests an increasing, trend towards green leases in most of these markets and opportunities for improving environmental performance through green leasing. Further research is needed in both countries to understand the impact that greener leasing has on environmental performance of buildings.