Organic News
Green offices could cut energy costs
Office buildings in Ireland could save more than €2 million per year in energy costs just by going green, energy efficiency experts said at a recent conference.
The myth that office buildings need to consume large amounts of energy to function was dispelled by Dr. Günther Löhnert from Solidar Architects and Engineers in Berlin, who said that low energy and "Passivhaus" standards are transferable to commercial buildings. High quality air-tight materials, insulation, energy efficient ventilation and optimisation of daylight were identified by Dr. Löhnert and other experts as some of the most important factors in the construction or refurbishment of an energy efficient office building.
Christian Blauel from Matrix Energy Office outlined the principle behind the '3-litre office building' whereby the energy consumption for heating and cooling the office building is less than 3 litres of oil per m² in a year compared to an average of four or even six times this for office buildings currently. "This could save energy costs of up to €2million for an office building with a floor area of 2000m²," according to Blauel.
Ireland's recent advances in the field of energy efficiency in buildings were also highlighted. A number of energy efficient office building projects in Ireland were outlined by Bill Quigley, including Limerick County Hall, which has achieved a 70% reduction in energy use compared to a naturally ventilated office.
The conference was hosted by the German-Irish Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
