Accelerating the Adaption of Energy Efficiency Technologies in Commercial, Offices & Hospitality Buildings

In 2016, the Israeli government executed a National Plan (Government Decision 1403) for Implementation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Targets and for Energy Efficiency. The Government Decision set specific policy actions to meet the targets agreed to in in Paris (COP21). According to this plan, the electricity consumption in Israel should be reduced by 17% by 2030.  With the about one-third of the national electricity consumption driven by the public and commercial sectors, and since almost two-thirds of the sector’s electricity is consumed in commercial, offices and hospitality buildings, energy efficiency can have a significant impact. Therefore, at least in part, the government is focusing on this sector to meet its efficiency targets.

The research also describes the roles and perspectives of the relevant stakeholders in the value chain – from developer to tenant.   These perspectives including their motivations for action, interactions between the links in the value chain, and the barriers each stakeholder faces.   The research included benchmarking examples of effective programs that address the breakdown in information and knowledge between the actors in the value chain.  The examples that could be translated into Israel policy including the NABERS program from Australia and the Energy Star Program from the United States.

Finally, the research recommendations solutions that may be translated, adapted, gradually introduced into Israeli policy. In addition, the research identified a broader set of regulatory, education and financial tools that can be adopted, including information and education programs, and financing and incentive tools.

The research concludes that with the substantial scale of new construction planned over the next decade, Israel can use this as the opportunity to achieve greater energy efficiency and create a laboratory for innovative solutions that can be taken to scale globally.