Public buildings account for 70 percent of the total domestic energy consumption, said Alimohammad Shaeri, chairman of the Council for Environment and Sustainable Development.
The buildings, mostly old, also contribute to between 40-60 percent of energy loss in the country. Energy loss occurs due to the lack of observing energy conservation standards. Energy-efficient materials were also lacking in the old constructions, ISNA quoted him as saying.
Citing Tehran Municipality (TM) as an example, he said the TM owns a lot of old buildings that “impose enormous costs on the municipality for energy overuse, besides contributing to environmental pollution.”
Before issuing building construction permits, the TM must ensure that they comply with regulations set by the ministry of roads and urban development and the Construction Engineering Organization, Shaeri noted. Chapter 19 of the Iranian National Building Code prescribes the amount of thermal resistance and thermal transmittance of components “compromising the thermal envelope” which should be observed by constructors in structures.
Employing energy optimization and saving mechanisms can reduce environment pollution as well as domestic energy costs, Shaeri noted.
