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Survey finds builders continue to ignore energy-saving measures
Poor insulation and design is causing a 20 to 30 per cent loss in energy consumption in some buildings, according to an energy saving survey, implemented by the Ministry of Science and Technology in co-ordination with Ha Noi University of Architecture.
Since 1994, the energy used in residential flats and multi-storey public buildings has accounted for roughly 24 per cent of the nation’s total consumption ratio.
This rate has increased rapidly over recent years because of strong development in urban areas.
Rapid urbanisation has also been a primary culprit, and has caused Viet Nam to see an imbalance in energy supply and demand. But construction projects are still not paying enough attention to energy saving measures. In Ha Noi and HCM City, hundreds of projects in new urban areas and many blocks of flats have been put into use, but these investors have not paid attention to energy saving measures, according to the survey.
Many multi-storey hotels, blocks of offices and trading centres annually use more than 2 million kWh of electricity. Most of these sites have been designed and built in line with foreign standards, so they do not fit in with the natural climate or technical conditions in Viet Nam.
Many buildings constructed in the past, such as blocks of administrative agencies, schools and hospitals, were built based on poor design standards, and often used old, inefficient equipment.
Moreover, construction materials sold in the markets in Viet Nam are still not very environmentally friendly.
One of the primary reasons for this situation is a shortage of laws on the subject. Viet Nam still does not have any laws or legal documents on energy preservation.
Architect Nguyen Tan Van, chairman of the Viet Nam Architectural Association, says that in the developed world, the use of environmentally-friendly construction materials to build "green constructions" is a must. Their institutions that deal with environmental pollution and energy waste are also very strict, he says. But Viet Nam does not have any specific institutions to encourage people to build such "green constructions", he says.
According to construction experts, if environmentally-friendly construction materials and techniques could be applied in Viet Nam, the country could save between 15 and 30 per cent of its electric use in blocks of apartments. This is a large figure, not only with the ability to create great socio-economic effectiveness for investors, owners of buildings and apartment users, but also with the ability to contribute to stable urban development and the reduction of harmful impacts on the environment.
VietNamNet/Viet Nam News
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