Minister Chang says NZEB the right move
Net Zero Energy Building (NZEB) technology is an excellent way to leverage the natural environment and conserve energy in Jamaica and the Caribbean according to Hon. Horace Chang, Minister without Portfolio (Water, Works & Housing), Ministry of Economic Growth & Job Creation.
The Minister was commenting on the NZEB building being constructed as a prototype for the region at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, following an update on the project by Professor Tara Dasgupta, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry, Dept. of Chemistry, UWI.
The project includes a component which will see the retrofitting of the National Housing Trust Headquarters in Kingston, their car park and the adjoining Emancipation Park, in line with NZEB guidelines.
Minister Chang noted that Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean were still too dependent on fossil fuel and that “renewable energy is our best bet for the future.”
He reminded that in the past “Jamaicans in rural areas in particular, were very proficient at recycling and water harvesting” and suggested that greater emphasis in this area would greatly benefit home owners and the country in general.
Prof. Dasgupta advised that the NZEB model at UWI would maximize use of natural sunlight for lighting, use air currents to cool the building and utilize energy efficient technologies to reduce the need for air conditioning and artificial lighting.
Hon. Horace Chang (right), Minister without Portfolio (Water, Works & Housing), Ministry of Economic Growth & Job Creation with Professor Tara Dasgupta, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry, Dept. of Chemistry, UWI, following his brief on the Net Zero Energy Building (NZEB) being constructed at the UWI.
NZEB Building – Special Features
- Solar PV roof panels to offset power needs
- Harvest storm, drainage and wastewater to subsist in an emergency
- Use of energy efficient technologies to reduce the need for air conditioning and artificial lighting
- Use of air currents to cool building and natural sunlight for lighting
From left: Professor Anthony Clayton – Principal Investigator, The Net Zero Energy Building Project; Hon. Andrew Wheatley – Minister of Energy, Science & Technology; Mr. Geordie Colville – Senior Programme Manager, Energy, Climate & Technology Branch, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Kenya; Professor Tara Dasgupta – Principal Investigator, The Net Zero Energy Building Project.
Ground Broken for Jamaica and the Caribbean’s First Net Zero Energy Building
Ground was broken for the prototype of the Caribbean region’s first Net Zero Energy Building (NZEB) at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, on May 10, 2016.The pioneering project to construct the building is being implemented by the UWI’s Institute for Sustainable Development (ISD) with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and technical assistance from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
A NZEB is a building in which the total amount of energy used on an annual basis is approximate to the amount of renewable energy created on that site.
The prototype being constructed at the UWI will demonstrate emerging and best practices in the built environment including energy efficiency, renewable energy, and environmental design which encompasses resilience to changing climatic conditions including hurricanes, storms, floods, drought and earthquake.
The NZEB at UWI will incorporate designs and technologies complementary to the location, climate, and use of the building and will include conference facilities as well as a research centre.
The building is expected to be completed by December 2016, and is designed to transform building policies and practices, influence the implementation of regulatory tools that will mainstream the lessons and transform opportunities for promoting energy efficiency.
The building contractor is M&M Jamaica Ltd, while the design team is headed by architect Christopher Lue of Tya Design and includes architect Bruce Lopez, Synergy Design Studio Architecture Ltd.; engineers Stuart Sykes, SGS Engineering; Stanley Sutherland, EMPRO Engineering Services Ltd.; and Louise Fletcher, Planning Fletcher Ltd. Land surveying and quantity surveying services will be provided by Earle Spencer, Earle W. Spencer & Co. Ltd.; and Kelvin Kerr of Davidson & Hanna, respectively.
The UWI NZEB project is expected to catalyze a model shift in building forms and technologies making zero net energy construction the preferred option in the Caribbean.
Partners
A number of stakeholders are cooperating with the ISD, GEF and UNEP in the implementation of the UWI Net Zero Energy Building project. They include:
- Bureau Of Standards Jamaica
- Caribbean Academy Of Sciences Jamaica
- GEF Focal Point (Ministry Of Water, Land, Environment & Climate Change)
- Incorporated Masterbuilders Association Of Jamaica
- Inter-American Development Bank
- Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association
- Jamaica Institution Of Engineers
- Jamaica Public Service Company Ltd.
- Jamaican Institute Of Architects
- Meteorological Service Jamaica
- Ministry of Science, Energy & Technology
- Ministry Of Transport, Works & Housing
- National Housing Trust
- Office Of Disaster Preparedness & Emergency Management
- Planning Institute Of Jamaica
- Scientific Research Council
- University Of Technology Jamaica
- University Of The West Indies Mona
Contact Information
The UWI Net Zero Energy Building Project
Institute for Sustainable Development
University of the West Indies, Mona
Kingston 7, Jamaica
+1-876-977-7764 • buildbetterja@gmail.com