Ghana is developing energy efficiency regulations that would require developers of new buildings to incorporate energy-efficient designs before building permits are approved, officials said.
The proposed regulations are aimed at reducing electricity consumption in buildings as the country seeks to improve energy efficiency and lower power demand.
As part of preparations for implementation, the Energy Commission, Ghana’s electricity and natural gas regulator, has begun training officials from Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), focusing on staff in physical planning and works departments.
The Commission has completed the first phase of the nationwide programme in the Greater Accra Region.
Speaking at the final stakeholder engagement in Accra, Deputy Executive Secretary of the Energy Commission Chris Nanabanyin Yalley said energy efficiency had become a national development priority.
He said heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems account for about 50% of electricity consumption in air-conditioned buildings.
Yalley said the Commission’s Building Energy Efficiency Guidelines provide three compliance pathways: prescriptive, performance-based and certification-based.
He added that revisions had been proposed to the Local Government Service Operational Manual to integrate the requirements into MMDA building permit processes.
According to Yalley, the training programme, supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, has equipped physical planners, works engineers, building inspectors and environmental health officers to serve as energy efficiency champions within their assemblies.
He said the Commission would continue to provide technical support while working with partner agencies to implement the reforms nationwide. He added that the measures could reduce energy consumption in buildings by about 20% within five years.
Ebenezer Kyere, an officer with the Energy Commission’s Energy Efficiency Regulations Unit, said the proposed regulations are intended to promote energy-efficient building design and strengthen compliance through the building permit system.
In remarks delivered on her behalf, Greater Accra Regional Minister Linda Ocloo said the region accounts for a significant share of Ghana’s electricity demand because of its concentration of residential, commercial and public infrastructure.
She said the growth required policies that promote sustainable and energy-efficient development.
Ocloo described the Energy Commission’s initiative to integrate energy efficiency into the building permit process as a practical step towards making energy efficiency a standard requirement in planning, design and construction.
She urged physical planners, engineers, architects, building inspectors and other built environment professionals to incorporate energy-saving principles into public infrastructure projects.
“We must adopt designs and technologies that reduce energy consumption while improving comfort, efficiency and long-term operational costs. Our planning decisions today will determine the sustainability of our cities tomorrow,” she said.
Ocloo also pledged the support of the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies that demonstrate a commitment to implementing energy-efficient practices.
Discover more from Energy News Africa
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.