70% of Buildings in Jordan Were Built Before Energy Efficiency Codes Were Adopted

Al-Taj News –

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Dr. Saleh Al-Kharabsheh chaired on Monday a meeting of the Public-Private Partnership Council for the energy sector to discuss the National Roadmap for Buildings and Construction in Jordan, which was prepared within the framework of the Jordanian-German Energy Partnership in cooperation with the German Energy Agency (dena), and aims to reduce emissions from existing and new buildings.

Al-Kharabsheh said that green construction for existing and new buildings represents a valuable opportunity that will have a significant impact on reducing the energy bill in the buildings sector, noting that energy efficiency should be an integral part of the planning, design, and implementation stages in the buildings and construction sector.

He explained that the application of green building codes and standards in the buildings sector is not currently mandatory, but could become a mandatory global requirement, which requires Jordan to prepare and be ready for such requirements, particularly in the industrial buildings sector.

He stressed the importance of the National Roadmap in establishing a clear framework for transitioning toward buildings that are more energy-efficient and produce fewer emissions, and in capitalizing on available opportunities in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and modern technologies, in ways that reduce energy costs and enhance the competitiveness of economic sectors.

For her part, Director of the Energy Efficiency and Climate Change Directorate, engineer Lina Mbaydeen, said that the buildings and construction sector in Jordan consumes more than 40% of total final energy and more than 60% of electricity, making it one of the sectors with the greatest impact on energy consumption and carbon emissions.