Export Green: Building Envelope Energy Efficiency Technology Cooperation Workshop

"Building Envelope Energy Efficiency Technology Cooperation Workshop"

November 1, 2011
8:00 am - 6:30 pm

AmCham São Paulo
Rua. da Paz, 1431 - Santo Amaro
São Paulo, Brazil

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Buildings consume 50% of the electricity produced in Brazil and advanced building envelope materials can help curtail this growing electricity demand. With a rising GDP already at 7.5% (2010), Brazil’s building construction is experiencing a boom and the demand for supply of power for more people in more buildings is increasing rapidly.

The Building Envelope Energy Efficiency Technology Cooperation Workshop in Sao Paulo is extremely timely in view of the U.S.-Brazil strategic energy dialogue initiated in March 2011 and the immediate return on investment associated with utilizing advanced building envelope technologies to reduce the operation costs and energy consumption of new buildings constructed for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics. A Clean Energy Roundtable will convene later this year at which government and private sector leaders will discuss critical opportunities for, and barriers to, increased collaboration and economic cooperation between the United States and Brazil on clean energy development.

Workshop objectives: 

• Increasing understanding of the opportunity for advanced building envelope materials to help curtail growing electricity demand; 
• Engaging key stakeholders, exploring possible bilateral cooperation and business opportunities with sharing of research, technology and practices to advance energy efficiency in the building envelope;
• Understanding and overcoming the barriers for the procurement of energy efficient products related to the building envelope, and
• Developing a building envelope components rating system that helps consumers identify energy-saving products and comply with codes 

This workshop will help drive investment in energy-efficient materials such as advanced walls, glazing and cool roofs by facilitating technology and knowledge exchanges related to increasing awareness, interest and desire to procure and comply with Brazil’s new energy efficiency code for commercial, public and service buildings, launched in 2009. The outcome of this event will support the expectations set forth in President Dilma Rousseff’s and President Barack Obama’s agreement in March of this year to launch a strategic energy dialogue, building on the work of the U.S.-Brazil Binational Energy Working Group.

As part of this initiative, the Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas (ABNT) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have formed a public/private partnership designed to work collaboratively to develop required infrastructure and human capacity for effective implementation of energy efficiency policies and code. US-DOE plans to provide the required technical assistance in working with the National Fenestration Ratings Council (NFRC) to assist its Brazilian counterparts. Key officials from the U.S. and Brazil will be joined by important industry and commerce representatives who will discuss normalization and regulation, the availability and benefits of advanced building envelope components, including cool roofs, insulation and fenestration as well as ways energy-efficient buildings hold their value and help to build sustainable job creation and economic stability. 

For more information please contact Luciana Rocha-Goldman at (202)463-5496.