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Energy Consultant Calls for Stricter Scrutiny of Building Permits

June 17, 2009

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Energy Consultant, Roosevelt DaCosta, has called for stricter evaluation of applications for building permits so as to ensure that they satisfy the energy conservation requirements.
Mr. DaCosta, who was addressing an energy seminar on June 16 at the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) headquarters in Kingston, said that builders must also meet the “prescriptive requirements that will make houses and offices cooler, and not force people into air-conditioning as soon as they can afford it.”
He noted, however, that buildings that are being designed for air- conditioning must be “buttoned up in a way that minimises the loss due to conduction, radiation and convection.”
Mr. DaCosta, who spoke under the theme: ‘The Energy Policy: Obtaining Building and Appliance Energy use Efficiency,’ further proposed the introduction of occupancy certification, which will ensure compliance with the building and energy code requirements.
“If you do (not comply with the codes) you will not get an occupancy certificate (and) that means you cannot occupy the building,” he stated.
The event was part of a series of seminars and exhibitions being hosted by the PCJ this month to mark its 30th anniversary under the theme: ‘Energy for Change’.
The seminars are focussed on presentations by leading experts on sustainable energy solutions, while the exhibitions, which run concurrently, examine a range of renewable energies including biomass, as well as technical solutions that are emerging in response to Jamaica’s energy crisis.
The last seminar will be held on Thursday, June 18, at the PCJ auditorium under the theme: ‘Renewable energy solutions; Jamaica’s energy future’.

Last Updated: August 26, 2013

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