The Buildings Energy Efficiency Targets (BEET) dataset answers the simple — yet widely ignored — question of how energy-efficient buildings must be under the Paris Agreement. BEET is the world’s first dataset showing the required Energy Use Intensities (EUIs, in kWh/m2•year) for newly constructed and existing residential and non-residential building stocks of 138 countries for a 1.75°C climate change trajectory. It is based on the notion that there is a limited supply of renewable energy available for the global buildings sector and, in order to ensure that the sector’s energy demand is supplied in-full through renewable means, that demand must be significantly reduced.
Importantly, the BEET dataset implements an element of fairness and equity by distributing the sector’s available renewable energy supply on an equal per capita basis. That is, each person, irrespective of location, is ‘allocated’ an identical annual building energy consumption budget. Therefore, it can be noted that the BEETdataset requires more stringent EUIs for developed countries in comparison with developing countries, given that the former have already exceeded their budget whilst the latter are still far below it.
A world map showing the required EUIS for each of the 138 countries in shown below. More information on the methodology behind the BEET dataset is available in Bashar Al Shawa’s published paper An equitable energy allowance for all: Pathways for a below 2°C—compliant global buildings sector.