Colombia. As of September 2016, the Colombian Council for Sustainable Construction (CCCS) has been selected by the Mayor's Office of Bogotá and the World Resources Institute (WRI) to develop with the authorities of the capital the Building Energy Efficiency Accelerator Program (BEA Program).
The BEA Program is a public-private partnership of cities, companies and organizations that share the objective of improving energy efficiency in buildings in order to reduce the urban footprint of construction by 2030, which is of the utmost importance in consideration of the commitments signed in the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals. In May 2016 the CCCS had already launched the "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Construction" Alliance and this program adds to that vision and efforts to transform the industry.
The BEA is one of six accelerators of an initiative called Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) of the United Nations, which is funded with resources from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). It is worth mentioning that the BEA Program in Colombia will have among its initial bases the advances in public policies at the national level in the matter, as established in the Guide for saving water and energy in new buildings (Res.549/15) of the Ministry of Housing, City and Territory.
The CCCS will provide direct support to the city of Bogotá through the development of a comprehensive work plan, which includes a consultative process and appropriation of knowledge by all relevant actors within the framework of this tripartite alliance.
The CCCS will lead the process of assisting the authorities of the capital in the identification of actions, the development of a work plan – whose announcement will be given in about six months – and the implementation of policies, projects and monitoring methods to meet the expectations of this initiative.
The achievements of Mexico City, which initiated this program in April 2015, show the potential scope that the BEA Program could have in participating Colombian cities. In the first year of its development, the first "Energy Conservation Code for Buildings in Mexico" and its guide for the adaptation and adoption of the Code were elaborated, and the Complementary Technical Standard for Architectural Projects to the update of the Construction Regulations for Mexico City.
These regulatory achievements achieved by Mexico City occur after having identified its specific needs under the different options offered by the BEA Program. It should be noted that each city participating in the program is responsible for defining which policies, programs, plans and / or projects will be implemented at the local level according to their priorities and internal needs.
With the BEA Bogotá Program, it will register important benefits, as a result of the reduction in costs associated with energy consumption and the creation of new markets for innovative energy solutions. Likewise, the city will move towards its goal of reducing its urban footprint and in particular towards the goal of doubling the rate of energy efficiency in the construction sector by 2030, as proposed by the UN, the WRI and the CCCS when promoting this alliance.
