The Trinidad and Tobago Green Building Council (TTGBC) hosted its third Breakfast Seminar, “The Business Case for Sustainability in an Energy Subsidized Economy” at the Courtyard Marriott last week Thursday. Our Guest Speaker was Mr. Glynn Morris, an Energy Advisor in the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Technical Assistance (REETA).

The Trinidad and Tobago Green Building Council (TTGBC) hosted its third Breakfast Seminar, “The Business Case for Sustainability in an Energy Subsidized Economy” at the Courtyard Marriott last week Thursday. Our Guest Speaker was Mr. Glynn Morris, an Energy Advisor in the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Technical Assistance (REETA) project which is funded by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. Mr. Morris delivered a feature address entitled, “Energy in Buildings – The Business Case for Sustainability” and was accompanied by Mr. Simon Zellner, also an Energy Advisor in the REETA project.

Mr. Zellner gave a very pointed presentation on the actual costs of buildings. Where we tend to focus on upfront costs (capex), Zellner demonstrated that more than 80% of the cost of a building is actually in operations over its life cycle. Hence the imperative to ensure that buildings are designed and built to operate efficiently.

Mr. Morris recognized the unique climate in Trinidad and Tobago, whereby its energy costs were significantly less than that of other Caribbean islands, and thus the minimal traction or demand for green/energy efficient buildings in T&T. He shared his experiences in South Africa where electricity prices were also ‘cheap’ but certain local energy shocks resulted in the significant increase in electricity prices and the subsequent increase in green building practices in South Africa to reduce their electricity costs. Hopefully, T&T will not wait for an electricity crisis with high tariffs like in South Africa to implement ‘green’ energy efficient measures in new and existing buildings.

The TTGBC will like to thank the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany as well as our current members, future members, and attendees for making this Breakfast Seminar a success. For a full link to our gallery, please visit here.