In a major move to curb high electricity consumption and combat climate change, the Energy Commission of Ghana has initiated a strategic partnership with local government authorities to integrate mandatory energy efficiency requirements into the nation’s building permitting and development control processes.
The initiative was formally launched during a high-level stakeholder engagement in Accra, aimed at operationalizing new energy workflows across Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
Delivering the opening remarks on behalf of the Energy Commission, the Deputy Executive Secretary, Chris Nanabanyin Yalley, emphasized that energy efficiency is no longer a luxury but an urgent developmental necessity for the country.
Addressing the gathering of policymakers, municipal engineers, planning officers, and environmental regulators, Yalley pointed out that the building sector remains one of the largest consumers of electricity in Ghana.
”Heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems alone account for approximately 50% of electricity costs in air-conditioned buildings,” Yalley revealed.
He noted that as Ghana experiences rapid urbanization and infrastructural expansion, incorporating energy-saving designs must transition from an optional consideration into a fundamental prerequisite for all future building developments.
To systematically address these energy demands, the Energy Commission developed the Building Energy Efficiency Guidelines, anchored on the national standard GS 1207:2018. The guidelines align with Ghana’s international climate commitments under the Paris Agreement and directly support United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and 13 (Climate Action).
To accommodate different scales of development, the guidelines establish three distinct compliance pathways. The first is the Prescriptive Pathway, which serves as a straightforward, mandatory framework for residential buildings exceeding 75 m². The second, the Performance-Based Pathway, offers a flexible, validated approach monitored directly by the Energy Commission.
Lastly, the Certification-Based Pathway provides a rigorous compliance route required for large-scale developments, specifically private commercial or industrial buildings over 5,000 m² and public buildings exceeding 500 m².
To ensure these technical guidelines are actively enforced rather than remaining on paper, the Energy Commission has reviewed and proposed critical updates to the Local Government Service (LGS) Operational Manual. This integration embeds clear energy efficiency workflows directly into the daily building permit review and approval processes managed by MMDAs.
To execute this transition smoothly, the Energy Commission, with vital technical and financial support from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, is organizing intensive capacity-building workshops.
The training targets physical planning officers, works engineers, building inspectors, and environmental health officers across regional capitals. These trained officials will serve as local “Energy Efficiency Champions” and focal points within their respective assemblies.
Yalley outlined the collaborative framework required to drive the initiative, defining the specific roles of key institutional partners. He explained that while the Energy Commission provides technical leadership, develops regulatory frameworks, and supplies practical compliance tools, the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs will drive national policy to ensure energy sustainability is woven into local governance.
Simultaneously, the Local Government Service is set to facilitate the adoption of these updated operational workflows within municipal systems. On the frontline of implementation, the MMDAs will act as the primary executors, transforming policy into practice through physical planning, site inspections, and strict development control, supported by the Environmental Protection Authority’s collaboration to ensure these sustainable practices effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Energy Commission projects that a successful nationwide rollout of these permitting workflows could yield a 20% reduction in building energy consumption within five years. This milestone would drastically lower operational utility costs for households, private businesses, and public institutions, while significantly advancing Ghana’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) toward global climate resilience.
Expressing deep appreciation to UNEP for its invaluable partnership, Yalley called on all local government authorities and private sector players including architects, real estate developers, and contractors to actively embrace the new permitting workflows.
”Together, we can establish a permitting system that promotes energy-efficient buildings, strengthens climate resilience, and supports Ghana’s sustainable development aspirations,” he concluded.
Eugenia Ewoenam Osei
