Tackling the Poor Maintenance Culture in Ghana through Green Retrofits.

Introduction
Modern Buildings are responsible for more than 40% of global energy consumption and one third of global greenhouse gas emissions, in both the developed and developing world (UNEP SBCI, 2009).

Principally, the key source of greenhouse gas emissions from buildings is energy consumption; however halocarbons also constitute major non-CO2 greenhouse emissions.

There is no gainsaying that the state of maintenance of buildings in Ghana is deplorable. It is almost self evident in places like schools, hospitals, residential buildings and offices. Infact, it is not uncommon to see to deep cracks in walls and floors, faulty electrical and plumbing fixtures and fittings and even leaking roofs. Not too long ago, a bridge over the Volta River (“Adomi Bridge closed down”, www.ghanaweb.com) had to be closed down for several weeks for emergency repair works after several years of neglect and lack of maintenance.

However in the midst of this clearly undesirable situation, lies an enormous opportunity. The chance to undertake a green retrofit of these buildings and facilities. Green retrofits of a structure refer to the renovation or refurbishment in an ecological and resource-efficient manner so that it is operated or reused sustainably. Sustainable buildings are designed to meet certain objectives such as protecting occupant health; improving employee productivity; using energy, water, and other resources more efficiently; and reducing the overall impact on the environment.

Buildings have comparatively long life spans, for that matter measures implemented today will continue to influence their emission levels into the medium and long term.

The majority of buildings which will be standing in 2050 have already been built, (UNEP SBCI, 2009) so policies should encourage building owners to retrofit their buildings in such a way as to optimize emission reductions.

Background
Buildings are essential factors of production in the attainment of the desired economic, social and political targets of any nation. Any inadequacy in building facilities represents a loss in value to the nation and its citizens or even the international community. Also, it is absolutely impossible to replace or rebuild all of a nation's buildings at a given time. Buildings in addition cannot remain new throughout their entire life. In fact, before a building is completed, maintenance problems may have already started to set in. Building maintenance constantly affects the lives of all because people's comfort and productivity depend on the performance of the buildings they live, learn, conduct research and work in (e.g. homes, offices, schools, and markets).

The self-evident state of disrepair and deterioration of public buildings in Ghana is therefore of great cause for concern. It no doubt affects productivity levels in hospitals, schools, and offices. Measures will therefore have to be put in place to not only halt this state of disrepair but also to reverse the current predicament. Inspite of the dark picture this situation presents, there is a hidden opportunity within.

The most appropriate measure in this age of global climate change is the retrofit of these buildings using “green” or eco-architecture principles. This will ensure that energy efficiency, waste minimization, efficient use of water and other sustainable features are incorporated in the rehabilitation with the sole aim of reducing the co2 footprints of buildings hence their contribution to climate change.

Green development defined
Green building is, in essence, environmentally responsible design. But what defines “green” or “smart” or “responsible” varies—from energy efficiency, to ecosystem restoration, to reduced automobile dependence. Successful, fully functioning green building incorporates a number of measures that, while individually beneficial, work even better together—an integration of features that provide multiple environmental benefits. Not all of it is new; many design features are old and common sense, such as returning to geographically and climatically appropriate designs. New features include high-efficiency lighting, photovoltaics, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems (Earthday Coalition, 1999).

Green building is part of the current movement towards more sustainable societies. “Sustainability as defined in the 1987 Brundtland Report, is development that "meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs". For the built environment, sustainability looks to reducing the impacts of buildings on the surrounding environment by recycling materials, reducing waste, using fewer virgin materials, minimizing toxic materials and reducing energy and water resource use (Earthday Coalition, 1999).

Sustainable refurbishment
It has been widely recognized that the existing building stock offers the greatest potential for reducing carbon emissions (ILO, 2010). Existing buildings will comprise the vast majority of buildings far into the future and most are not of a high environmental or energy efficiency standard. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report (IPCC, 2007) indicates that there are significant opportunities for carbon emissions mitigation in both new and existing buildings. According to IPCC, 30% of the expected global growth in emissions related to buildings before 2030 could be avoided with economic benefit. The report also finds that, although new buildings present opportunities for the most energy savings per building, existing buildings represent a greater opportunity for energy savings overall.

Green retrofit strategies
As a result of large extent of the state of disrepair and for a green retrofit strategy to be successful, whole building retrofits will have to be undertaken. This will involve building envelope improvements, energy retrofits, water conservation through improved plumbing and water use, waste minimization etc.

Improvements to the Building Envelope
As a result of climatic considerations, the emphasis in Ghana is on cooling and maintaining ambience in the indoor environment. The building envelope refers to the roof, walls, foundation, insulation, seals, doors, and fenestration (design and placement of windows). It affects energy performance through air infiltration and exfiltration, solar gains and heat loss through the windows, internal heat transfer, heat gains and losses through the ceiling, walls, and floor.

Unlike light bulbs, the glass in building facades is not easily replaced and doing so would incur huge costs and downtime – something that all institutions cannot deal with. Window film is a layer of plastic applied to the inside of existing glass, bringing with it upgraded specifications, light management and solar control.

For instance, windows on the west and east sides of buildings in Ghana where heating loads from the sun are greatest should have different specifications from those on the north and south sides. Low emissivity or low-E coatings or films are the optimal solution. They prevent the transmission of infrared heat radiation while allowing the passage of ultraviolet and visible light. This helps to keep heat out when it is warm outside and to keep heat indoors when it is cool outside.

Daylighting means using daylight for indoor lighting. Buildings designed for daylighting are cheaper to operate, use less energy and are more comfortable than electrically lit buildings. In addition, daylighting is a proven technology for reducing annual operating costs and daylight is available during most business hours. Daylight is free and readily accessible in the tropics. However, using sunlight without causing glare and without overheating a building in tropical countries like Ghana can be difficult. Glare can be avoided by using window sills, louvers, reflective and blinds, to reflect light deep into the building. Light shelves, and reflective ceilings and walls, can also help direct sunlight deep into a building. Coupling daylight with dimmable fluorescent lighting controlled by photocells can automate the process hence reducing the need for artificial lighting thus saving energy.

Passive design measures such as extending roof eaves, and vertical shading devices for west and east facades as well as horizontal shading devices for the north and south facades will directly cut out solar ingress while allowing daylight penetration.

Passive roof vents encourage natural air flow and work without the aid of motorized fans. Roof vents enhance the overall comfort of the building by providing escape hatches for hot, stale, moist air. Several roof vent options suitable for the setting in Ghana include;

Ridge vents which run along the peak of the roof. They feature an external baffle to increase air flow and protect the building from rain, and dust. They are usually capped with a material that blends in with the roof.

Static vents have no moving parts. They are basically protected holes in the roof that allow air circulation. They come in various designs—roofline, dormer, roof louver, or eyebrow vents—and are installed in an even line across the roof.

Gable vents, or wall louver are placed in the gable ends and can be used in combination with other vents. The higher they are, the more effective.

Soffit vents provide fresh air by getting rid of hot. Intake vents, which are usually made of aluminum or vinyl, contain tiny perforations or slits for airflow, and are available as either narrow strips that butt together, or as smaller, wider vents that fit between roof joists. Soffit vents are most effective when used with a ridge vent.

Low-build elastomeric roof coatings can be used to enhance the performance of existing metal roofs. They provide reflectivity, color stability and weather resistance over existing roof surfaces. Although they are highly flexible, they exhibit tough, enamel like finish that resists abrasion, biological growth, dirt, oil and all types of weather extremes. They are designed as a finish coat over a standard elastomeric acrylic basecoat; they can also be applied directly over approved substrates such as PVC, to provide increased dirt pick-up resistance and reflectivity.

Energy
Buildings exert a high energy demand on the existing grid and energy infrastructure which are currently largely fossil fuel based. The Energy Commission Ghana (ECG 2007) reports energy consumption of households increased from 26% (of total national energy consumption) in 2000 to 37% in 2005. Within the same period, energy consumption of the commercial sector doubled (7% to 14%). In 1990, Ghana had a surplus of electricity of 3545 GWh, whereas in 2004, a deficit of 203 GWh was recorded. Therefore, green retrofits must always give enough consideration to an energy retrofit. Energy strategies that can be considered include;

• Using local renewable energy supplies e.g. solar energy, Ghana is endowed with abundant renewable energy resources comprising Solar, Wind. These energy supply resources can be harnessed in order to diversify the country's energy sources, ensure energy security and cut co2 emissions. In Ghana, the annual solar irradiation ranges between 4.4 and 5.6 KWh/m2 -day (or 16-20 MJ/m2 -day) (Akuffo 1991). Currently, the installed solar electricity generating capacity is just above 1.0 MW (Energy Foundation 2000). Series of measurements to establish the suitability of wind technology in Ghana for generating electricity was carried out by RISO (Denmark) in 2002, at heights of 12m and 40m, where they recorded wind speeds between 4.9 m/s to 5.9m/s (Energy Commission 2006).

• Saving lighting energy requires either reducing electricity consumed by the light source or reducing the length of time the light source is on. This can be accomplished by.

Reducing a light's on-time, this means improving lighting controls and educating users to turn off unneeded lights. However it is doubtful that 'turning off' is practiced all the time. Occupancy sensors which do not cost much are mounted near doorways sense when a room is empty and automatically turn off the lights.

• Lowering wattage, by replacing lamps or entire fixtures;

Compact fluorescent lights are more expensive but will reduce lighting bills by up to 80%. A standard 36-watt fluorescent lamp costs about US$2 to buy, but about 10 times this to operate in a building for just one year. In addition it has a shorter life, lower efficiency and poorer light colour and quicker performance degradation than a compact fluorescent. Traditional recessed fluorescent lamp fittings with acrylic plastic diffusers deliver about 50% of the light produced by the lamps.

Plumbing and Water Conservation
Lowering water consumption, through low-flow plumbing fixtures, water-appropriate landscaping and plumbing system design, can save money in lower water and sewer bills and, indirectly, reducing the financial and environmental costs of treating and disposal of wastewater. Varieties of retrofit strategies are available and can be adapted to buildings in Ghana. Traditional retrofit strategies include a number of indoor and outdoor measures. Less traditional strategies are also available that involve the harvesting of rainwater for toilet flushing and/or irrigation.

Indoor water use.
• Installation of Low-Flow Faucet Aerators
Screw-on aerators for bathroom and kitchen faucets are generally available in hardware stores for under US$2. Maintenance crews can install the aerators with minimum effort. Aerators may save from half a gallon to over 4.5 gallons per faucet per day.

• Installation of Low-Flow Showerheads
Low-flow showerheads (flow rate of 2.5 gallons per minute or lower) are available for as little as US$2, although some of the trendier models can cost upward of US$20. Their installation involves unscrewing the old showerhead and replacing it with the low-flow model. The replacement of non-conserving showerheads with low-flow fixtures may save between 3 and 6 gallons per showerhead per day.

• Composting toilets
Composting toilet systems (sometimes called biological toilets, dry toilets and waterless toilets) contain and control the composting of excrement, toilet paper, carbon additive, and, optionally, food wastes. Unlike a septic system a composting toilet system relies on unsaturated conditions (material cannot be fully immersed in water), where aerobic bacteria and fungi break down wastes, just as they do in a yard waste composter. Centralized or remote composting systems, where the toilet connects to a composting reactor that is located somewhere else will be very appropriate for the situation in Ghana.

Sized and operated properly, this will break down waste to 10 to 30 percent of its original volume. The resulting end-product is stable humus like soil - which can be very useful for peri-urban agriculture

• Installation of Toilet Inserts
Displacement devices (blocks or bottles placed inside the toilet tank to take up space formerly occupied by water) can be purchased for less than US$1; installation requires only the lifting of the toilet tank lid and the placement of the device inside the tank. Displacement devices may save from 1 to 3 gallons per toilet per day

Outdoor water use
• Replacement of Sprinklers with Drip Irrigation
Drip irrigation systems can save 25 to 75 percent of the water that a sprinkler system would use. The Handbook of Water Use and Conservation estimates the cost of installing a drip system at US$1 to US$1.50 per square foot. Drip systems do require periodic maintenance for efficient operation.

• Landscape with Native Plants
An approximate cost of US$2 per square foot of area to be planted may be used as a rough “rule of thumb” estimate. Operation and maintenance costs should actually decrease with the native plants, as they are better adapted to local conditions than less water efficient plants.

Rainwater Collection
A rainwater harvesting system concentrates and collects rain falling on roofs and grounds for direct use and storage; water may be collected or harvested from concrete coverings, driveways and other paved areas. The water is typically used for landscape irrigation and/or toilet flushing. Systems with above ground storage or with polyethylene or fiberglass tanks would be less expensive (from US$0.40 to US$1 per gallon of storage) are much more suitable for retrofits in Ghana.

Waste and Recycling
All public buildings should aim to reduce the waste generation mainly in all stages of the building's life cycle. Adequate space should be provided to facilitate separation, collection and storage of recyclable materials for recycling, including installation of separation bins and separate collection of food waste for composting where possible.

Offering a designated space in the building for recycling storage and sorting is an easy option that makes recycling simple for occupants, and reduces waste disposal costs.

Conclusions
In developing countries, particularly those undergoing rapid urbanization like Ghana, policies should encourage property developers and construction companies to incorporate eco-architecture considerations into the rehabilitation of the existing building stock.

Developing a green maintenance program with a best practices approach to the sustainability of buildings and systems that includes routine maintenance and servicing of components is the answer to the deplorable state of public buildings in Ghana. Not only will this ensure value for money but also yield immense environmental dividends. The economic situation in Ghana now and the logistical challenge a full-scale overhaul of all public buildings will pose, dictates that there has to be structured maintenance plan.

The proposal here is that buildings in advanced stages decay will require a complete green overhaul within the framework of a condition-based maintenance schedule. In this case all building elements in decay will be covered by the rehabilitation. Components such as structural systems and walling will be retained. Recycling and reuse of materials whenever it is possible must be encouraged.

Also, buildings that are deteriorated but still in a fairly usable state are recommended for a corrective maintenance schedule. Malfunctioning components will be replaced but in this case by green components. In due course the entire building and its components will be covered by this maintenance programme.

Water and energy efficient retrofits can also be achieved on a planned and/or preventive maintenance scheme. A plan to replace all existing inefficient plumbing and electrical parts by a fixed date can be budgeted for and is much more likely to succeed.

In order to cultivate a culture of maintenance, it is vitally important not to divorce green retrofits from a defined maintenance schedule. If green retrofits are viewed in isolation, the tendency for the reoccurrence of lack of a culture of maintenance is very high thereby eroding the gains that can be made from sustainable retrofits.

NAME: ABDUL-MANAN DAUDA
ADDRESS: TIANJIN UNIVERSITY
WEIJIN LU, NANKAI DISTRICT.
D516 LIU YUAN
POSTAL CODE 300072
TIANJIN, PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF CHINA

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