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What are the green technologies for sustainable housing development? An empirical study in Ghana
Author(s) -
Darko Amos,
Chan Albert Ping Chuen,
Owusu Emmanuel Kingsford
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
business strategy and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.488
H-Index - 7
ISSN - 2572-3170
DOI - 10.1002/bsd2.18
Subject(s) - sustainable development , business , efficient energy use , environmental economics , context (archaeology) , sustainable design , architectural engineering , environmental planning , resource efficiency , emerging technologies , environmental resource management , sustainability , computer science , engineering , environmental science , geography , economics , ecology , electrical engineering , archaeology , artificial intelligence , political science , law , biology
Abstract The housing industry is a major contributor to global climate change, environmental pollution, and resource depletion. The adoption of green technologies in housing development is a way to realize sustainable development goals. This research aims to identify the green technologies that are important to achieve sustainable housing development, in particular Accra, Ghana. Due to differences in climate, focusing on Accra helps validate the findings of this study. To achieve the objective, 28 green technologies were identified from a comprehensive literature review, and a questionnaire survey was done with 43 professionals with green building experience. The results indicated that application of natural ventilation, application of energy‐efficient lighting systems, optimizing building orientation and configuration, application of energy‐efficient high efficient heating, ventilation, and air‐conditioning system, and installation of water‐efficient appliances and fixtures were the five most important green technologies to achieve sustainable housing development. Furthermore, water efficiency technologies and energy efficiency technologies had the highest level of importance. The identified green technologies form a conceptual framework which can be used to guide the identification and selection of green technologies for sustainable housing development. The research findings would be useful for industry professionals responsible for decision making during the design stage of housing developments. Theoretically, this study adds to the literature by presenting one of the first studies in its kind focusing on green technologies for sustainable housing development within the Ghanaian context.