Sustainable construction through energy management practices: an integrated hierarchal framework of drivers in the construction sector

Reducing energy usage and promoting energy management practices remain hot issues in the construction sector. Construction firms are not interested to adopt energy conservation and management practices in their projects. Despite the successful integration of energy management practices in developed nations, their adaptability in developing countries, especially in Pakistan, is at a slow pace. Therefore, drivers to energy management practices need to be realized for its adoption. Based on this, the current study intends to evaluate the drivers of energy management practices adopted in the construction sector of Pakistan by using a four-stage methodology. Fuzzy Delphi method (FDM), interpretive structural modeling (ISM), and Matrice d’Impacts Croises Multiplication Appliques a un Classement (MICMAC) analysis were integrated with prioritizing essential drivers. Increased tax imposition on construction companies for energy usage and pollution contribution, promotion of investment subsidies for energy efficiency technologies, and increased enforcement of government rules and regulations regarding on-site energy management practices arose as significant drivers to adoption of energy management practices in the construction sector of Pakistan. These results will be helpful for policymakers to develop effective policies for integrating energy management practices in the construction sector. This study contributes significantly by developing a novel model of drivers affecting EMP adoption in the Pakistani construction sector. Further research might be expanded to other developing countries to validate current results. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11356-022-21928-x.