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The Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services today (February 10) gazetted the Code of Practice for Energy Efficiency of Building Services Installation (also known as the Building Energy Code or the BEC) 2012 Edition and the Code of Practice for Building Energy Audit (also known as the Energy Audit Code or the EAC) 2012 Edition, pursuant to section 40 of the Buildings Energy Efficiency Ordinance. The two Codes of Practice take immediate effect.
The Ordinance, which will commence full operation in September 2012, helps enhance energy efficiency in buildings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, it generates extra business opportunities for environmental industries, including those involved in building services installations and the electrical, mechanical and energy engineering sectors.
Once the Ordinance is in full operation, the relevant building services installations in newly constructed buildings will have to meet the minimum energy efficiency standards and requirements as specified in the BEC. Existing buildings will also be required to comply with the BEC when undergoing major retrofitting works.
In addition, the central building services installations of commercial buildings and commercial portions of composite buildings will be required to carry out energy audits in accordance with the EAC every 10 years, and the results have to be displayed in a conspicuous position at the main entrance of the buildings concerned for public inspection.
"The two Codes of Practice published in the Gazette provide technical details for the full implementation of the Ordinance. The BEC specifies the energy efficiency standards and requirements for the four key types of building services installations - air-conditioning, electrical, lighting, and lift and escalator installations - as prescribed in the Ordinance. The EAC sets out the technical requirements and details in respect of the energy audit under the Ordinance," a spokesman for the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) said.
"The two Codes of Practice were drawn up by the EMSD after detailed consultation with the relevant trade parties, professional bodies, academics and government departments. The standards stipulated in the BEC 2012 Edition are more stringent than those in the current version promulgated in 2007, which have been implemented on a voluntary basis. They have been developed with reference to the latest developments of relevant technology and practices in other regions. Most of the new standards are comparable to those adopted by some of our counterparts in the US, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, while some standards are not specified in overseas jurisdictions. The Government will continue to regularly review the relevant standards with a view to further enhancing buildings' energy efficiency."
As buildings account for about 90 per cent of the total electricity consumption in Hong Kong, improving building energy efficiency can help promote energy efficiency as a whole and reduce the city's greenhouse gas emissions. It is expected that for new buildings the implementation of the Ordinance will result in energy savings of 2.8 billion kWh in the first decade of full operation of the Ordinance, equivalent to a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of about 1.96 million tonnes.
Ends/Friday, February 10, 2012
Issued at HKT 11:03
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