Building energy efficiency in focus at climate forum

Hong Kong Building Energy Efficiency drives low-carbon economy through retrofits, smart controls, and rigorous standards, cutting energy intensity and greenhouse gas emissions while unlocking government-backed business opportunities and green finance for enterprises.

Some 200 government officials, business leaders and non-governmental organization representatives gathered for an international forum on climate change, with building energy efficiency in focus.

Edward Yau, the secretary for environment, said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government was in the course of rolling out a series of energy efficiency measures, including important building energy efficiency programs.

The attention being drawn to building energy efficiency was " self-evident," as 89 percent of the energy consumption in Hong Kong came from buildings, Yau said.

Hong Kong has been making efforts to go green. It is now firmly committed to reducing its energy intensity by 25 percent by 2030 compared with 2005, mirroring mainland efforts to cut energy use by closing factories in recent years.

Yau said the new building energy efficiency measures, together with money already assigned for upgrading government buildings, were expected to generate over 1.5 billion HK dollars (192.3 million U.S. dollars) worth of business opportunities in Hong Kong.

Liu Yanhua, vice minister of science and technology of China, also said enterprises have a vital role to play in raising energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emission, as China moves to curb energy consumption nationwide, and should make use of the huge potentials and business opportunities.

The trend for the world to move towards low carbon economy has been ever more obvious, Liu said, with warnings that China could be the world's biggest polluter by 2020 underscoring the urgency.

Zhang Yue, chairman and chief executive of Broad Air Conditioning, China, also cited a United Nations demonstrative project to say that the potential to improve building energy efficiency was huge using currently available technologies and financing, and initiatives like the clean building project show similar promise today.

It costs little, or even more than pays off to improve building energy by using simple measures like using shades outside, instead of inside, the windows, he said.

The energy consumption was reduced by some 80 percent for the demonstrative project, said Zhang, who has also been known for promoting environmental causes.

The Second International Conference on Climate Change was jointly organized by the Climate Group and the Hong Kong Climate Change Forum, both non-governmental.

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