The special report titled "Energy Saving Measures for Taiwan's Built Environment: Technologies and strategies to improve the energy efficiency of Taiwan's existing and new buildings" was released at the ECCT's Monthly Members' Luncheon yesterday.

The report is the product of research conducted by the ECCT's Energy Conservation Steering committee under the auspices of the ECCT's Energy and Environment Committee. The report draws on results of a simulation conducted by the National Taipei University of Technology as well as best practices and cutting-edge technologies from Europe to improve energy efficiency.

Speaking at the luncheon, Yeh Huey-ching, director-general of the Bureau of Energy under the Ministry of Economic Affairs said "In an era of unpredictable energy prices and under the threat of global climate change, the promotion of energy efficiency and the development of renewable energy has become a critical strategy internationally and energy efficiency must play an important role."

Introducing the report at the luncheon, Peter Weiss, president & CEO, Siemens Limited Taiwan & Chairman of the ECCT's Energy Conservation Project Steering Committee said that if the way that urban environments are developed does not change, CO2 emissions will rise by 90 percent by the year 2050 and in the process will wipe out between 5 percent and 20 percent of GDP. However, by investing the equivalent of just 1.5 percent of GDP in renewable energy and energy saving technology, this can be avoided, he said. The report illustrates how the built

environment presents the biggest opportunity for the successful application of energy efficiency measures.

The report cites numerous benefits of pursuing an energy efficiency model for Taiwan's built environment. They include

greater energy independence and improved foreign relations, providing a powerful economic stimulus, a reduction in costs for business and utility bills for consumers and a decreased environmental impact.According to the report, although building efficiency improvements require capital investment, those investments pay off. The report highlights energy efficiency technologies, and illustrates how essential they are to the future of Taiwan.

To demonstrate the effectiveness of these technologies in Taiwan, a computer simulation was developed and run at the National Taipei University of Technology. The results of the simulation using real climate data and typical user patterns show a potential 30 percent reduction in both energy usage and carbon emissions in office buildings and residential high rises.

To put this number into perspective, reducing energy usage by 30 percent translates into a saving of NT$46 billion, a reduction of 19.5 billion kilowatt hours in electricity usage and a drop in CO2 emissions of 12 million tons, which is equivalent to taking 2.8 million cars off the roads for a year.

The report details a number of ways buildings can be made more energy efficient. In a tropical climate like Taiwan, these include improving the shading and insulation of building envelopes to reduce the need for air-conditioning. For example, building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) modules create a source of power while at the same time can act as a form of shade. Meanwhile, upgrading heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, lighting and water pumps can reduce energy consumption considerably.

The report recommends setting up an inter-ministerial task force to develop new regulations for Taiwan to improve building code standards, introduce incentive programs and a number of other measures to promote the use of environmentally-friendly technology.

It also recommends showcasing the potential of new technologies on existing and new buildings in at least four projects as well as promoting educational and outreach programs. The report concludes that the recommendations will prove ineffectual unless the issues of energy efficiency and the long-term goal of carbon emission reduction are championed at the highest levels of government.

Therefore, the report emphasizes that important policy decisions such as a timeline for emission reductions or carbon taxation versus a cap-and trade system should be made within the framework of international standards that are currently under development.