An Energy Model for the Commercial Building Sector in Hong Kong

Abstract

The building sector accounts for 15~40% of the energy consumption in cities and thus plays a significant role in promoting sustainable development. Hong Kong government established an ambitious target to reduce the energy intensity by 40% from the 2005 level by 2025, in which the energy efficiency in the commercial building sector is a key. This paper examines the role of human behavior, as well as regulations and technological advancements, in the commercial building sector in Hong Kong. Models in existing literature are not suitable for city-scale study due to the complexity in the commercial building sector in terms of the building scale and function, the energy systems and the technical characteristics, and the distribution of human behaviors among occupants. By developing an energy model accounting for those complexities, I first present the per m2 energy consumption in the commercial buildings in Hong Kong, which is much higher than the counterparts in OECD countries. I also evaluate the energy performance of various building regulations and technologies with the established model. My finding has direct implication for the Hong Kong government to allocate more resources in mobilizing citizens through various incentives and public education programs. My study bridges the gap between engineering simulations and the diversified real conditions in buildings for scholar conducting macroscopic studies and policy makers in cities.