Estimating the Energy Saving Potential for Office Buildings in Hong Kong Based on a Four-tier Framework

Abstract

Building construction, operation and maintenance altogether account for nearly a third of global carbon emissions. In Hong Kong, buildings contribute to 90% of electricity consumption and 60% of greenhouse gas emissions. Energy efficient building has emerged as an effective approach to reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions. This paper aims to estimate the energy saving potential of different energy efficient measures for office buildings which are an important sector of commercial buildings in Hong Kong. The energy efficient measures were identified using a four-tier framework covering building envelope, building services, renewable energy and human behaviour. The potentials of the measures in reducing energy consumption were estimated using eQUEST Software. The results show that building services and building envelope are the main areas to be addressed for achieving energy efficient office building design. The use of more efficient HVAC systems and low-emissivity windows are revealed as most favored measures for reducing energy consumption of office buildings in Hong Kong. The findings should inform low energy building design in hot and humid subtropical urban environments.