Dear Members and Partners,
Wishing you all a sustainable and prosperous Year of the Rabbit.
In Chinese astrology the zodiac sign of the Rabbit is gracious, a good friend, sensitive, soft spoken, amiable, elegant, reserved, cautious, artisitic, thorough, tender, self assured, shy, astute, compassionate, lucky and flexible. We are certain to need all of these positive attributes and many more in the pursuit of a better environment, and a more harmonious way of living on our precious and fragile planet.
In this E-flash we include an insight piece on Hong Kong’s Mandatory Building Energy Codes – these come into force on Feb 21st. It is easy to complain that the standards are too lax and should be tighter – this is oversimplistic. Legislation is enacted where voluntary practices fail, and fail they have. At BEC we have long been advocates of energy efficient and green buildings, and while businesses need to be aware of legal requirements and get into line it is really time to embrace the reality that energy efficiency makes sound business sense and higher performance is not a burden to business, but a bonus!
We also bring you some updates on some of our exciting upcoming events including; our 1st EnviroSeries conference on March 25th – Integrating Technology and People to Lead Hong Kong Beyond 2020; our support programme for the upcoming Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum and Exhibition; and our upcoming visit to Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station.
I am delighted to welcome Hang Lung Properties Limited, Alliance Construction Material Limited and Enecore Carbon International Limited, as Council, Corporate and General Members respectively.
If you would like to join our growing family, need help with an energy audit or would like to get involved in one of our wide range of events or activities then please give us a call. We are sure to reflect all the best characteristics of the rabbit!
Warmest regards.
Dr Andrew L Thomson
Chief Executive Officer
Business Environment Council
Content
Trend
New BEC Members
Upcoming BEC Events
BEC Consultancy
BEC Supports Event
Trend
Hong Kong’s Mandatory Building Energy Efficiency Codes – What do they mean for your building?
The Building Energy Efficiency Ordinance (Gazatte, 2010) will soon to be in operation on 21 February. The Ordinance mandates the compliance of the Building Energy Codes for Air Conditioning, Electrical, Lifts and Escalators, Lighting and Energy Audits for Prescribed Buildings.
This is a major step forward to reduce the energy consumption of many of Hong Kong’s buildings. It will also significantly reduce building operating costs and compliments Hong Kong’s Carbon Reduction Strategy.
Many organisations may have argued that the Building Energy Codes don’t go far enough but building owners must now commit to complying with the codes for new buildings, renovating existing buildings and must execute an Energy Audit every ten years.
The Requirement
The Ordinance refers to compliance of “Prescribed Buildings”.
Generally this means:
- Commercial buildings, hotels and guesthouses
- Core areas of residential and industrial buildings
- Renovations greater than:
- Total floor area 500m2
- Chillers 350kW cooling capacity
- Electrical systems 400amps
- Replacing motors and drives for lifts and escalators
In addition prescribed buildings must conduct an Energy Audit every ten years. (There are minimum times for conducting the first audit.)
To satisfy these requirements the work must be submitted by a “Registered Energy Assessor”. The registration process is expected to be operational in March 2011.
The Opportunity
As energy costs continue to rise, energy conservation is just plain good business. An Energy Audit will show you exactly where you can reduce and how much you will save. Basic energy metering will give you the ability to manage consumption and expose further opportunities for continuous improvement. An Energy Audit is just the first step for ongoing savings.
Contributor: David Brown – Head, Building and Energy Efficiency Division of BEC.
The Building and Energy Efficiency team contributed to the consultation process in formulating the Building Energy Efficiency Ordinance. The team has executed many Energy Audits in recent years. It is well staffed with professional skills and will be registering its own Energy Assessors as soon as the program is available.
New BEC Members
BEC warmly welcomes two new members to join this sustainable platform for businesses! We are delighted to have a dedicated member upgrading from General Member to Corporate Member.
Council Member
Hang Lung Properties Limited, the operating arm of Hang Lung Group Limited, is a leading Hong Kong company boasting an extensive real estate portfolio in Hong Kong, as well as building, owning and managing world-class commercial complexes in key cities on the Mainland since the 1990s. It is a constituent stock of Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index and the Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Indices, and is one of the world's largest pure real estate listed companies by market value.
Corporate Member (Upgraded)
Alliance Construction Materials Limited – One of the largest suppliers of building materials, for example, concrete materials. The Company places heavy commitments to various sustainability issues.
General Member
Enecore Carbon International Limited – The Company develops and manages projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Projects include carbon, renewal energies, green investments, and clean technology transfer.
Upcoming BEC Events
BEC Spring Cocktail, 17 February 2011
BEC members and partners are cordially invited to join our Spring Cocktail on 17 February (Thursday), 6:30 – 8:30pm, to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit and networking with the fellow BEC board directors, members, associates and colleagues to open up another year of success!
Member visit to Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station, 18 February 2011
Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station is CLP’s first step into low emission power generation in Mainland China. Supply from Daya Bay is a clean energy which produces zero emissions. Join us to visit the role model for operational excellence on 18 February 2011 (Friday), 7:50am – 4:30pm. Registration is closed, interested parties please feel free to have a capture of the event in March and keep an eye on the coming member-exclusive visits.
EnviroSeries 2011
Sustainability Leadership Forum – Integrating Technology and People to Lead Hong Kong Beyond 2020
Date: 25 March 2011 (Friday)
Time: 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Venue: S221, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
Fee: HK$ 1,500 (20% discount for BEC Members and Partners; 5% early bird discount before 4 March, additional 5% discount for 2 or more registrations)
Continuing to promote active exchange of thought leader strategic dialog and sharing of operational excellence since the BEC flagship EnviroSeries Conference started in 1992, we are more than delighted to invite local and regional industrial leaders and practitioners to participate in this year’s conference, entitled “Sustainability Leadership Forum: Integrating Technology & People to Lead Hong Kong Beyond 2020”, which will be held on 25 March 2011 at the Hong Kong Conventional and Exhibition Centre.
In this one-day conference, participants can expect constructive dialog and dynamic interaction with policymakers, and more than 300 business leaders, academia and professionals. Government officials, business leaders and academics will identify their long-term vision with today’s action to fully integrate technology with people in achieving a sustainable future.
BEC Consultancy
Buildings and Energy Efficiency (BEE) Team
Continues to serve the industry
The BEE team continues to work conscientiously on over 160 BEAM contracts, which covers the whole life cycle from initial building design to stages after the tenants move in to the new buildings. Besides, the team is also performing energy or carbon audits, as well as BEAM+ preliminary assessment for the clients.
Corporate Sustainability (CS) Team
BEC's CS Team would like to congratulate Alliance Construction Materials (ACM) Limited of Hong Kong on publishing their first Sustainability Report which covers the two year period 2009-2010. ACM held their annual HSE Seminar and Dr. Thomas Ng of HKU and Dr. Margaret Burnett of BEC were invited to be guest speakers and to share in the ACM’s team building games that were organized by their management trainees.
BEC had the pleasure of working with ACM throughout the preparation of their SD report and wish ACM all the best in their uptake of corporate sustainability approaches.
Environmental Management (EM) Team
Pursuing environmental management excellence
Lately, the EM team is actively engaged in providing professional consultancy service to companies in developing Environmental Management System for HIT, and Cosco-HIT, as well as developing an Environmental Management Information Process and Control of a utility company.
Besides providing consultancy service, the EM team is also delighted to take part in environmental award scheme development. For instance, the team has just completed the judging stage of the 2010 Hong Kong Award for Environmental Excellence, through which companies dedicated to improving their environmental performance could be recognized and share experience with their peers.
BEC Supports Event
Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum & Exhibition (MIECF)
This year the Business Environment Council is once again proud to be the supporting organisation of the MIECF, which will be held on 31 March – 2 April at Venetian Macao.
The MIECF brings together visitors and exhibitors from the region for 3 days of in-depth discussions on different environmental issues, focused on brining to the crowd the latest trend of sustainable developments through series of engagements such as Green Forum, Green Showcase, Green Public Day and more.
BEC will support the MIECF by showcasing its mission and vision at the exhibition, and will invite members to participate. We’ll keep you posted of the latest developments.
Hang Seng PRD Environmental Awards 2010/11
BEC is delighted to be the Technical Advisor of the Hang Seng PRD Environmental Awards 2010/11, which promotes and recognises manufacturing companies (including transportation and logistics) that foster better environmental performance, and minimise industrial pollution in Hong Kong and the PRD region. Interested companies are most welcome to visit the official website for further details.