Building energy efficiency in Hong Kong
My last two blog posts have mostly been for fun (with some commentary on culture), so forgive me for the next post. Obviously, I came to Hong Kong to take SOS 494 and learn from assorted lecturers, policy makers and fellow students. More importantly, I came for the opportunity to get some hands-on experience in sustainability issues.
That being said, this course (so far) has been intensive. What should normally take about a semester has been crammed into two weeks. My brain has been working overtime to keep up with the pace. The horror!
My group members are simply the best. With regards to teamwork, it was difficult to overcome the slight language and culture barrier existing between the ASU and City University of Hong Kong students. I’d have to remember to speak a bit slower, and they would occasionally lapse into Cantonese. I’ve learned so much from my counterparts despite the difference in mentalities.
For one, I can observe and experience the mindset of local people, which is key when considering policy making for Hong Kong as it applies to our project. They have also surprised and amazed me with their depth of knowledge on various topics, despite the fact that City U does not have a sustainability program. One of my Hong Kong teammates pointed out, for example, the consumer culture that is shared by both Americans and Hong Kong people (as mentioned in my previous post).
Of course, local teammates are great to take around the city, since they know the ins and outs of Hong Kong.
In particular, our group has chosen to work with energy efficiency in buildings. According to one of the lecturers, buildings account for around 90 percent of all energy use in Hong Kong. Population is continuing to rise, and so energy demand will rise as well. Our task is to clearly outline the program and then suggest a policy or plan that can be taken by the government (and various bodies) to alleviate said problem.
The problem portion is not so much an issue since there is a lot of data available on buildings and energy efficiencies in Hong Kong. The solution side is much more difficult given the political and technical situation in Hong Kong.
Frankly, Hong Kong is not cashing in on the potential savings that could be achieved with improving building energy efficiency. There are a few building code requirements, but there is little to no enforcement for said codes. For one, the long-time market-driven Hong Kong is very hesitant to use any action other than financial incentives as they are afraid to lose popularity. Second, there is a huge technical issue in that Hong Kong has many buildings of different build and age. Ensuring 100 percent building energy efficiency will be difficult considering the sheer volume of building stock.
Thus, we are trying to strike a balance between what is politically feasible and sustainably reasonable. In particular, we will focus on a policy for government restructuring to give the government the ability to enforce its own rules.
By Hong Kong standards, our policy recommendations may seem bold, but it will be bold action that will lead Hong Kong to a sustainable future.