Seoul Accelerates Zero Energy Building Project Amid 'Climate Crisis'... Also Promotes Financial Support for Private Buildings

By 2025, 119.6 billion KRW invested... Over 1,100 public buildings including senior centers, daycare centers, and health clinics
Energy efficiency rating and performance improvements... Long-term interest-free support also for private buildings

Seoul Nowon-gu Pyeonbaek Senior Center

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] An international joint research team centered at ETH Zurich in Switzerland and Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium recently published a paper in the scientific journal Science stating that children born in 2020 will experience seven times more heatwaves, twice as many wildfires, and three times more frequent floods and crop failures compared to their grandparents' generation born 60 years ago.

Major countries around the world, suffering from climate change impacts such as deadly heatwaves and floods, have adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. South Korea’s central government and local governments are also accelerating efforts to achieve irreversible “2050 Carbon Neutrality.” In particular, Seoul is actively investing budgets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by retrofitting buildings?which account for 68.8% of the city’s emissions?into Zero Energy Buildings (ZEBs) and implementing energy efficiency projects (BRP).

According to Seoul City on the 8th, the total floor area of buildings in Seoul increased by more than 16%, from 479 million square meters in 2005 to 557 million square meters in 2018, resulting in a 3.5% increase in greenhouse gas emissions from 31.28 million CO2 to 32.36 million CO2. As the building floor area increases, greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.

Since last year, Seoul has begun converting senior citizen centers and public buildings into ZEBs. The plan is to invest 119.6 billion KRW by 2025 targeting 673 senior centers built before 2000 and 458 daycare centers and public health centers.

Seoul aims to upgrade aging senior centers to ZEB standards with an energy efficiency rating of “1++” or higher, while improving energy performance by 30% in daycare centers and public health centers through insulation window replacements and HVAC system upgrades. Furthermore, the city has devised a financial support plan to spread the BRP project to the private sector using public buildings as a catalyst.

ZEBs are buildings that minimize energy loads by enhancing insulation and airtightness and minimize energy consumption through the application of high-efficiency equipment and renewable energy production. The European Union has established energy efficiency directives to improve the energy efficiency of 3% of central government buildings annually. The United States requires all new and renovated public buildings to obtain at least Silver certification under green building certification systems.

Seoul has completed the construction of five senior centers converted to ZEBs. The first case, the Pyeonbaek Senior Center in Nowon-gu, received an energy efficiency rating of “1+++” by applying passive building technologies such as high insulation and airtight envelopes, as well as active systems including heat recovery ventilation and LED lighting. The energy self-sufficiency rate was raised to 100%, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 99.3%.

The Nam-bu Senior Center in Yeongdeungpo-gu, built in 1995 and aged, also received a “1++” efficiency rating. Reflecting the narrow spacing between buildings, Seoul City applied exterior insulation using vacuum insulation panels supported by the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, improved insulation and airtightness through rooftop insulation and double-glazed low-emissivity windows. The newly completed Shinwoo Senior Center in Yeongdeungpo-gu and Saejanggol Senior Center in Eunpyeong-gu were reborn as buildings with energy efficiency ratings of “1+++” and “1+++,” respectively.

Following senior centers, remodeling of 51 aging daycare centers has been completed. The Doseon Daycare Center in Dobong-gu, remodeled in August, had severe aging after 31 years since construction. The remodeling reinforced exterior wall insulation, replaced windows, and installed a high-efficiency HVAC system, improving energy performance by more than 30%. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport recently selected Doseon Daycare Center, along with Ssangmun 1-dong Daycare Center and Cheonggu Daycare Center, as signature project targets.

Since last year, Seoul has been converting 150 facilities used by vulnerable groups, including senior centers and daycare centers in each autonomous district, into ZEBs. From 2022 to 2030, additional remodeling projects will be promoted targeting 981 facilities. To encourage greenhouse gas reduction in private buildings, the “Private Building (Residential) Energy Efficiency Project” will also be implemented by the end of the year. This project supports the replacement cost of high-efficiency materials with an 8-year long-term, interest-free loan, up to 15 million KRW for residences and 2 billion KRW for buildings, to improve energy efficiency in private buildings.

Yoo Yeon-sik, Head of the Climate and Environment Headquarters, said, “To achieve 2050 carbon neutrality, remodeling projects that reduce energy consumption in buildings, which account for 68.8% of Seoul’s total greenhouse gas emissions, are very important,” adding, “We will do our best to ensure that public sector projects spread to the private sector.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.