The government should consider implementing energy-efficient certification for new buildings to meet its carbon neutrality goal by 2050, experts said yesterday at an online forum hosted by the Delta Electronics Foundation.
A legal mechanism is required to compel developers to meet clearly defined standards, National Cheng Kung University architecture professor Lin Hsien-te (林憲德) said.
The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), released on Monday, shows that regulatory guidelines for architectural design and building materials would help urban areas reduce carbon emissions, Lin said.
The university’s Sun Yun-suan (孫運璿) Research Building is one of seven model carbon-zero structures mentioned in the AR6 report, Lin added.
Taiwan’s residential and commercial buildings comprise 35 to 37 percent of the nation’s energy expenditure, second only to industry, Lin said, citing the National Development Council’s Roadmap to 2050: A Manual for Nations to Decarbonize by Mid-Century.
More than 85 percent of older buildings must be as close to carbon zero as possible by 2050, Lin said, quoting from the manual, adding that his proposal for an energy efficiency certificate would help achieve this goal.
The government should model a policy on the US’ and EU’s gradation of energy efficiency, he said.
The EU has seven categories of building energy efficiency certificates, and any construction, sale or lease documents must include a copy of the certificate, Lin said, adding that selling prices or rental fees of certified buildings have increased 3 percent to 5 percent.
Half of all buildings in New York are required to show their Energy Star certificate, and their certification is reviewed on an annual basis, allowing people to know how much energy their buildings are using, Lin said.
Buildings adopting the Energy Star program on average use 7 percent less energy, with rental value increasing 2 percent to 3 percent, and selling value increasing 13 percent to 16 percent, Lin said.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
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