April 22nd marks the 54th World Earth Day, and with the background of China's carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals by 3060, energy-saving and carbon reduction in commercial buildings, as a major energy-consumer is particularly important.
On April 21st, CWVS organized the NEWE Salon Series event - "Green Carbon Index in Business Property Services". Guests from USGBC, Cushman & Wakefield, China Energy Construction Group, Beijing Phoenix Center, media discussed the practical path of low-carbon properties from different perspectives, and shared professional insights on green and sustainable operations of commercial buildings and corporate spaces.
In his speech, CWVS CEO Johnson Yip said: "Commercial buildings, as the main places for people's work and leisure, are also important sources of carbon emissions. During the operation stage, property and facility management service providers can contribute to carbon peak and carbon neutrality by taking measures such as technological transformation, intelligent operation, and low-carbon promotion. As an advocate for "low-carbon property", CWVS provides energy management services to clients, helping them achieve the goal of energy-saving, consumption reduction, quality improvement, and efficiency enhancement."
Andy To, General Manager of USGBC North Asia, said in her speech that commercial buildings are not only engines for urban economic growth but also significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Measuring, managing, and green transformation are essential for China's decarbonization process. As China moves towards a low-carbon and sustainable transformation, LEED plays an important role in it. He looks forward to exploring more paths, gathering resources from all walks of life, and collaborating to achieve China's ambitious goal of carbon neutrality by 2060 together with CWVS.
Commercial buildings are a significant source of carbon emissions. Brandon Chou, the general manager of the Product and Service Center of CWVS, quoted a survey report from the China Association of Building Energy Efficiency, stating that the carbon emission intensity of commercial buildings is far higher than that of the national and residential housing levels, about 2.09 times the national level intensity, and has been on the rise since 2005.
To cope with the growth of carbon emissions, commercial buildings are accelerating their green transformation. "China has become the largest LEED certification market country in the world, except for the United States," said Xu Chenbo, the director of market transformation and expansion in the North Asia region at USGBC. Since entering China in 2001, LEED certification has maintained rapid growth momentum. By the end of 2022, more than 9,000 projects have participated in LEED certification, and 5,400 of them have obtained final certification. The types of projects participating in LEED certification are also becoming more diverse, including not only traditional office buildings and commercial retail, but also new hot spots such as warehousing and logistics and data centers.
Based on this background, Brandon Chou introduced the "low-carbon property" concept proposed by CWVS, which takes energy management as the entry point and achieves real-time visualization monitoring and intelligent optimization of energy consumption data in different regions through digital, intelligent, and refined management methods, thereby reducing unnecessary energy losses and achieving energy-saving, emission reduction, and cost reduction goals.
Taking air conditioning as an example of a high-energy-consuming item, CWVS combines the operation data and experience of hundreds of office buildings under its management, uses the Internet of Things data collection system and real-time big data analysis system, and adds AIoT technology to achieve intelligent operation and solves a series of problems such as low air conditioning energy efficiency and mismatch between supply and demand in the original system.
Different industries' paths to "carbon" reduction
Office workplace | Focus on people's needs and start reducing carbon emissions comprehensively from details
As the first commercial property service provider to establish an Internet business department in China, based on a large amount of Internet workplace and student service experience, CWVS actively promotes carbon reduction from various needs such as clothing, food, housing, and transportation.
Eric Wei , the general manager of the Internet business department of CWVS, introduced that in the aspect of material consumption, CWVS pays attention to space utilization efficiency, counts idle resources with clients, makes reasonable adjustments and improvements, such as shared work spaces and conference room reservation management rules, and actively participates in public welfare charity sales and other activities to circulate the use of abandoned materials and improve work efficiency and resource utilization efficiency. In terms of travel, it actively promotes green and low-carbon travel methods to students, coordinates with local governments to manage shared bicycle parking points, and makes green travel accessible. In terms of diet, it records the consumption of dishes, makes dishes that meet students' tastes, and reduces unnecessary waste.
The service team also starts from details, pays attention to energy consumption problems that often occur but are ignored in the workplace, such as timely turning off computers, insulation pots, humidifiers, and microwave ovens. Through intensive inspections of office space, it conducts real-time management and control of building lighting systems and electronic equipment to create a green office space.
Business | Smart Operation and Equipment Upgrades Promote Building Energy Efficiency
Wangjing Street is a representative of Beijing's urban renewal, which took three years to complete the renovation of a 100,000 square meter commercial area and a 10,000 square meter street, transforming it from a "dirty and messy" area into an international new commercial street that integrates office, shopping, leisure, living, and art.
According to Bill Zhao, the Beijing regional general manager of CWVS, the company achieved smart operation by using AIoT data collection system, real-time big data analysis system, and AIoT technology in their services to solve problems such as low air conditioning efficiency and mismatched supply and demand in the original system. In addition, the project team upgraded existing equipment by installing remote controllers to synchronize the timing and flexible adjustment of multimedia screens, water features, lighting, and other equipment on the street. They also installed energy management software and loop meters to accurately analyze the operating time of high-energy-consuming equipment and provide basic data and direction for energy saving and emission reduction. They also plan to install a self-control system for chillers to achieve energy saving.
According to Gu Deyu, the general manager of Phoenix Oriental (Beijing) Real Estate Co., Ltd., "green sustainable development" has been a key consideration in the design and implementation of the Phoenix Center since its conception. The Phoenix Center has 61 electric skylights to achieve air exchange, which not only strengthens the building's "chimney effect" but also reduces energy consumption, making it significant for reducing carbon emissions and ensuring human comfort.
Wang Yixiao, the director of Energy Internet Center of China Power Construction Group Shanghai Electric Power Design Institute Co., Ltd., said that achieving the dual carbon target is imperative. In the future, industrial parks will become the main battlefield for achieving China's dual carbon goals. Creating a low-carbon smart park is the key to deepening the low-carbon transformation and upgrading of industrial parks and consolidating the foundation for energy-saving, emission reduction, and green development. Specifically, it can start with five aspects: low-carbon buildings, low-carbon transportation, low-carbon living, low-carbon energy, and smart management.
Summer Chen, Senior Vice President of Sustainable Development Services at Cushman & Wakefield, believes that integrating ESG and other dual-carbon-related concepts into the entire life cycle of real estate development and operation will not only help companies save energy and reduce costs but also enhance tenant employees' work efficiency, satisfaction, and happiness, increase user retention, attract high-quality tenants, promote rental growth, and reduce ESG regulatory risks for companies and assets.
