HKGBC Retrofitting Guidebook V2 ENG Jan2024 Final

HKGBC
RETROFITTING
GUIDEBOOK
First release : January 2023

Second edition : December 2023
HKGBC
RETROFITTING
GUIDEBOOK
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HKGBC RETROFIT TING GUIDEBOOK
About HKGBC
The Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) is a non-profit, Our Vision
member-led organisation established in 2009 and has become
a public body under the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance To help save the planet and improve the wellbeing of the
since 2016. The HKGBC strives to promote the standard and people of Hong Kong by transforming the city into a greener
development of sustainable buildings in Hong Kong. The built environment.
HKGBC also aims to raise green building awareness by engaging
the government, the industry and the public, and to develop
practical solutions for Hong Kong’s unique, subtropical built
Our Mission
environment of high-rise, high density urban area, leading Hong
Kong to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and to become a To lead market transformation by advocating green policies to
world’s exemplar of green building development. the Government; introducing green building practices to all
stakeholders; setting design, construction and management
Our passion for a sustainable built environment is the standards for the building profession; and promoting green
motivating force to achieve our goals. The wide experience and living to the people of Hong Kong.
deep insight of our members and experts is the underlying
foundation for real results.
To learn more about the HKGBC, please visit www.hkgbc.org.hk

TA BLE O F CONTENT
FOREWORD 1
MESSAGE FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 4

01 PLANNING FOR RETROFITTING WORKS 5
02 RETROFITTING STRATEGIES 6
1. Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning – Water-side 6
2. Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning – Air-side 11
3. Electrical Systems 16
3.1 Lighting 16
3.2 Electricity Distribution System 18
3.3 Lift & Escalator 18
4. Smart Control Systems 20
5. Server Room/ Data Centre 22
6. Carpark 24
7. Green Commercial Kitchen 26
8. Others 30
8.1 Heating 30
8.2 Building Envelope 31
03 RATING OF INITIATIVES 40
04 USEFUL RESOURCES AND LINKS FOR RETROFITTING 44
05 CASE STUDIES 45
ABBREVIATIONS 102
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 103
FOREWORD
EMSD
Director
Mr PANG Yiu-hung, JP
Director of Electrical & Mechanical Services,
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
It is my great pleasure to congratulate the Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) for taking the lead to develop HKGBC’s Retrofitting
Guidebook in moving the trade and community towards carbon neutrality. The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD)
enforces the Buildings Energy Efficiency Ordinance (BEEO), and we strive to promote and drive for carbon neutrality in the local community.
We are very pleased to work with the HKGBC, one of our major partners, with full momentum in decarbonisation efforts, and to promote
energy retrofitting in existing buildings with a view to outperforming the statutory requirements of the BEEO.
In 2021, the HKSAR Government announced the ambitious Hong Kong's Climate Action Plan 2050, aiming at achieving carbon neutrality
before 2050. The plan sets out the vision of "Zero-carbon Emissions•Liveable City•Sustainable Development" and outlines four major
decarbonisation strategies, namely “Net-zero electricity generation”, “Green transport”, “Waste reduction” and “Energy saving as well as green
buildings” to achieve carbon neutrality.
In Hong Kong, building energy contributes around 90% of total electricity consumption and about 60% of total carbon emissions. The
BEEO has been in force for ten years since 2012 to enhance the energy efficiency performance of buildings. We have regularly reviewed
and uplifted the building energy efficiency requirements stipulated in the Building Energy Code (BEC) and the Energy Audit Code (EAC) in
collaboration with diverse professional institutions, trade associations, academia, and government departments. Looking ahead, we shall
continue to embrace innovative and low carbon technologies, as well as international best practices, to further our contribution in improving
energy efficiency in buildings to meet public aspiration.
The HKGBC’s Retrofitting Guidebook is an excellent reference tool for the trade to share the successful experience and cases on energy
retrofitting projects, including specifically the use of smart technologies. This echoes with the aspiration of our EMSD InnoPortal (https://inno.
emsd.gov.hk/en/home) in assisting the trade to identify innovative and technological solutions to meet new challenges on energy efficiency
and conservation.
Many existing buildings, especially those with aged building services equipment, would likely have tremendous potential to perform better
through energy retrofitting. The public and private sectors can now make reference to the EAC, BEC and HKGBC’s Retrofitting Guidebook
to prioritise and implement energy retrofitting in their asset management plan to enhance building energy efficiency as well as reduce
energy costs. I would also encourage building owners to join our voluntary Energy Efficiency Registration Scheme for Buildings (EERSB1) to
recognise their extra effort in ensuring their buildings having achieved better energy performance beyond the requirements as stipulated
in the BEEO. Building owners and property management can also use the Online Building Based Electricity Utilization Index Benchmarking
Tool (https://eui.emsd.gov.hk/en/EUI_introduction.html) to compare their own electricity utilisation performance with other buildings of similar
usage.
Through the concerted effort of the trade and the whole community in adopting energy retrofitting in existing buildings, we will
undoubtedly be moving towards our ultimate long term carbon neutrality target.
1 https://www.emsd.gov.hk/en/energy_efficiency/energy_efficiency_registration_scheme_for_building/index.html
1
FOREWORD
HKGBC
Chairman
Dr CHEUNG Tin-cheung, SBS

Chairman, Hong Kong Green Building Council
On behalf of the Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC), we take great pleasure in presenting the HKGBC Retrofitting Guidebook to the
building industry.
Founded in 2009, the HKGBC is committed to introducing and promoting green building solutions or practices to industry practitioners
and the public. The Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050, announced by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in
2021, outlined the strategies and targets for combating climate change and achieving carbon neutrality before 2050. It highlighted that a
large proportion of Hong Kong‘s total electricity consumption is related to activities in buildings which reflects the importance and need to
improve existing buildings’ energy performance. To this end, the HKGBC launched a programme in 2016 to mainstream retro-commissioning.
This includes development of related best practices and building up the capacity of the industry.
This guidebook provides different retrofitting solutions that help reduce energy consumption in existing buildings and can serve as a useful
reference for the industry practitioners when they carry out retrofitting work in their buildings. This Guidebook also helps promote and
mainstream the adoption of retrofitting solutions within the green building industry, and makes a contribution to the carbon neutrality
roadmap of Hong Kong through enhancing energy efficiency.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Industry Standards and Practices Committee and Retrofitting Expert Group for their
contributions to the development of the Guidebook.
We hope that the publishing of this Guidebook for the building industry can increase all practitioners’ understanding and awareness towards
retrofitting. Working together, we can create a greener future for Hong Kong.
2
FOREWORD
ISPC
Chairman
Mr Donald CHOI, JP
Chairman, Industry Standards and Practices Committee (ISPC)
Director, Hong Kong Green Building Council
Climate change is one of the greatest global issues and it is urgent for us to find solutions to tackle this problem. Among the total electricity
consumption in Hong Kong, the building sector accounts for 90% of energy consumption which implies the importance of increasing the
buildings’ energy performance. Being part of Government’s Climate Action Plan, retro-commissioning (RCx) is one of the key promulgated
measures to reduce Hong Kong’s carbon emissions. Since 2016, ISPC has been working closely with the Government on the promotion of
RCx, which can help the existing buildings to review and improve their energy efficiency.
The HKGBC has launched the RCx Training and Registration Scheme in 2019 to the industry practitioners and services provider, with the
support by Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) and other professional institutions. The Scheme helps equip more
building industry practitioners with the knowledge on RCx and transform the industry on the adoption of RCx works.
To further our expertise on enhancing building energy efficiency, our committee has indicated the development of this HKGBC Retrofitting
Guidebook, which captures and provides the retrofitting solutions and case studies for readers to have a comprehensive understanding on
retrofitting. We hope that industry practitioners who need to carry out retrofitting projects in the future can refer to this guidebook for more
information.
We believe that the project can help industry to advance their knowledge in retrofitting. And more innovative energy saving strategies will
be used by the industry in the future. Let’s construct a green society together!
3
MESSAGE FROM
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Ir Dr Cary CHAN, JP
Executive Director, Hong Kong Green Building Council
The 6th assessment report by the Intergovernmental Panel on The objective of this Retrofitting Guidebook is to promote
Climate Change (IPCC) stated that “The scientific evidence is and facilitate the industry to implement retrofitting for better
unequivocal: climate change is a threat to human well-being and operational performance in energy efficiency for their building
the health of the planet. Any further delay in concerted global stocks. It contains various retrofitting options and considerations,
action will miss the brief, rapidly closing window to secure a case studies and other resources such as available funds in the
liveable future”. This presents a strong case of climate emergency market that can facilitate building owners to perform retrofitting
and “No Action” is no longer an option. works in their buildings. This is intended to be a living document
which will be updated from time to time, with the latest best
In China, the ambition is to retrofit the entire building stock to practices and technological advancements.
meet their carbon neutrality target by 2060. It is reckoned that
retrofit by adopting matured technologies can be able to meet Some of the technologies listed in the guidebook are relatively
two-thirds of their target already and the rest will require the new and may have limited choices at the moment. It is the
development of new technologies. intent that this guidebook can increase the demand of such
technologies and eventually lead to the emerging of more
Hong Kong has committed to carbon neutrality by 2050. Since alternative solutions.
the existing building stock is contributing to 60% of the carbon
emission, successfully improving the energy efficiency of the The cost and benefits of each initiative can be different between
existing building stock will be critical to meet the target. In a retrofitting projects and also most of the retrofitting projects
commentary by International Energy Agency (IEA) described that adopt more than one initiative. This makes it inappropriate to
“Energy efficiency is the first fuel and the demand for it must grow”. work out a cost and payback period for each individual initiative.
Other non-monetary benefits and value need to be accounted for
A number of developers in Hong Kong, over the past 10 years, to make the retrofitting project justifiable. So case studies are used
have been actively reducing the energy intensity of their building to illustrate those benefits.
stocks through retro-commissioning (RCx) and retrofitting.
However, the majority of the existing building stocks have not Mainstreaming retrofitting is one of the key focuses of HKGBC’s
been following suit. Meeting the target in the climate change advancing net zero ambition. The HKGBC is and will be launching
roadmap of reducing the energy intensity by 30%-40% for the a number of initiatives with the aim of mainstreaming retrofitting
whole building stock, would thus be a huge challenge. to further reduce the overall energy intensity of the existing
building stock.
To meet the challenge, the HKGBC has already been a close
partner with the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department We hope that the industry will find this guidebook useful in
(EMSD) to promote the adoption of RCx and retrofitting to the improving the energy efficiency of their building and meeting
industry. their own carbon reduction targets.
4
PLANNING FOR
RETROFITTING WORKS 01
Understanding the Carry out energy audit and RCx study to have a good understanding on:
building’s condition 1. Operation of the building and optimal operating parameters based on plant operating experience
and performance and data
2. Performance of various equipment and systems
3. Conditions and limitations of the systems and equipment to meet user expectation for future
operational and maintenance needs
Determining the A holistic view on what you could and should be

objectives of the achieved such as:
retrofitting project 1. Energy saving and carbon emission reduction
2. Replacing equipment near the end of its life cycle
3. Serviceability of aged equipment
4. Resilience and reliability of equipment and operation.
5. Fulfilling the future needs of the building or systems e.g. upgrading of the building, loading needs,
digitalisation and smart control, enhancement to the management of the facilities
6. Reducing the need for future RCx and resources for energy audit
7. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
8. Complying with the latest editions of the Building Energy Code (BEC) and/or Energy Audit Code (EAC),
and the Buildings Energy Efficiency Ordinance (BEEO), Chapter 610
Justifying the The cost and benefits should not be just using the
retrofitting project simple payback analysis with the energy cost saving. The
following should be taken into consideration:
1. Discount the service life of the equipment to be replaced,
cost to achieve the added objectives not related directly to
the energy saving as mentioned above
2. Take into account values (tangible and intangible) on top of
energy saving such as reduction in future maintenance and
RCx cost, indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and CSR etc.
5
RETROFITTING STRATEGIES
02
1. Heating, Ventilation, and
Air Conditioning – Water-side
General Central air-conditioning systems are commonly adopted for commercial buildings in Hong Kong.
introduction Such air-conditioning system consists of water-side system and air-side system.
This session describes some of the common retrofitting measures to enhance the energy efficiency of
the water-side system.
Description of the The water-side system consists of a combination of chillers that generate chilled water and
water-side system through a combination of chilled water pumps, circulate the chilled water to the air-side
equipment to cool the conditioned space.
Chillers have two types of heat rejection systems for condensing the refrigerant, air-cooled or
water-cooled. Water-cooled chillers are further divided into heat rejection by fresh water cooling
towers or direct seawater cooling.
Common objectives The key objectives for retrofitting water-side systems are to reduce the energy input to:
of retrofitting the • The compressor of the chillers’ refrigeration circuit
water-side system of • The chilled water and condensing water pumps
a chiller plant • The cooling tower fans
The key measures include:

• Improving the efficiency of the refrigerant circuit and the coefficient of performance (COP) of the chillers
• Lowering the condensing temperature and/or raising the evaporating temperature
• Minimising the system pressure and flowrate of chilled water circuit
• Minimising the operating speed of cooling tower fans
• Optimising the system performance through the adoption of smart technologies
• Reducing conduction losses in pipework
6
02 RETROFITTING STRATEGIES 1. HVAC – Water-side
Replacement of Efficiency of existing chillers will drop after

inefficient chillers operating for several years. Latest generation
of chillers have higher efficiency as technology
with more efficient advances and have different per formance
chillers and review characteristics to suit different operational profiles
of new chiller and conditions. Efficiency of existing chillers should
combination during be monitored and planned for replacement when
life cycle replacement there is a reasonable improvement opportunity.
Considerations:
• Compare the chiller efficiency with the latest BEC.
• Review the cooling load profile of the existing system and determine the new chiller combination.
• The new combination may consist of chillers of different capacities, constant speed and/or variable
speed chillers to best suit the loading profile of the system. A good combination that matches the
performance characteristics of different types of chillers can optimise the efficiency of the chiller plant.
• Use water-cooled chillers, if possible.
• Installation of energy metering device.
Conversion of The restriction of using water-cooled system has been widely lifted in 2008. Water-cooled chillers
air-cooled chillers to are more efficient as they can achieve a lower condensing temperature. Conversion of an air-cooled
chiller system to a water-cooled chiller system can have significant enhancement on the chiller plant
water-cooled chillers efficiency.
Considerations:
• Check EMSD’s, Water Supplies Department

( WSD)’s and Buildings Department (BD)’s
approval for using fresh water cooling tower
scheme or seawater cooling system in that
district.
• Conduct energy audit and prepare load profile

of the existing air-conditioning systems.
• Design a new chiller combination based on the

principles mentioned above.
• Prepare life cycle cost analysis for replacing air-

cooled chillers with water-cooled chillers.
Replacement of Cooling towers will not be operating at full load all the time. Replacing the constant speed fan with a
cooling tower variable speed fan for cooling tower can reduce fan power during part load conditions by optimising
the airflow needed for heat rejection.
constant speed fan
by variable speed fan Consideration:
• Use plant optimisation systems

to adjust the fan speed together
with the operation of other
equipment to improve the
overall efficiency of the chilled
water system.
7
Installation of tube Scale inside the surface of condenser tubes will build up over time resulting in the increase of
cleaning and other fouling factor. Tube cleaning systems can maintain a low fouling factor for the condenser and
hence can help maintain the rated efficiency and capacity of the chillers.
cleaning systems for
chiller’s water-cooled There are different types of tube cleaning systems. One type is using sponge balls either with or
condenser without circulation pumps and another type is using brushes that operate by reversing the flow
within the condenser.
Considerations:
• The efficiency of the chillers can be

maintained, and the cost and resources
for manual cleaning of the condenser
tubes can also be reduced.
• Tube cleaning balls need to be replaced

from time to time.
• Tube cleaning systems using brushes

require more space for the reverse flow
mechanism.
Installation of Electromagnetic clamp-on device is a non-chemical alternative for purifying and softening
electromagnetic clamp-on condensing water through an electromagnetic field. It does not require the addition of any
chemicals to remove impurities and kill bacteria for the condensing water system.
device for condensing
water system Considerations:
• Reduce the cost for using chemicals.
• Reduce water consumption for flushing

and bleed-off.
• Reduce scaling and corrosion inside

condenser tubes and maintain the surface
roughness in good condition.
• Maintain the heat rejection capacity of

condenser.
Conversion of the Conventional de-coupler or differential by-pass chilled water system uses constant speed pumps.
chilled water system to Most of the time, the system will be operating in part load conditions. Converting the constant
speed pump to a variable speed pump with the corresponding control system can reduce the
variable flow by replacing overall system pressure and hence reduce the energy consumption of the chilled water pumps.
constant speed pumps
Consideration:
with variable speed
pumps • A review on the whole system should be
first carried out to determine the plant
conversion scenario in order to maximise
the benefits of the retrofitting works such
as converting the de-coupler system to
a primary variable flow system (refer to
the following measure), the replacement
plan of the existing chillers and the future
control systems use.
8
Conversion of de-coupler or Conventional de-coupler or differential by-pass chilled water system may result in a low
differential by-pass chilled differential temperature difference across the chillers, especially during part load operations.
water system to variable Converting the chilled water system into one single loop with variable flow rate (variable
primary flow system primary flow) can maintain an appropriate temperature across the chillers and enhance the
overall efficiency of the chillers.
For de-coupler system, after conversion, it can reduce the overall system pressure due to
elimination of one set of pump accessories such as strainers and valves.
Considerations:
• The converted plant will reduce space and resources for maintenance.
• Minimum chilled water flow for the chiller to be maintained as referred to the chiller
requirement.
system configurations
Variable Primary Flow
Piping heat-recovery chiller

in sidestream position may
simplify control
by-pass line
modulating control
VFD valve for minimum
chiller flow control valve
Conversion of centralised Central chilled water systems use large central

chilled water pumps circuit pumps to deliver chilled water to terminal devices
such as air handling units (AHUs) and fan coil
to de-centralised pumping units (FCUs). Adequate amount of chilled water
systems with in-line pumps for the terminal devices is controlled by adjusting
on each equipment/floor/ the pressure drop across the control valves. De-
zone centralised pumping systems replace the large
central pumps with small in-line pumps to the
terminal devices which will pump just the right
chilled water flow through it for cooling the
conditioned space. It will save energy by having a
lower pressure head.
Considerations:
• The converted system requires fewer resources
for balancing and RCx.
• The conversion process is relatively complicated
and should be well-planned.
9
Installation of automatic The installation of the automatic valves can improve the low Delta-T syndrome (small
valves to control chilled temperature difference between supply and return chilled water across terminal devices)
and ultimately reduces energy consumption.
water flowrate by the design
temperature difference Considerations:
between the supply and • Pump energy can be reduced
return chilled water of as the flow will be automatically
terminal devices (e.g. AHUs) driven by demand.
or sub-circuits (risers, zones). • It can also reduce the need for
system balancing and enhance
the temperature control of the
terminal devices.
Separation of risers, circuits Some spaces have a stricter requirement on chilled water supply temperature to their
or systems for different premises such as data centres. While other general spaces such as general offices usually
only require the air-conditioning system to satisfy their cooling load needed instead of
equipment (e.g., AHU, FCU, satisfying the requirement of chilled water supply temperature. Some buildings may
chilled ceiling, computer be cooled by chilled ceiling which needs a higher chilled water supply temperature.
room air conditioning (CRAC) Buildings having only one chilled water supply system will require the supply
unit, etc.) with different temperature set to the minimum temperature required by the most critical terminal
chilled water requirements device for the whole building.
so that some chillers can The building can have two separate chiller and riser systems, one that is set for the most
operate at a higher chilled critical device for temperature requirement and the other one that can have a more
water supply temperature all flexible temperature setting. The latter can enable the supply chilled water temperature
or part of a year to be raised to just satisfy the cooling load. With a higher supply chilled water
temperature setting, the chillers can run at a higher efficiency.
Considerations:
• More space is needed to accommodate the extra riser and accessories.
• Rearrangement of the chilled water pipes is required.
• At least two chiller sets will be required and may add cost for services.
10
02 RETROFITTING STRATEGIES
2. Heating, Ventilation, and

Air Conditioning – Air-side
The key objectives for the air-side equipment are to: The key measures include:
• Reduce fan power • Improving fan efficiency
• Reduce cooling load • Reducing airflow rate
• Improve motor efficiency • Reducing system pressure
• Reduce conduction losses in air duct • Applying free cooling and
• Using heat recovery
Replacement of traditional induction DC permanent magnet motor efficiency is often above 90%, allowing fans
motor FCU with variable speed direct to consume up to 70% less energy when compared to conventional fans.
current (DC) permanent magnet Considerations:
motor incorporated with smart control
thermostat or direct digital control • Smart control thermostat can provide precise temperature control
(DDC) controller as well as automatic control of fan speed based on measured room
temperature.
• By using intelligent networking thermostats, more advanced energy

saving strategies can be achieved such as interlocking with lighting
control, remote control, occupancy detection, etc.
11
02 RETROFITTING STRATEGIES 2. HVAC – Air-side
Replacement of air filters Adopting provisions that can enhance the filtering efficiency can allow the use of filters with
lower pressure drop while having similar filtration efficiency. This can reduce the fan power of
with lower pressure drop
AHUs.
air filters using sonic,
ionisation, nanofibrous or Considerations:
other new technologies There are different technologies available which include:
which can improve filter • Energy Saving Sonic (ESS) Technology. A new technology that utilises sonic energy to induce
efficiency rapid vibration of the particles in air. It can greatly improve the filtration efficiency and reduce
energy use and cost of consumables for sustainable air filtration.
• Ionisation technology that
uses negative ions to remove
small particles in the air. This
can help reduce odours and
inhibit viruses, bacteria and
mould species.
• Nanofibrous filter that achieve
a higher filtration efficiency at
lower pressure drop.
Replacement of centrifugal The traditional centrifugal fan technology in ventilation system has low efficiency. Replacing
fan in AHU/ pre-cooling air centrifugal fans of AHUs with EC plug fans can save 30-50% energy consumption. The EC fan’s
built-in variable speed drive (VSD) and controller inside the motor get the signal from the
handling unit (PAU) using temperature or pressure sensor to control the speed of drive.
electronically commutated
(EC) plug fan Considerations:
• EC plug fans do not have belt and pulley or gear, so

there will be less maintenance and consumables
required.
• EC fan grid provides increased reliability to operation. If

one fan fails, only a portion of the airflow is lost; if one
fan loses its air flow, the rest will work faster to recover.
• Noise level is lower than centrifugal fans and may

require fewer noise attenuation provisions.
Enlargement of fresh During autumn and winter seasons, the outside air is often cooler and dryer than the air inside
air inlet and air duct the building. If the outside air enthalpy (temperature and humidity) is lower than the indoor
environment, free cooling mode will be activated to bring in full fresh air from outside to cool the
to allow higher % or building without using the central chiller plant.
100% of fresh air for free
cooling in autumn and Considerations:
winter seasons on days • Needs to have adequate space for
with low outdoor relative the extra ducting arrangement.
humidity (RH) • Requires additional air louvre area.
provisions.
• May require additional pusher fan

to provide fresh air.
12
Conversion of The air conditioning system operates at part load for most of the time. Common CAV system delivers
constant air volume a constant air flow all the time while changing the supply air temperature to control the temperature
of the space. By changing the fan to variable speed, the space temperature can be controlled by
(CAV) system to varying the supply air flow rate at constant temperature. This can significantly reduce the fan power
variable air volume during part load.
(VAV) system
For a simple ducting system supplying conditioned air to a small part of a shopping centre, a
frequency inverter can be added to change the fan speed.
For an AHU system supplying air-conditioned air to an office where temperature of different zones
can have individual temperature control, the ducting needs to be rearranged with VAV box to control
each zone’s temperature.
VAV systems offer superior performance in applications where the conditioned space is subject to
frequent part-load conditions. VAV systems typically offer energy savings above 30% compared with
CAV systems.
Considerations:
• The constant speed fans can be converted
to variable speed by adding frequency
inverters or replaced by EC plug fans
which are more energy efficient (refer to
the above).
• The fan speed is controlled by the
duct static pressure which can be reset
according to the damper positions
of VAV box to reduce the fan’s energy
consumption.
• Need to ensure that there is enough fresh
air delivered to the conditioned space
when the supply flow rate reduces due to
low load conditions.
Conversion of VAV The latent load of the fresh air intake is removed by using desiccant dehumidification system. The
system to dry fan coil FCU is designed to remove only the sensible load. The chilled water supply temperature to the FCU
can be higher than the indoor dew point temperature and no condensation occurs in the chilled
unit systems with water coil.
pre-treated fresh
With higher chilled water temperature in the system, the chiller will be running at higher efficiency
air using desiccant
resulting in energy saving.
dehumidification
Considerations:
• The indoor environment can be improved as the humidity is controlled at a lower RH. Thermal
comfort can be improved and a higher indoor temperature can be set with equivalent thermal
comfort and hence reduce the cooling load (1°C increase in indoor temperature can reduce 3 % of
air-conditioning load).
• Since the FCU only cater for the sensible load, it can respond faster to maintain the set indoor
temperature. Hence the thermal comfort can be improved.
• Space temperature can be
better controlled with the
FCU vs VAV boxes.
• The fan power of FCU is
lower than AHU as the
system pressure is much
lower due to less ducting
and accessories such as
VAV box.
13
Use of heat exchanger Indirect evaporative cooling involves two air streams – the air supplied to the indoor spaces
or regenerative indirect and a secondary stream that is exhausted outside. In operation, an indirect evaporative process
cools air or water on one side of an impermeable heat-exchange surface such as a thin plastic
evaporative cooling plate or tube. The wet side cools the dry side without adding moisture (because there is no
system to pre-cool the direct contact between the water and the airstream to be cooled).
primary fresh air by the
Considerations:
exhaust air
• The exhaust air needs to flow back to the heat exchanger of the PAU. The air path or ducting
needs to be designed.
• Needs to have central exhaust and PAU on each floor.
Use of demand control Demand-controlled fresh air system adjusts fresh air intake based on actual need at any given
time instead of at a fixed rate for full occupancy. IAQ sensors measure carbon dioxide levels
fresh air system to
to signal the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system to adjust the amount of
reduce fresh air amount fresh air brought into the space.
when the indoor air
Considerations:
quality (IAQ) meets the
desired level according • Ensure that the carbon dioxide sensors are located at locations that can reflect the carbon
to IAQ sensor input dioxide level of the occupied zone.
while coupling with • Carbon dioxide sensors need to be calibrated from time to time.
variable exhaust system
Outside Air
14
Use of radiant cooling Chilled beam/ceiling system incorporates pipes in the false ceilings through which chilled
technologies such as water flows. The pipes lie close to the ceiling surfaces or in panels and cool the room via natural
convection and radiation.
chilled beam or chilled
ceiling It operates with higher chilled water temperature, generally 3-5°C higher than the conventional
chilled water systems, allowing the chiller evaporator temperature to be correspondingly higher,
and thus reducing the chiller energy consumption.
It also saves energy by reducing the air flow (only pre-treated fresh air is supplied to the
conditioned space) and by handling sensible cooling loads more efficiently.
Consideration:
• Infiltrations have to be controlled to prevent condensation.
Standard Standard Ventilation Makeup

Suspended Ceiling Suspended Ceiling Air Supply Duct
Dehumidification Natural Convection

Ventilation
Makeup Air
Radiation Heat Transfer From Surfaces

and Objects in the Space
Use of spot cooling, Spot cooling is designed to provide cooling air to limited required area or certain time period
ceiling fans for without the need to cool the entire area that is not normally occupied.
certain locations Energy-efficient ceiling fans can be used to provide quiet air movement to cool semi-outdoor
such as corridors and areas.
lift lobbies Consideration:
• Ceiling fans can generate a

higher air velocity which can
p ro v i d e t h e s a m e t h e r m a l
comfort with a higher indoor
temperature to reduce the
cooling load.
15
3. Electrical Systems
3.1
Lighting The key objectives for lighting are to: The key measures include:
• Reduce the direct energy consumption of the • Reducing the need or operating time for using
lighting system artificial lighting
• Indirectly reduce the air-conditioning load and • Rationalising the lux level of the spaces based on
energy consumption their function or need
• Replacing light sources/luminaires with those
having higher efficacy and suitable light distribution
patterns.
Retrofit of office Office can be renovated to maximise the utilisation of natural day light.
layout to maximise the
Considerations:
utilisation of natural
day light • Barriers to natural lights such as high cabinets, and partitions should be reduced.
• Light-coloured furniture and wall painting should be used.
• Light shelf can be installed if suitable, to reflect external light to the ceiling of inner zones of
the space.
• Daylight sensors can be used to dim down the perimeter zone lighting level when natural
light is adequate. Care is to be taken as to contradicting the operation of the curtain for
preventing glare when the curtain comes down and the artificial lights are at max lux level.
16
02 RETROFITTING STRATEGIES 3. Electrical Systems 3.1 Lighting
Use of occupancy sensor Occupancy sensors can be used to operate (switch off or dim) lightings of different zones or
individual lights to reduce the energy consumption of the lighting system.
Considerations:
• The amount of energy saving highly depends on the occupancy pattern of the controlled
space. Care should be taken to use the lighting sources/lamps that the life expectancy of
which is not adversely affected by the frequent on and off operation.
• The occupancy sensors should be well
chosen and adjusted so that they can
truly determine if the space is occupied
or not. For instance, the sensors should
not be affected by people passing by a
transparent partition.
• The legislation requirement on lighting
intensity especially for escape route.
Use of smart lighting Addressable lighting system can integrate occupancy and day light sensors, timer etc. to
control control individual lights or by separate zones.
Consideration:
• This can maximise the energy savings and also best suit the conditions and preference of
individuals or different zone areas.
Adoption of task light This can reduce the energy consumption of the lighting system because of a lower lux level
with lower background overall.
lighting Consideration:
• The system needs to be carefully designed so as not to jeopardise IEQ for the purpose of the
space.
Adoption of lighting Retrofit the lighting system using lighting source of higher lighting efficacy can reduce the
source of high lighting energy intensity of the space
efficacy Consideration:
• The layout of the new lighting system should be reviewed or redesigned as the lighting
characteristic of the new lighting source will be different from the replaced lighting source.
Adoption of luminaires The higher the efficacy of the lighting source/luminaire and the better the distribution pattern,
with high efficacy and the lower will be the energy used to produce the same or even better lighting effect for the
space. (e.g. Nano coated reflector)
distribution pattern
matching the need of the Consideration:
space • Review of the lighting layout to suit the characteristics of the new luminaires should be done
to see if the lighting layout needs to be rearranged. There may be opportunities for reducing
the number of luminaires.
Upgrade of light fittings LED lightings enable energy saving and durability. It provides higher efficacy compared with
from fluorescent tubes and traditional form of light fittings and is far more durable. LED lightings also emit lower heat
energy and which requires less energy for ventilation.
halogen bulbs to more
efficient, longer lasting light
emitting diodes (LEDs)
17
02 RETROFITTING STRATEGIES 3. Electrical Systems
3.2
Electricity The key objectives for electricity
distribution system are to:
Distribution
• Monitoring the performance and conditions of the
• Maintain a highly reliable electricity distribution system
System distribution system to reduce energy loss

• Enable users to be aware of their energy
• Maintaining balanced load among the 3 phases
• Maintaining low harmonic
consumption
• Installing smart meters
Power and Install power and harmonic analysers to

monitor the quality of electricity and the
Harmonic Analyser
distribution of load among the 3 phases,
the power factors and high harmonic
loading. Rectify the problem by re -
balancing the loading and installing active
or passive filters to improve power factor
and eliminate excessive harmonic. These
can reduce energy loss due to copper loss
arising from the impedance of the circuits
and eddy current loss in rotating machine
and transformers.
Provision of smart Install smart meters so that users can have information on their real-time energy consumption and the
metering consumption patterns to facilitate users to make informed decisions to manage their consumptions
such as peak load shedding or switch-off unused appliances.
Consideration:
• The distribution circuit should be reviewed or use addressable equipment to maximise the benefit.
3.3
Lift & Escalator The key objective for lift and escalator is to reduce the energy consumption
for the vertical transportation systems of buildings.
The key measures include: Considerations:
• Modernising the lift machines • All alterations need to be designed and

implemented by the Registered Lift or Escalator
• Reducing the speed of escalators Contractor.
based on demand
• The cost of modernising the lift system can
• Reducing the weight of interior be high and have an unreasonable long
decorations payback period. Other benefits or need for the
modernising project needs to be considered
such as life cycle of the lift machine, supply
of spare parts, reliability, safety and quality of
services etc.
18
02 RETROFITTING STRATEGIES 3. Electrical Systems 3.3 Lift & Escalator
Installation of For conventional lifts, when

regenerative drive for lifts i. the car is lightly loaded and
moving up, or heavily loaded
and moving down and
ii. the lift is slowing down or in

braking motion.
The power generated by the

traction machine is dissipated
as heat.
A regenerative drive is capable to recycle the energy produced and feedback to the building
power network. This can greatly reduce the heat dissipation, thus saving overall power
consumption of lifts.
As the drives generate less heat, additional energy savings are achieved through reductions in
machine room cooling.
Modernisation of aged By applying permanent magnet (PM) gearless motor of modern technology, the efficiency of the
lifts with gearless lift hoisting machine is greatly increased, allowing for reduced energy consumption.
machine PM machines are also lighter in weight compared with conventional geared machine systems,
and more compact in size without extra accommodation for gearboxes, which is not only
cost saving but also environmentally friendly without hazards of oil pollution by any chance.
Advantage of maximising operational efficiency and flexibility is significant.
Upgrade of lift Replace the electromechanical relays control with software- and microprocessor-based controls
controllers with standby with in-cab sensors automatic detection to switch lift into standby mode.
mode features It enables the lift switch to idle or sleep mode, turning off the lights, ventilation and video screen
when the lift is not in use. The lift will return to normal when activated again by passenger call.
The microprocessor-based controls release less heat and the low voltage operation definitely
saves energy.
Reduce the weight of Consider retrofitting the lift car decorations to reduce the weight of the lift car.
interior decorations Consideration:
• To consult the Registered Lift Contractor on the feasibility and how to optimise the savings
such as the performance characteristics of the motor set and the need to adjust the counter
weight.
Modernisation of Upgrading the escalator controller drive to variable voltage variable frequency (VVVF) drive
escalators with standby and with the standby speed/on demand start function will maintain the escalator in stop/crawl
speed until passenger is detected by the specific sensors to resume the rated speed operation.
speed/on demand start
function This drive system rectifies alternating current (AC) voltages from the mains supply into DC, then
converts it into AC voltage with variable amplitude and frequency. The variable voltage and
variable frequency enable infinitely variable speed regulation of the motor.
The operation depends on the passenger flow. Significant energy can be saved when the
escalator is not being occupied.
19
4. Smart Control Systems
The key objectives for smart control systems are to: Considerations:
• Have an information management platform for data collection, • The technical staff needs to be well trained on the analysis of
data analytics, data display and reporting data from the smart system and the performance characteristics
of the systems that the smart system is going to be optimised.
• Have a network of internet of things (IoT) so that all sensors
Training on RCx will be a good start.
and controllers can be inter-operable and inter-communicable
through various data communication infrastructure • The objectives of the retrofitting project need to be determined
so that the best options can be identified such as total
• Have the ability to carry out optimisation of the building
replacement of the existing building management system
services systems to achieve a high performance building
(BMS), adding on a smart system for some specific functions,
• Have the function of carrying out fault detection and condition- replacing in part only or a long term total replacement.
based maintenance
• The smart system needs to have adequate sensors to cover the
The key measures include: system to be optimised. For example, if the chilled water plant is
going to be optimised, the root problem may be on the air-side
• Installing smart control systems with IoT sensors and controllers
systems and so must have adequate sensors to identify the root
• Using smart technologies that can optimise various building cause of the problems for optimal effect.
services systems by rule-based, Artificial Intelligent (AI),
• Start from knowing the information that is needed before
prediction models or digital twin technologies, etc.
working out the data to be collected.
Incorporation of smart The smart building energy management platform is a cloud-based AI-based platform.
building energy management The IoT infrastructure allows integration with different IoT sensors and BMS to collect
operation data of the building.
platform with IoT
infrastructure that can collect The platform will use AI and machine learning to analyse, optimise and automate
operations. It can identify unnoticed faults, predict failures, identify root causes of failures
building operation data,
and energy saving opportunities as well as optimise the HVAC operation to save energy.
perform monitoring and
evaluation; demand control The platform allows users to configure and customise their dashboards for remote
monitoring of energy and operation performance of the plants.
and optimisation of the
various systems Consideration:
• The connectivity of the wireless method in various locations for applying IoT
infrastructure should be considered.
20
02 RETROFITTING STRATEGIES 4. Smart Control Systems
Installation of meters A smart metering platform is used to facilitate

or by other means energy audit and determining of consumption
profile of the building operation and for
to visualise energy facilitating demand-side energy management.
consumption data for
demand side energy The platform comes with analytics and energy
management management functions for providing analytic
reports for the optimisation of energy usage,
triggering alert for abnormal consumption,
forecasting energy consumption and providing
data for the implementation of RCx measures.
Implementation of With advanced BMS, smart meters and IoT technologies, vast amount of data from building
various AI energy operation can be obtained. These real-time data collected can uncover the energy-saving
opportunities and reveal the actual performance of major building services systems, such as chiller
optimisation solutions plants, AHU and VAV system.
to all major equipment
with high energy By using AI energy optimisation platform
consumptions which utilises machine learning, advanced
d a t a m a n a g e m e n t te c h n i q u e s a n d
physical principles, the representative
models for real-time plant optimisation
can be developed holistically to achieve
the overall optimal operation.
Big data analytics can also be used to

support fault detection and diagnosis,
enabling predictive maintenance to
discover faults, investigate root problems
and recommend best-suited solutions
for achieving optimal performance and
energy efficiency.
The platform can provide holistic control of the whole chiller plant including chillers, cooling towers,
pumps, etc. It determines the most efficient point of operation and overrides the BMS control to run
the chiller plant at the optimal point.
Integration of people Different types of people counting technologies are available in the market. Popular choices include
counting sensors infrared beam counter, thermal count sensor, video-based count senor and light detection and
ranging (LiDAR) sensor.
with water-side &
air-side optimisation By integrating people data into BMS or AI energy optimisation platform, HVAC system operation can
and smart lift control be better optimised.
Knowing the number of people in and out of the building, the AI energy optimisation platform
can accurately predict the cooling load required and operate the optimal number of chillers to be
operated. Fresh air intake can also be reduced to meet the minimum occupancy requirements.
By counting people inside lift car and

waiting in lobby, the smart lift system
can perform many functions such as
triggering by-pass (skip floors) when
the lift is full or no people waiting in the
lobby, sending a right number of lifts to
serve the people in the lobby, etc.
21
5. Server Room / Data Centre
The key objective for server room/data centre is to: Considerations:

• Reduce the power usage effectiveness (PUE), which is the ratio • The retrofit has to be well-planned with risk management and
of the total amount of energy used by a computer data centre contingency plan to prevent any unpredicted interruption to the
facility to the energy delivered to computing equipment. PUE is data centre.
the inverse of data centre infrastructure efficiency (DCiE)
• Use Lithium battery instead of Lead Acid battery that can sustain
The key measure includes: at the higher space temperature.
• Reducing the energy used for rejecting the heat from the • Eliminate isolation transformer if the power condition is suitable
information technology (IT) equipment to reduce the power loss.
Replacement of UPS is a continuously operating system that provides reliable power supply to the critical
Uninterrupted Power equipment especially IT servers. Higher efficiency UPS can lower the power loss substantially.
System (UPS) by more • Using insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) rectifier with power factor correction to ensure that
energy efficient system current distortion is lower and power factor >0.99
• Using transformerless UPS that improves the energy efficiency
• Using Modular UPS to improve the flexibility
22
02 RETROFITTING STRATEGIES 5. Server Room/ Data Centre
Installation of Hot/cold aisle is a layout design for server racks in a data centre. The goal of it is to increase the
enclosure to effectiveness of cooling system by managing air flow in data centre. This design involves lining
up server racks in different rows withdrawing cold air at the same aisle and exhausting hot air to
separate hot-aisle/ another aisle to minimise cross-over between hot air and cold air. The servers are positioned back-
cold-aisle (hot aisle to-back such that hot air is discharged to the same aisle.
containment / cold
With cold aisles containment, cold air is directed only to the front of the servers, where it is pulled
aisle containment) through the servers into a warm aisle or a space near a warm air return to be re-cooled. Except for
the cold aisle, other space in the data centre hall is at higher temperature.
With hot aisle containment design, the hot air is efficiently captured and channelled back to the
CRAC.
Considerations:
• With cold aisle containment, the cooling effectiveness is higher, but most of the area in the data
centre hall may not be suitable for people working.
• Additional fire detection and firefighting requirement for the contained aisles.
Use of emerging Immersion cooling involves immersing

technologies such as system components, such as a motherboard
or an entire computer system, in a fluid
immersion cooling and which, ideally, has a high coefficient of heat
heat pipes for cooling rejection and low thermal resistance. These
the data centre servers fluids need to be “dielectric” meaning that
they do not conduct electricity. Because
immersion cooling is more energy- and
space-efficient, interest in the technology
has steadily grown over the years, and the
technology itself has evolved considerably.
Heat pipe energy recovery modules provide a passive cooling effect to reduce loads and downsize
the mechanical cooling system in indirect cooling applications, whether chilled water or direct
expansion. As air passes over the warm side (hot air aisle from data centre return air) of the heat
pipe, the refrigerant vaporises, absorbing energy, then travels to the cold side (outside air) where it
condenses, releasing energy, then flows back to the warm side.
Consideration:
• Immersion type heat rejection system may only be considered when the data centre is
undergoing a major replacement plan for the IT equipment.
Use of cold door for Cold door is a cooling coil installed at the door of the
server racks cooling hot air discharge side of the equipment rack. It absorbs
the heat directly before it leaves the equipment rack. It
instead of using requires no fan power and supply temperature of the
CRAC Unit cooling media can be maintained at a much higher
temperature than a typical chilled water system,
say 21°C. Besides, the whole data centre hall can be
maintained in a better environment.
Consideration:
• Cold door normally supplied with the equipment
rack and thus the size of the equipment rack has
limited selection.
23
6. Carpark
The key objective for carpark is to: The key measures include:
• Reduce the energy consumption of the ventilation and • Reducing the air flow rate by demand
lighting systems
• Zoning the carpark
• Using induction system
Use of zoning for Divide the carpark into zones and close down some zones during night time or non-peak hours so
carpark operation that lighting and ventilation needs can be reduced.
Considerations:
• Security risks need to be addressed and planned for.
• May need to rearrange the zoning for monthly or sold carparks to maximise the benefit of the
retrofit.
24
02 RETROFITTING STRATEGIES 6. Carpark
Use of demand According to Environmental Protection

control to vary Department (EPD) guideline ProPECC
PN 2/96, the CO concentration inside
exhaust air/fresh car par ks should be k ept within
air by carbon 100ppm. If the CO concentration is
monoxide (CO) and under this limit, the ventilation rate can
temperature sensors be reduced to save energy.
Consideration:
• T h e r m a l c o m fo r t n e e d s t o b e
considered during hot seasons. May
need other means to maintain an
acceptable thermal comfort level
during adverse conditions such as
fans.
Use of induction The jet fan ventilation system is based on a number of small high velocity jet fans that replaces traditional
units to eliminate air distribution ductwork in enclosed car parks. The mechanical supply and exhaust systems have less
resistance and therefore require smaller fans that consume less power.
ducting and hence
reduce fan power Consideration:
• The air flow path needs

to be properly designed
so that it can induce the
exhaust air towards the
exhaust louvre.
25
7. Green Commercial Kitchen
The key objective for green commercial kitchen is to: Considerations:

• To reduce the energy consumption by low carbon
• The retrofit work should be well-planned to minimise interruptions
operations as well as enhancing the air quality and
to normal business operations.
working environment to employees
• Conduct life cycle cost analysis for the replacement of the energy
efficient equipment considering the initial investment of the
• Reducing energy consumption by proper design of equipment, among of energy saving and improvements of the
ventilation systems, and working environment.
• Adopting heat recovery in kitchen appliances
• Regular monitoring of energy consumption by power analysers.
26
02 RETROFITTING STRATEGIES 7. Green Commercial Kitchen
Implementation of Kitchen ventilation systems consume a substantial amount of energy.

energy conservation • To employ a demand-based ventilation system with variable speed capabilities, which can adjust
measures for its operation according to the level of cooking activity. This, not only, can achieve significant
ventilation systems energy savings but can also minimise wear and tear of equipment, reduction of cooling or
heating requirement of the kitchen and reduce the risk of system failure, etc.
• To install automatic sensors and timers that can enable the control of kitchen equipment based
on actual usage. This can prevent unnecessary energy consumption of idling appliances.
• To provide spot cooling for better thermal comfort to employees with high cooling efficiency.
• To install high efficiency Ultraviolet (UV) C grease hoods and odour elimination systems to
neutralise grease vapour and particles with less exhaust air rate.
• Demand Controlled Kitchen Ventilation System
Considerations:
• The size of the kitchen ventilation, hours of operations at reduced air flow, etc. for justifying the
investment.
• The indirect economic factors such as the impacts of the installation and commissioning of the
system on the business operations, improved working environment for employees, etc.
• Design and locating of the exhaust hood to enhance the capturing of heat and vapour from the
cooking appliance.
27
Use of recovered heat in To achieve notable energy savings, it is recommended to incorporate heat recovery from
kitchen appliances kitchen appliances such as gas or electric dishwashers, steam cabinets, steamers, Chinese wok
ranges, and stockpots, etc. This approach involves the installation of a heat recovery device,
typically an additional enclosure positioned on top of the standard appliance. Within this
device, heat-absorbing coils or exchangers are integrated to efficiently capture and circulate
waste heat back into the process.
The benefits include:

• Maximising the efficiency of the appliance by utilising the otherwise wasted heat.
• Enabling the use of the recovered heat, resulting in notable energy savings. This approach
contributes to reducing overall energy.
• Minimising the cooling or heating load of the working environment.
• Enhancing the thermal comfort of employees especially during hot weather.
Considerations: • Door type dishwasher with

heat recovery.
• Consider the factors that could affect the heat
recovery systems such as efficiency, compact
design, durability, maintenance, ease of installation,
etc.
• The added benefit of heat recovery technology
is the reduced dissipation of waste heat into the
kitchen environment, which can further enhance
the working environment of the chefs and
operators working in the kitchen.
• The power and gas utilities can be contacted for
professional advice.
• Arrange periodic preventive maintenance to keep
appliances in good operating condition.
Examples:
28
• Mini Flight Type Dishwasher with heat recovery.
• Different types of cooking appliances with heat recovery
Commercial electric cooking equipment such as induction cookers are highly energy efficient. It
will not generate excess heat and noise to the surrounding and less demand on the ventilation
system. Heat and time control can be adjusted in multi-stage to enhance energy efficiency.
• Chinese Induction Wok • Induction Stove
• Electric Steam Cabinet with heat recovery
29
8. Others
8.1
Heating Replacement of electric or gas heater with heat pump as the heat source to reduce the energy
consumption for heating
Heat pump works on the principle of drawing heat from air Considerations:
or water heat source through a refrigerant cycle. Efficiency of
heat pumps is much higher than direct heating by electric or • Ensure the electricity supply has the
gas heater. It can be used for: spare capacity to operate the heat
pumps if the conversion is from gas
• Providing heating for indoor space requiring heating. There to heat pump.
are air-conditioning units with reverse cycle function that can
provide heating in the winter and cooling in the summer. • Where feasible, solar heaters may be
installed for preheating the water
• Generating heating water for central HVAC systems. to the heat pump to save electricity
consumption.
• Generating hot water for domestic or commercial hot water
system.
• Through recovery devices, hot water can be generated at the

condenser of central or packaged air-conditioning systems.
30
02 RETROFITTING STRATEGIES 8. Others 8.2 Building Envelope
8.2
Building The key objectives for building envelope are to: The key measures include:
Envelope
• Reduce heat entering the building or infiltration • Means to reduce heat entering the building
to reduce the cooling load of the air-conditioning through the glazing or roof by radiation or
system conduction
• Reduce air conditioned space by adopting natural • Minimising infiltration into the building
ventilation to some enclosed spaces through the entrants
Design considerations: The current building status has to be investigated, e.g. spalling check, waterproofing installation,
tiles installation condition, etc.
Statutory requirement such as building plans, alterations and additions or minor works submission.
Land lease, tenant lease, using the reminding gross floor area and more, have to be checked by
professionals at early stage of the planning of retrofitting.
Consult with relevant professionals including architects, authorised person, registered structural
engineer, etc.
Climatic factors of Hong Kong

• Sub-tropical climate zone
• Hot and high humidity
• Average annual summer prevailing wind-SE
• Average annual winter prevailing wind-NE
Topography of the site

Surrounding buildings environment
Orientation of the proposed building
Material use for the building envelope
Maintenance and repair plan should be well
planned and executed
Natural ventilation Convert some enclosed space to allow natural ventilation and lighting during appropriate outdoor
and lighting weather conditions to reduce energy usage of air-conditioning and lighting system.
Can reduce the energy usage of air-conditioning and lighting system.
To provide comfortable and healthy space for the occupants for the wellness.
Considerations:
• Suitable for areas for circulation, common activities etc.
• To review the existing interior layout of the building.
• To avoid any blockage of the natural light and ventilation.
• To free up the perimeter space.
• To have solar or wind simulation for the verification of
the target achievement of the lighting, ventilation and
solar heat gain.
• Minor works or alterations and additions works
submission to Buildings Department might be
needed.
• Professional advice should be sought.
31
Light shelves The installation of light shelves can enhance the outdoor natural light to enter into the room deeper.
To reduce the use of artificial light and save energy.
Reduce cooling loads.
Increase indoor comfort.
Considerations:
• It is suitable for the area with higher headroom.
• Need to check the window construction and the fixing of the light shelves.
• Light shelves can have both interior and exterior portion, good to check the dimension, and fixing.
• The installation should comply with relevant Building Regulations.
• Loading adding to the wall or window frame should be checked.
• To check the proposed light shelves whether they will block any sprinklers.
• Simulation to check the result for review is recommended.
Use of double door Using air curtain, double door or revolving door can reduce the energy consumption of
or revolving door or air-conditioning for cooling the air infiltrated into the building. It can also improve IAQ.
air curtain to reduce Considerations:
infiltration • Extra space is needed for revolving or double
doors.
• Automatic touchless doors can address
hygiene issue.
Application of Apply special coating on the roof that can

coating on roof that irradiate heat from the roof surface to the
cold outer space through the atmosphere
can irradiate heat to reduce the OTTV of the building in order
to the cold outer to reduce energy consumption of the air-
space through the conditioning system.
atmosphere
32
Cool external wall “Smart” sub-ambient radiative cooling (SSRC) coating/ painting
material at external wall and or roof with high solar reflectance
and/or roof
index (SRI) can irradiate solar heat.
-4 degC
It works by scattering sunlight, converting absorbed UV light to -6 degC
fluorescence emissions and re-emitting infrared radiation to outer
space. Temperature reduction in buildings
as compared to the ambient
Keeping the interior temperature of buildings at 6°C cooler than the at
ambient temperature with zero electricity consumption.
Zero
Reduce the urban heat island effect. electricity consumption
Improve air quality by reducing carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and other emissions
associated with fossil fuel generated electricity used for air conditioning through the reduction in
indoor air temperature.
Insulation at external Adding appropriate insulation to external walls can act as a thermal barrier that regulate the building’s
wall and roof internal temperature and can reduce the amount of energy required for space heating and cooling to
maintain thermal comfort.
Considerations:
• Existing concrete wall can be insulated by adding rigid foam boards/ panels at the inner side of the
external wall.
• These added insulation materials to the external wall must be non-combustible for fire safety.
• If added externally, the insulation would form part of the external cladding system.
Vertical green wall Green roofs can lower the

and green roof surface temperature of
the roof which can reduce
the heat conducted
from the roof to the top
floor to lower the energy
consumption of the air-
conditioning system.
Green roofs can also
lower the temperature
of the surroundings and
m a y re d u c e t h e h e a t
island effect and improve
pedestrian comfort.
Reducing heating and cooling loads
Reducing the size of HVAC equipment,
Insulating for sound, reducing storm water run-off, creating natural habitat, filtrating pollutants and
reducing carbon dioxide out of the air.
Can enrich biodiversity.
Considerations:
• Structural loadings and usage of the roof need to be checked.
• Overall heat gain study on façades by climatic simulation.
• Suitable plants and planting method should be well studied. Climber plants are preferred.
• Loading and waterproofing and fire safety have to be well checked and irrigation and drainage
system should also be well designed.
• Maintenance method also has to be well studied before installation. Irrigation system, drainage and
root protection should also be considered.
33
Window system and Windows and glazing provide natural light for the health and comfort of the building occupants.
glazing selection However, they are also the major sources of heat gain/loss, visual and thermal discomfort, such that
much energy is required to regulate the indoor temperature to a comfortable level.
The best glazing selection depends on local climate, orientation of the building, shading and interior
space design, in order to achieve low thermal conductivity, low radiant heat transmissivity and high
visibility.
Considerations:
• Energy-efficient window and glazing systems can reduce building energy consumption.
• These high-performance windows feature multiple glazing, specialised transparent coatings,

insulating gas in between glass panes and improved frame. All these features reduce heat gain in
interior.
• Comparison for glazing selection can refer to EMSD’s guideline.
• Loading to be well checked.
• Building submission on minor works submission may be required.
• Comparison for glazing selection
Characteristic Double glazing Single glazing with Low emission Single glazing
with coatings coatings double glazing without coating
Properties ≫ Two layers of glass ≫ Only one layer of ≫ Invisible metallic ≫ Typical clear
separated by a glass coating admits glass without
spacer ≫ Coating provides a visible light but any treatment or
≫ Coating provides reflective barrier with blocks radiant coating
various choice of heat ≫ Only one layer of
a reflective barrier
with various choice colours such as silver, ≫ Two layers of glass with custom
of colours such as bronze and gold etc. glass separated choice of colours
silver, bronze and by a spacer or clear
gold etc. ≫ Clear or
laminated colours
Thermal transfer 2.4 – 3.29 4.88 – 5.96 1.6 – 1.87 5.22 – 6.76
value, (W/m2 °C)
Shading coefficient 0.4 – 0.89 0.23 – 0.47 0.12 – 0.45 0.73 – 0.89
Sound Reduction Max. 33 Max. 25 Max. 32 Max. 25

Index (dB)
Solar load Medium Medium Lowest Highest
Transmission load Medium Highest Lowest Highest
Glare pollution Slightly High Highest Slightly Low Lowest
Reflectance Slightly High Highest Slightly Low Lowest
Visibility Lowest Lowest Highest Highest
Source: EMSD's website (as of November 2023)
34
Window-wall ratio Window sizes provision for commercial and residential buildings are regulated by Building Regulations
with prescribed area provision to control the lighting and ventilation.
However, better energy efficiency for the space can be gained by adjusting window-wall ratio within
the requirement of prescribed windows.
To investigate the orientation of the buildings, site context, and can provide suitable window-wall ratio
with less heat gain.
Considerations:
• Existing building might not comply with the requirement of current Overall Thermal Transfer Value
(OTTV). Major retrofitting if involved with Building Submission, the compliance should be made.
• OT T V requirements for
commercial buildings and
hotel:
• Building tower, OTTV should

not exceed 21 W/m²; Podium
should not exceed 50 W/m².
• The existing building can have

actual on site study to figure
out the window to wall ratio is
appropriate for the building.
• Computer simulation should

be studied to figure out the
correct window to wall ratio
based on the current use.
Solar shading Solar shading devices can be added based on the sun path, solar angle to determine the type, size for
devices the use and offer better indoor climate environment.
The well-designed solar shading devices can reduce building peak cooling load, corresponding
energy consumption and enhance daylight utilisation in buildings.
Shading devices can also avoid glare by reducing contrast ratios of building interiors, thus improve
visual comfort of users.
Considerations:
• To have solar simulation for the building envelope, and determine how the solar affecting the
building on all façades.
• Shading of external windows can be provided by natural landscaping such as trees and hills, or by
building elements such as overhangs, awnings, fins and trellises. (EMSD, n.d.)
• To explore different type of solar shading devices together with architectural design incorporation.
• Loading capacity has to be checked and solar shading devices might extrude out of the site.
Relevant building regulations and land requirement have to be advised by authorised person prior
to proceeding of design and application.
35
Solar-responsive architectural fins
Using advanced computational technology

to identify localised shading requirements,
the profiles and sizes of the shading fins
across each façade were designed according
to the extent of solar irradiation received.
Combined with high performance glass,

this innovative design achieves an OTTV of
about 18W/m² – significantly lower than the
code requirement of 21 W/m². (2020)
The simulation model with shading panels

applied on the opaque façades of a Concord
type public rental housing building –
studied by The Chinese University of Hong
Kong 2019, showing the energy saving at
westward-facing façade can be up to 8%
reduction.
Building with The external ventilated façade forming a secondary skin can reduce thermal conductivity due to the
ventilation façade presence of an air layer between the façade cladding and the building wall. Overall, the system can
retain heat in the winter and reduces heat absorption in the summer, insulating the building from direct
sunlight.
Considerations:
• The additional space and gross floor area (GFA) for adding ventilation façade might extrude from the
existing structure and out of site area. Details checking has to be made prior to design process.
• Different material of the ventilation façade should have different degree of energy efficiency. E.g. tiles,
glass-fiber reinforced concrete panel, and stone, etc.
• Drainage system should be integrated in order to have better design result.
• Building submission for the alterations and additions works is needed.
• Sectional diagram for ventilation façade • View of diagrammatic fixing detail
36
Double façade system A second façade can be added in front of the external wall or curtain wall on the hottest west façade.
The cavity in between the two façades will have an upward passage air to carry away the solar heat
absorbed. OTTV can be reduced to 20 W/m².
Clear glass could be considered for façade facing highways to help reduce the amount of glare that
may affect motorists.
It also helps to shield traffic noise from external.
Considerations:
• Sufficient GFA for the additional space to be checked.
• Computer simulation checking on heat gain to be made.
Renewable energy Add renewable energy source on roof such as solar panel, photovoltaic (PV) panel or wind turbine.
Considerations:
• The two utility companies offer

feed-in-tariff to incentivise the
installation of PV panels and wind
turbines.
• A number of options available

including different types of PV
panels, hybrid type wind turbine
with PV panels, building integrated
photovoltaic (BIPV ) panels, solar
panels for hot water etc.
• There are regulations limiting the

height of the PV panel from the roof
floor.
• Structural loading needs to be

checked.
37
PV system Green roofs and solar PV integrated together can be referred to as “Biosolar roof”, which can be
integrated with regarded as a smart green infrastructure. The synegy can provide the following benefits:
green roof • The green roof can help to keep ambient temperatures around the solar PV panels at or near 25˚C,
which is the best temperature for the panels to work most efficiently.
• The panels can create shaded area underneath, and rain run-off distribution unevenly. This can
create a ‘habitat mosaic’, allowing a wider variety of vegetation and biodiversity.
• If designed properly, the green roof assembly can provide the required support anchor for the solar
PV panel A-frames, thus no impact on the roof waterproofing underneath.
• Altogether they combine the benefits of a green roof with the generation of renewable energy.
Considerations:
• Loading capacity is critical, while waterproofing

installation and drainage system need to be
considered.
• Spacing and disposition of solar PV panels are

important, e.g. not too close, to allow reasonable
growing space for the green roof.
• The solar PV panels are usually mounted higher, to

allow sufficient solar radiation and rainfall for the
vegetation.
Renewable energy To install renewable energy for energy use e.g. BIPV for façade.
application in
Considerations:
façade
• Overall building layout and façade study for the orientation.
• Using climatic simulation tools to dig out the most problematic location for the study.
• To utilise the façade glazing for as BIPV for gaining energy for the use.
• BIPV systems are grid connected type to eliminate the bulky and troublesome battery banks.
• Can have various color options or texture for the selection.
• Building with BIPV integrated on its glazing.
38
Solar film, spray or Solar radiations to indoor space can be reduced by attaching a solar film on the window, using spray-
solar reflective blind on solar coating or installing reflective solar blind. Energy consumption of the air-conditioning system
can be lowered as a result of the reduction in solar load.
on building façade
Although the efficiency of the solar film is less than that of PV, solar film with greener production
process. More flexible forms of application, and with different colors. It would be fit for retrofitting.
Considerations:
• L i fe s p a n o f t h e a d d e d - o n f i l m o r
coating to the life of the glazing should
be considered as to how those can be
maintained or replaced.
• The safety features of the glazing should

not be jeopardised. For example, the
feature of tempered glass is that it will
break into small pieces when damaged
either by external force or spontaneous
breakage from within. However, if a film is
applied, the broken glass is still intact and
may fall as a large glass piece, increasing
the risk of serious injury to pedestrians.
Installation of a A lot of existing buildings are using single glazing. The heat entering the building through solar radiation
and conduction can be reduced by installing a second piece of glazing at the internal side of the
second plane of window. Energy consumption for the air-conditioning system can be lowered due to the reduction of
glazing behind the OTTV.
building façade
Considerations:
• Load calculation should be carried out to make sure that the window framework can stand the
weight of the additional glass.
• Check if submission to BD is required or can be handled as minor works.
• Apply it just to windows that are subject

to prolonged solar radiation which could
have a much shorter payback period
despite a smaller energy reduction.
• The second glazing should have good

shading and insulation performance
and should have minimal effect on the
aesthetic of the window.
• Other benefits of indoor environment

should be considered such as noise
reduction and indoor thermal comfort.
Coating for PV Dust, dirt and fouling of solar panels are

major sources of inefficiency and loss in solar
generation.
Coating for PV can solve the problem and

upkeep the efficiency of the PV panels.
Nano hydrophobic coating helps panels to

let water flow off more easily and therefore
would make the solar panel more efficient
during inclement weather.
39
RATING OF INITIATIVES
03
Energy Disturbance
Payback Project Execution Expert's
Retrofitting Initiatives Saving to
Period2 Duration Difficulty3 Choice4
Potential1 Occupant
Replacement of inefficient chillers with more efficient chillers

and review of new chiller combination during life cycle
replacement
Conversion of air-cooled chillers to water-cooled chillers
Replacement of cooling tower constant speed fan by

variable speed fan
Installation of tube cleaning and other cleaning systems for

chiller’s water-cooled condenser
Installation of electromagnetic clamp-on device for

condensing water system
HVAC Water-side
Conversion of the chilled water system to variable flow by

replacing constant speed pumps with variable speed pumps
Conversion of de-coupler or differential by-pass chilled water

system to variable primary flow system
Conversion of centralised chilled water pumps circuit to

de-centralised pumping systems with in-line pumps on each
equipment/floor/zone
Installation of automatic valves to control chilled water

flowrate by the design temperature difference between
the supply and return chilled water of terminal devices
(e.g. AHUs) or sub-circuits (risers, zones)
Separation of risers, circuits or systems for different

equipment (e.g., AHU, FCU, chilled ceiling, CRAC unit,
etc.) with different chilled water requirements so that
some chillers can operate at a higher chilled water supply
temperature all or part of a year
Replacement of traditional induction motor FCU with

variable speed DC permanent magnet motor incorporated
with smart control thermostat or DDC controller
Replacement of air filters with lower pressure drop air

filters using sonic, ionisation, nanofibrous or other new
technologies which can improve filter efficiency
Replacement of centrifugal fan in AHU / PAU using EC plug

HVAC Air-side
fan
Enlargement of fresh air inlet and air duct to allow higher %

or 100% of fresh air for free cooling in autumn and winter
seasons on days with low outdoor relative humidity (RH)
Conversion of CAV system to VAV system
Conversion of VAV system to dry fan coil unit systems with

pre-treated fresh air using desiccant dehumidification
40
03 RATING OF INITIATIVES
Energy Disturbance
Potential1 Occupant
Use of heat exchanger or regenerative indirect evaporative

cooling system to pre-cool the primary fresh air by the
exhaust air
Use of demand control fresh air system to reduce fresh air

HVAC Air-side
amount when the IAQ meets the desired level according to

IAQ sensor inputwhile coupling with variable exhaust system
Use of radiant cooling technologies such as chilled beam or

chilled ceiling
Use of spot cooling, ceiling fans for certain locations such as

corridors and lift lobbies
Retrofit of office layout to maximise the utilisation of natural

day light
Use of occupancy sensor
Use of smart lighting control

Lighting
Adoption of task light with lower background lighting
Adoption of lighting source of high efficacy
Adoption of luminaires with high efficacy and distribution

pattern matching the need of the space
Upgrade of light fittings from fluorescent tubes and halogen

Electrical Installations
bulbs to more efficient, longer lasting LEDs

distribution system
Power and Harmonic Analyser

Electricity
Provision of smart metering
Installation of regenerative drive for lifts
Modernisation of aged lifts with gearless machine

Lift & Escalator
Upgrade of lift controllers with standby mode features
Reduce the weight of interior decorations
Modernisation of escalators with standby speed/on demand

start function
Incorporation of smart building energy management

platform with IoT infrastructure that can collect building
operation data, perform monitoring and evaluation; demand
Smart Control Systems
control and optimisation of the various systems
Installation of meters or by other means to visualise energy

consumption data for demand side energy management
Implementation of various AI energy optimisation solutions

to all major equipment with high energy consumptions
Integration of people counting sensors with water-side & air-

side optimisation and smart lift control
41
Energy Disturbance
Potential1 Occupant
Replacement of UPS by more energy efficient system

Server Room/ Data Centre
Installation of enclosure to separate hot-aisle/cold-aisle

(hot aisle containment/ cold aisle containment)
Use of emerging technologies such as immersion cooling

and heat pipes for cooling the data centre servers
Use of cold door for server racks cooling instead of using

CRAC Unit
Use of zoning for carpark operation

Carpark
Use of demand control to vary exhaust air/fresh air by CO

and temperature sensors
Use of induction units to eliminate ducting and hence

reduce fan power
Implementation of energy conservation measures for

ventilation systems
Kitchen
Use of recovered heat in kitchen appliances

Heating
Replacement of electric or gas heater with heat pump as the

heat source to reduce the energy consumption for heating
Natural ventilation and lighting
Light shelves
Use of double door or revolving door or air curtain to reduce

infiltration
Application of coating on roof that can irradiate heat to the

cold outer space through the atmosphere
Cool external wall and/or roof

Others
Building Envelope
Insulation at external wall and roof
Vertical green wall and green roof
Window system and glazing selection
Window-wall ratio
Solar shading devices
Building with ventilation façade
Double façade system
42
Energy Disturbance
Potential1 Occupant
Renewable energy
PV system integrated with green roof

Building Envelope
Renewable energy application in façade

Others
Solar film, spray or solar reflective blind on building façade
Installation of a second plane of glazing behind the building

façade
Coating for PV
Remarks:
1. Energy saving potential as compared with the original system
2. Simple payback is referred; cost for feasibility study / detailed design is excluded
3. E.g. required large amount of data for analysis; need a feasibility study / detailed design; difficulty to implement the project
4. The rating is based on the preceding performance rate and recommendations from experts.
Remarks Most Preferred Preferred Least Preferred
Energy Saving Potential
Payback Period
Disturbance to Occupant
Project Duration
Execution Difficulty
Expert's Choice
43
USEFUL RESOURCES AND

LINKS FOR RETROFITTING
To motivate the building owners and facility management operators to initiate their retrofitting projects,
04
government departments and serval corporations provide their support or incentives for retrofitting projects,
including EMSD, CLP Power Hong Kong Limited (CLP Power), The Hongkong Electric Company, Limited (HK Electric),
Construction Industry Council (CIC), etc.
Useful Links Fundings
EMSD is enforcing the Buildings Energy Efficiency CIC gives their support in doing research for retrofitting projects.
Ordinance (BEEO), Chapter 610 and has a regulatory
role in retrofitting works in buildings. Under the Link:
BEEO, certain prescribed types of buildings have to 1907018_CIC_ResearchSummaryReport_CICRS22_G_V02
comply with BEC and/or EAC, etc.
Link:
Buildings Energy Efficiency Ordinance (CAP.610) CLP Power has serval initiatives that support retrofitting projects including
advisory services and funding programmes.
Advisory Services:
Energy Audit (clp.com.hk)
Retro-commissioning Charter Programme (clp.com.hk)
Energy Management Tool:

Smart Energy Online (clp.com.hk)
Funding Schemes:
Eco Building Fund (clp.com.hk)
Electrical Equipment Upgrade Scheme (clp.com.hk)
HK Electric provides advisory service and funding programme for retrofitting

projects.
Advisory projects’ link:

Smart Power Energy Audit – HK Electric
Funding projects’ link:

Smart Power Building Fund – HK Electric
44
CASE STUDIES
05
HKGBC does not conduct its own assessment of the case studies included in this Guidebook. The results presented here
are those shared by the case study contributor and their project team. HKGBC staff have scrutinised the findings and asked
for follow-up where necessary to ensure the accuracy of the details provided, but cannot attest to their accuracy. HKGBC
encourages readers of this Guidebook to engage with the case study contributor where questions or clarifications arise.
CASE 1
Information of Building owner: Building name:
Building
PCCW-HKT Telephone Limited Ngau Tau Kok Engineering Centre
Description of the building:

• A 10-storey building with offices, a 24 hours call centre and canteen
• Fully air-conditioned with water cooled central chilled water system & constant speed pumps
• Water cooled central chiller water system controlled by Building Monitoring System round the clock
• Air Handling Unit and Fan Coil Unit for offices, call centre and canteen with pre-treated fresh air
Information Retrofitted system involved: Retrofitted initiatives:

of Retrofitting
Project • Converted the fresh air supply system to demand control ventilation.
• Fresh air supply on every floor is controlled by the indoor carbon dioxide level
instead of fixed amount of fresh air intake.
• Building Management System is engaged to control the amount of fresh air
intake in each floor.
• Speed of fresh air fan is controlled by the static air pressure level at the supply
air duct.
• Free Cooling Mode will be activated to allow 100% of fresh air intake while
ambient temperature is under 20oC by Building Management System.
Conceptual Drawing indicating the changes
Before Renovation After Renovation
Old FAU New PAU
45
05 CASE STUDIES CASE 1 PCCW-HKT Telephone Limited

• Ngau Tau Kok Engineering Centre
Observed benefits other than energy saving: General observations of the retrofitting project:
• Improved cooling capacity in each floor and reduced • Fresh air supply system retrofit has not affected the users in general.
complaint for poor indoor air temperature. • Standard retrofitting initiatives with proven technologies and straight
• Improved indoor air quality and Nil complaint for forward.
insufficient fresh air. • Retrofit requires shut down of fresh air supply temporarily. Some
disturbance to tenants but manageable.
• Overall a well justified project with good outcomes with tangible and non-
tangible benefits.
Conceptual Diagram indicating the Control Logic
Ambient Temp:
22 to 35 oC
PAU water valve:

controlled under PAU set point
Fresh Air damper:

Control under CO2 setpoint
Ambient Temp:
20 oC
PAU water valve:

closed
Fresh Air damper:

by-pass CO2 setpoint & fully open
Ambient Temp:
below 20 oC
PAU water valve:

closed
Fresh Air damper:

by-pass CO2 setpoint & room temperature control the
opening to minimise cooling requirement
Cost Saving
Total savings/year: 170,000 kWh

Total cost: HKD 1,200,000
Payback: 7 years
46
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 2
Building
PCCW-HKT Telephone Limited East Exchange Tower

• A 24-storey building with offices, exchanges and a carpark
• The 2-storey carpark located in basement equipped with 16 parking space

of Retrofitting
Project • Replaced the original T8 lighting with LED tubes that integrated with a
microwave motion sensor at B1, B2 & LG floor.
• The LED lamp operates at full power when the sensor sensed motion.
• The LED lamp within escape route would be dimmed to 30% automatically
when the sensor sensed no motion along access path after 1 minute. The
minimum lux level will be maintained at 30 lux for meeting the requirement of
Mean of Escape.
• Other LED lamps would be switched off automatically when the sensor sensed
no motion within carpark space after 1 minute.
Floor/Premises Operating hrs/ Original Lighting Original Original LED Brand/Type LED LED Completion
Mth Lighting Quantity Lighting Quantity Date
Wattage Wattage
Carpark B1 720 1x600 mm FL fixture 18 38 CET / CL2810FNW 10 38 Mar 2018
Carpark B2 720 1x1200 mm FL fixture 36 69 CET / CL4820FNW 20 69 Mar 2018
Carpark LG 720 1x1200 mm FL fixture 36 12 CET / CL4820FNW 20 12 Apr 2018
New LED Lighting System with dimming
Daily kWh
Type of Tube Quantity Wattage Operating Hours
used
1200 mm tube 63 7 21 9.261
1200 mm tube 18 0 21 0
1200 mm tube 81 20 3 4.86
600 mm tube 38 4 21 3.192
600 mm tube 38 10 3 1.14
18.453
Source from CET 中國光電有限公司 Old T8 Lighting System without dimming
Daily kWh
Type of Tube Quantity Wattage Operating Hours
used
1200 mm tube 81 36 24 69.984
600 mm tube 38 18 24 16.416
86.4
kWh saved per day 67.947

kWh saved per year 24800.655
47

• East Exchange Tower
• Prolong the lifetime of the LED tube, therefore • New carpark lighting system retrofit have not affected the users.
save money. • Standard retrofitting initiatives with proven technologies and straight forward.
• Reduce the temperature of carpark, therefore • Retrofit requires shut down of lighting system temporarily at a very short
better indoor environment for carpark user. period of time. Minimal disturbance to tenants.
tangible benefits.
East Exchange Tower Basement 1 Plan
(Lighting lux measurement)

Unit: Lux
East Exchange Tower Basement 2 Plan
(Lighting lux measurement)

Unit: Lux
Cost Saving
Total savings/year: 24,800 kWh

Total cost: HKD 45,000
Payback: 1.8 years
48
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 3
Building
PCCW-HKT Telephone Limited Yuen Chau Kok Exchange

• A 9-storey building with offices, datacentres, telephone exchange areas and a canteen
• IT loads are served by Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) System

of Retrofitting
Project • Replace the obsoleted UPS systems in smaller rating (UPS 7.3A&B, 7.4A&B,
3.5A&B, 3.6A&B) by new UPS systems in larger rating (UPS 7.3A&B, 7.4A&B) with
high conversion efficiency.
• Remove isolation transformers.
Schematic Diagram showing the old UPS system
Old UPS3.5A & B Old UPS7.3A & B
49

• Yuen Chau Kok Exchange
• Improve the reliability of the uninterruptible • UPS system retrofit has not affected the users.
power supply for mission critical equipment. • Standard retrofitting initiatives with proven technologies and straight forward.
• Reduce the maintenance cost. • Retrofit requires diversion of IT loads. Some disturbance to tenants but
manageable.
tangible benefits.
Schematic Diagram showing the new UPS system
New Consolidated UPS7.3A & B
Cost Saving Subsidy/ Funding
Total cost: HKD 3,564,000 Total savings/year: HKD 1,100,000
HKD 850,000 - electricity consumption cost

UPS c/w all necessities Savings/year saving due to improved UPS conversion The project is CLP Eco Building
HKD 2,244,000 breakdown: efficiency supported by: Fund
Cost
breakdown: Backup Batteries HKD 250,000 - Saving in maintenance cost
HKD 1,320,000
Payback: 2 years
50
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 4
Building
Hongkong Land Limited Chater House

• Chater House is at the hub of Hongkong Land's portfolio in Central, with telecommunications, electrical and mechanical
features designed for the specific needs of investment banking and financial services
• One of the four iconic buildings under LANDMARK, representing the epitome of top-tier luxury shopping and lifestyle
experiences

of Retrofitting
Project • Centralised chilled water plant:
Replace 5 of the existing 12 air-cooled chillers into 3 water-cooled chillers. The
water-cooled chillers were installed and connected with the remaining air-
cooled chillers. Cooling towers were installed on the roof for heat rejection. A
variable flow, decoupled chilled water system is adopted.
• Chilled water plant control:
Converting from manual operation to automatic plant operation, a new BMS
system is installed with energy optimisation strategies for better control and
equipment monitoring, including the upfeed pumps, condensing water pumps,
cooling towers, make-up tank, condensing water tank and water-cool chillers.
The air-cooled chillers and new water-cooled chillers work seamlessly to meet
the building cooling load in an energy efficient manner.
• Reduced operator resources in plant operations with • Space utilisation is the key since extra space is needed to install cooling
adoption of automatic chiller plant operation. towers and condensing water pumps for water cooled systems.
• Larger overall cooling capacity (5 existing 300Ton ACC • Plan for upfeeding water to make up the water loss during operation of
replaced with 3 new 750Ton WCC). cooling towers.
• New chillers and chilled water pipes now housed indoor • Equipment delivery is another
are better protected and less prone to outdoor damages. critical challenge. Unlike air
• Lower noise level since outdoor air-cooled chillers are cooled chillers which are
commonly known to produce higher noise levels via mostly modular design, larger
chiller condenser fans. capacity water cooled chillers
tend to have a long bundle of
• Less vibration.
evaporator and condenser.
• Enhanced reliability of chilled water supply with the
• Energy saving is significant.
presence of both water-cooled chillers and air-cooled
chillers.
• Longer service life of water-cooled centrifugal chillers
than air-cooled screw chillers.
Name of the consultant Cost Saving

and contractor
>45% total energy consumption saving

>3.35 MWh saving per year
Savings/year
Consultant: Total cost: Around HKD 23 million (2010)
breakdown: Saving in parts replacement and service cost
WSP (Hong Kong) Ltd.
of air-cooled chillers and saving in manpower
Contractor: resources in plant operation >HKD 2 million
The Jardine
Engineering Corp., Ltd. Mechanical and Electrical work over
Cost HKD 13 million (HKD 23 million – HKD 2 million) / HKD 4.36
Payback:
breakdown: million = 4.82 years
Chiller Supply over HKD 10 million
51
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 5
Building
Hongkong Land Limited Exchange Square

• Grade A Commercial Buildings for a prestigious, globally oriented, 24-hour business complex
• 52 levels for One Exchange Square and 51 levels for Two Exchange Square comprising of offices, retail, and F&B outlets
• Fully air-conditioned with direct sea water-cooled central chilled water system with primary and secondary chilled
water pumping system
• Air handling unit (AHU) and Fan-coil units (FCU) for offices, retail, and F&B outlets with pre-treated fresh air
Information Retrofitted systems involved: Retrofitted initiatives:

of Retrofitting
Project • Centralised chilled water plant:
Two 3,000Tons existing sea water-cooled chillers were replaced by two new 1000Tons
and one 2000Tons direct sea water-cooled chillers. New primary pumps were also
replaced for new chillers. For Chiller-1A and 1B, two new primary pumps are installed
for chilled water and two new heating water pumps were installed for heating water
system. For Chiller-2, two new primary pumps were installed. At the discharge side of
each chiller, constant flow control valve was installed for automatic flow rate control
of chilled water passing through each chiller. A decoupling chilled water system was
arranged for the central chiller plant. It consists of constant water flow through each
chiller evaporator and variable flow secondary water distribution system.
• Chilled water plant control:
DDC control system is provided for fully automatic control, energy optimisation
control, monitoring, supervision and data logging for chilled water plant operation.
The building load requirement is predicted by the DDC control system based on the
loading profile in the past years. The predicted building load is analysed to determine
the optimum configuration of the chiller plant.
• Implementation of JEDI (Jardine Engineering Digital Insight):
This further enables system fault detection, chiller optimisation and real-time energy
dashboards.
• Lower noise level since the new chillers adapt multiple • Before the project, heating water was generated by the old chiller which can
stage of compression which operate exceptionally quieter. either operate in cooling mode or heating mode. We applied heat recovery
• Heat recovery at condenser side of chiller to eliminate operation in this project since the buildings require simultaneous cooling
additional heating equipment and reduce condensing and heating, i.e. the base building cooling demand is high even in winter.
water (seawater) provision. This is the most critical consideration to adapt this energy saving operation.
• Diversity in chiller capacity and chiller types to cater for • All chiller units are now being fitted with
optimisation based on cooling loading. an electromagnetic clamp-on device
installed on the exterior of condensing
• Enhanced building load prediction system with optimised seawater pipes. This greatly hinders
control logic to allow the system to determine the most growth of microorganisms which
optimal combination of equipment to suit the predicted adversely impact the heat transfer at the
building demand. condensers.

and contractor
Savings/ >23% saving on annual water side energy consumption

Total cost: over HKD 60 million (2016) year >3.4 MWh saving per year compared to maintenance
Consultant: breakdown: cost of aged chillers >HKD 6 million
J. Roger Preston Ltd.
Contractor: Mechanical and Electrical work over HKD 15
The Jardine Cost million (HKD 60 million – HKD 6 million) / HKD 4.9 million =
Engineering Corp., Ltd. breakdown: Chiller Supply over HKD 30 million Payback:
9.15 years
Major Equipment Supply over HKD 15 million
52
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 6
Building
Hongkong Land Limited One & Two Exchange Square

• Grade A Commercial Buildings for a prestigious, globally oriented, 24-hour business complex
• 52 levels for One Exchange Square and 51 levels for Two Exchange Square comprising of offices, retail, and F&B outlets
• Fully air-conditioned with water-cooled central chilled water system and primary and secondary chilled water pumping system
• Air handling unit (AHU) and Fan-coil units (FCU) for offices, retail, and F&B outlets with pre-treated fresh air

of Retrofitting
Project
• EC Plug Fans:
Replace the existing AHUs with belt-driven centrifugal fans to EC Plug Fans.
Apart from a more effective motor comparing with the old AC motor, EC Plug
Fans also enhance system efficiency as it does not require belt and pulley
for operation. With BMS control for the new AHU, if one of the EC Plug Fans
malfunctions, the other EC Plug Fans can pick up the required flow or provide
partial flow by maintaining a static pressure set point and preventing the single
point failure of centrifugal fan motors, fan bearings, pulleys etc.
• Energy Valve:
Replace the existing control valve in chilled water return pipe with Energy Valve.
The Energy Valve consists of ‘Delta-T Manager’ Control - when cooling load is
met and the chilled water delta-T is lower than the design value, the Energy
Valve will further be closed to reduce water flow for achieving energy saving.
• IEQ Monitoring:
Install the CO2 sensors and PM sensors to monitor the indoor air quality. When
the CO2 /PM level is too high in the environment, the fresh air supply can be
increased. Alternatively, the fresh air supply can be reduced if the CO2/PM is
constantly at low level.
• Reduced maintenance resources in operations, • AHU retrofit requires suspension of AC supply to tenant. To avoid nuisance to
future retro-commissioning and water re- tenants, the replacement of AHU was done in 60-hours during the weekend.
balancing when adding/removing AHUs. • Advanced work such as conduit and wiring works
• M ore infor mation for AHU monitor ing can be arranged weeks before actual replacement
and reporting as both EC Plug Fans and to shorten the AC suspension time.
Energy Valve provide high level interface for • Some AHU rooms are located inside tenant area;
connecting to Building Management System comprehensive protection works are done with
(BMS). reference to tenant’s comments. No complaints
• Provide resilience with multiple modular fans received.
to replace single centrifugal fan in traditional • A few models of EC Plug Fan were selected to
AHUs.
reduce the parts provision and storage.
• Provide better indoor air quality monitoring
• Overall a well justified project with good outcomes
and control.
with tangible and non-tangible benefits.

and contractor
HKD 1 million (Average Energy Saving)
Savings/year HKD 2.2 million (Average Maintenance Cost Saving)

Consultant:
HKD 25 million for supply breakdown: Note: More than 30% saving of water volume of some AHU / PAU obtained
J. Roger Preston Ltd. from position to flow control + dT Manager after applying the function of
Total and installation of 130 nos. of Energy Valve.
Contractor: cost: EC Plug Fan AHU / PAU and
The Jardine energy valve only (2019)
Engineering Corp., Ltd. Around 7.8 years (Around 5-15% direct saving in air side. The
Payback: indirect saving in water side was achieved by lowering the
demand after installation of energy valve)
53
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 7
Building
Housing Authority A wet market at Ying Tung Estate in Tung Chung

• A wet market with a total floor area of 260 m2 for this experimental study
• An all-fresh-air air-conditioning system
• The cool exhaust air from the air-conditioned space cannot be reused, but exhausted through this IEC system
• Two air handling units (AHUs) were installed for the wet trade area and each one is responsible for half of the area
• Two rotating heat recovery wheel systems (HRW) are installed before each AHU to pre-cooling/pre-heating fresh air by
recovering cold/heat from exhaust air in summer/winter
Information Retrofitted system involved: Retrofitted initiative:

of Retrofitting
Project • HVAC primary fresh air system:
Two Regenerative Indirect Evaporative Coolers (RIEC) are designed and installed
in parallel with the two existing heat recovery wheel (HRW) systems. The cool
exhaust air from the indoor environment is introduced to the IEC secondary air
channels. The fresh air is pre-cooled before it passes through the AHUs.
The view of plant room for central AC system
Spray water distribution

Fresh air chamber
Rotary wheel
HRW IEC
AHUS Heat exchanger plates
54
05 CASE STUDIES CASE 7 Housing Authority

• A wet market at Ying Tung Estate in Tung Chung
• Simple system. • During the renovation process, the existing HRW system could still work for
• Less initial cost and operational cost. fresh air pre-treating, so it will not affect the thermal comfort of people in the
wet market.
• Shorter payback period.
• All refurbishment work is carried out in a proprietary plant room only, with no
impact on other activities.
• RIECS can substitute the HRW and treat fresh air to the aimed setpoint and
satisfy the thermal requirement with less energy consumption.
The duct arrangement of the packed RIEC system
Secondary air outlet
Primary air outlet

Primary air inlet
Secondary air inlet
Cost Saving
Total savings/year: HKD 23,000

Payback: 4.17 years
55
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 8
Building
Swire Properties Limited Cityplaza Mall

• Cityplaza is the largest shopping mall on Hong Kong Island which
operating since 1983, with approximately 1.11 million ft2 floor
area managed by Cityplaza Management Office (CPMO) of Swire
Properties Management Limited (SPML).
• Separate chiller plant serves the north and south wing of Cityplaza,
with a central indirect seawater heat rejection system.

of Retrofitting
Project • Modification of HVAC Chilled Water System:
Modified chilled water system from existing constant primary and variable
secondary to variable primary system. Use of existing primary chilled water
pump sets were suspended and new bypassing primary loop system completed
in early Feb 2021. The related performances are continuously monitored by the
Cloud-Based Smart Energy Management Platform (CBSEMP).
• Cloud-Based Smart Energy Management Platform (CBSEMP):
A centralized cloud platform, namely the Cloud-Based Smart Energy
Management Platform (CBSEMP) to collect, analyze, and visualize real-time
energy and operation data. It enables real-time data collection, big data
analytics based on artificial intelligence rule-based expert system and machine
learning to identifies and alerts on energy saving opportunities and predictive
maintenance.
Schematic Schematic Diagram of Previous Chilled Water System

Diagram of
Chilled Water
System Before
and After
Modification
(Before (After
modification) modification)
Observed benefits other than energy saving: • Automatic Reporting

Reporting for energy performance target tracking (for
Modification of HVAC Chilled Water System management and technical team) and operation performance
Reduced maintenance resources in plant operations and future retro- tracking (for technical team)
commissioning and balancing
• Data Analysis
Cloud-Based Smart Energy Management Platform (CBSEMP) Enable your engineers to select any data to directly monitor
Providing real-time monitoring and analysis of energy and BMS operation and analyze online. Freely share charts created with others.
data, identifying energy saving opportunities and maintenance insights
• Alert and Monitoring
through a customizable and flexible cloud platform. Let your engineers receive alert on their phone to follow up
• Smart Diagnosis with identified opportunities. Monitor performance after
AI Rule-Based Expert System identifies and alerts on energy rectification
saving opportunities and predictive maintenance
General observations of the retro-fitting project:
• Dashboards
In-depth understanding of energy performance and associated Night work for HVAC system retro-fit did not affect the tenants
energy cost performance. Breaking down to individual buildings and systems.
56
05 CASE STUDIES CASE 8 Swire Properties Limited

• Cityplaza Mall
Chiller Plant Plan After Modification
Cloud-Based Smart Energy Management Platform (CBSEMP) to

continuously monitoring of WTF over the period
WTF=50
New By-pass Pipes with

flow meter for variable
primary system
Cloud-Based Smart Energy Management Platform (CBSEMP)
Providing real-time monitoring and analysis of energy and BMS operation data across different portfolio types (office and retail) in
different regions (Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland), identifying energy saving opportunities and maintenance insights through a
customizable and flexible cloud platform.
Cost Saving
Modification of HVAC Chilled Water System

Total savings/ HKD 177,200
Modification of HVAC Chilled Water System year: Cloud-Based Smart Energy Management Platform (CBSEMP)
HKD 362,700 HKD 565,200
Total cost: Cloud-Based Smart Energy Management
Platform (CBSEMP) Modification of HVAC Chilled Water System
HKD 1,300,000 2.0 years
Payback:
Cloud-Based Smart Energy Management Platform (CBSEMP)
2.3 years
57
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 9
Building
Swire Properties Limited Devon House

• A 29-storey Grade-A office building with 4 basements floors
• Served by 4 nos. of water-cooled chillers with VSD

of Retrofitting
Project • Installation of automatic tube cleaning system
(ATCS) for condenser of water-cooled chillers
Automatic cleaning system for the inner surface
of condenser tubes of water-cooled chillers. One
ATCS can serve two chillers at Devon House.
• Better efficiency operation of the condenser as well as • VSD Chiller (seawater-cooled) was unable to operate at designed condition
overall efficiency of the chiller plant • Seems the operating pattern more like constant speed, as frequency was
• Reduce maintenance cost and manpower for periodic limited to 46-50Hz and IGV adjusted to match load
manual cleaning • Condenser refrigerant temperature is high (high approach temperature
and condensing water inlet temperature, due to seawater quality)
• RIECS can substitute the HRW and treat fresh air to the aimed setpoint and
satisfy the thermal requirement with less energy consumption.
Installation of automatic tube cleaning system (ATCS) for condenser of water-cooled chillers
Operating frequency
irrespective of part
load condition
Operating
performance lower
than designed
Installed
Findings: VSD Chiller (seawater cooled) was unable to operate at Automatic Tube
designed condition Cleaning System
• Monitoring of approach temperature to

determine condensing tube cleaning
• Optimize condensing water loop to lower
condensing water inlet temperature
• Frequency able to reduce, down to 35Hz,
and fluctuate to match load while IGV
remains at 100% opening
Chiller 1 – Before Cleaning and Chiller 1 – After Cleaning and
Adjustment of CDW Strategy Adjustment of CDW Strategy
Cost Saving
Total savings/year: HKD 220,000 (for 2 chillers)

Payback: 2.4 years
58
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 10
Building
Swire Properties Limited Two Pacific Place

• A 27-storey Grade-A office building
• A central direct seawater-cooled system serving office, mall and hotels
• Each typical office floor is served by two air handling units (AHUs) with pre-treated
fresh air

of Retrofitting • Replacement of Belt-Driven Fan by using
Project Electrically Commutated (EC) Plug Fans
Installation for Air Handling Units (AHUs)
Replace the existing AHU belt-driven fans with EC
Motor Plug Fans, in order to provide higher motor
efficiency with the use of brushless DC-operated
motors and better part load efficiency by electronically controlled application of
current to sustain optimal motor performance at the operating points.
Replacement of Belt-Driven Fan by using Electrically Commutated (EC) Plug Fans Installation for Air Handling Units (AHUs)
Photos at typical AHU room Indicative section of AHU equipped with EC Plug Fans
Plug Fan Installation
Observed benefits other than energy saving:

• Weekend work required to minimize the disturbance
to building normal operation: Each fan replacement Airside
done over a single weekend Electricity Consumption
Comparison of Before
• Site spatial limitation and access to some whole floor
tenant area for retro-fitting and After Installation of
EC Plug Fan
• Existing fan section chamber panels cannot withstand
high pressure: Extended site work required for
modification of the whole fan section
Cost Saving
Total savings/year: Approx. HKD 600,000

Payback: 11.0 years
59
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 11
Building
Sunny Force Limited Hong Kong Pacific Centre

• Grade A commercial complex with 16 floors of offices and 3 floors of arcade
• Fully air-conditioned with water-cooled central VSD chilled water system, differential pressure by-pass and VSD pumps
& cooling tower fans
• Fan coil unit for offices and arcade with pre-treated fresh air supply
• Mainly medical services building

of Retrofitting
Project • Replaced 4 air-cooled chillers by 4 water cooled chillers with variable speed
drive (VSD).
• All pumps are fitted with VSD to control the flowrate of the chilled water by
differential temperature of chilled water supply and return header and override
by pressure differential of the critical circuit point.
• All cooling tower fans are also fitted with VSD to control the approach
temperature of condensing water.
• Installed a remote 24-hour monitoring system for condensing water quality.
• Installed electromagnetic water conditioner for condensing water.
• Installed a Central Control & Monitoring System (CCMS) for system monitoring
and data logging.
• Installed a PV system of 12.8 kW.
• Conducted retro-commissioning (RCx) of ACMV system under HKGBC "ACT-
Shop" programme between 2016 and 2017.
• Installed a chiller plant optimisation system for diagnosis of chiller plant.
60
05 CASE STUDIES CASE 11 Sunny Force Limited

• Hong Kong Pacific Centre
• Reduced maintenance resources in chiller plant operations • HVAC system retrofit has not affected the tenants.
and future continuous RCx and balancing. • Some advanced technologies, such as CCMS and remote
• More information for chiller plant monitoring and reporting. condensing water monitoring system, can be led in a chiller plant
retrofit project. This is value-added.
Chiller plant
PV system
Name of the consultant and Cost Saving

contractor
Total savings/year: HKD 1,440,000

Consultant:
ISPL Consulting Limited Savings/year
Total cost: HKD 20 million PV generated : HKD 45,000
Contractor: breakdown:
Shun Hing E & M Engineering Ltd.
Payback: 6.98 years
Awards Subsidy/ Funding
CLP GreenPlus Recognition Award 2016

• Silver Award
EMSD Energy Saving Championship 2016
Awards received by • Hanson Merit Award (Office Building) The project is CLP Renewable Energy Feed-in
the project: • Best Achievement in Energy Saving Award (Cross-Category) supported by: Tariff
HKGBC Greed Building Award 2016
• Finalist (Existing Buildings Category: Completed Projects
• Commercial Building)
61
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 12
Building
World Empire Investment (CI) Limited Avon Mall

• Shopping Mall with 2 Storeys
• Fully air-conditioned with air-cooled central chilled water system, deferential pressure by-pass, constant speed pumps
• AHUs / PAUs for shopping mall common area
• Low Efficiency LED downlight in Atrium

of Retrofitting
Project
HVAC – Chiller System (with BIM)
• Replace depreciated chillers to higher efficiency chillers and review new chiller
combination.
• Newly install high static condenser fans in new chillers with Variable Speed
Drive Control to increase the air circulation rate of condenser in different
outdoor temperature conditions.
• Improve pump efficiency by converting constant speed pumps to variable
speed pumps.
• Replace the zone valves to increase the reliability and accurately control the
chilled water supply to designated area.
• Newly install Integrated Building Management System(iBMS) to enhance the
system monitoring and optimise the chiller operation so as to maximise the
overall system efficiency.
HVAC – Air Side

• Replace centrifugal fan in AHU by using EC Plug Fan to increase the efficiency.
Lighting
• Replace the high efficiency LED downlights in Atrium to improve the lumen but
reduce the power density & overall electricity power supply.
Power Analyser
• Data collection and monitoring of power consumption of chiller system and
tenancy area by installation of power analyser.
62
05 CASE STUDIES CASE 12 World Empire Investment (CI) Limited

• Avon Mall
• Increase reliability and life span of system and equipment. • HVAC system retrofit have not affected the tenants.
• Enhance hardware to for future retro-commissioning and • Standard retrofitting initiatives with proven technologies and
operation review. straight forward.
• More information for data analysis to implement plant • Lightings for shopping mall are replaced during overnight with
monitoring and reporting. sufficient advanced notice and cordon-off the working area. No
• Better human comfort in thermal, lighting and noise. complaint from tenant is received.
• Reduce frequency of working at heights for maintenance of • Training to operation staff can strengthen their understanding and
lighting in Atrium. familiarising the operation of new Integrated Building Management
System (iBMS) and chiller systems.
• Overall retrofitting of air-conditioning and lighting systems gained
the satisfaction from tenants and customers.
Photos indicating the implementation
• Replace the zone valves for Chilled water control • Use EC Plug Fan for AHU • Convert constant speed pumps to variable speed pump
• Replace higher efficiency chiller plant • Replace higher efficiency LED downlight • Install central control and monitor system
• Replace high static condenser fans • Chiller plant BIM model rendering
Cost Saving
Total savings/
Total cost: HKD 5.6 million HKD 637,000
year:
• Chilled Water System with iBMS: HKD 575,000 / 8.7 years
1. Chilled Water System with CCMS: HKD 5 million Savings/year
• AHU with EC Plug Fan: HKD 42,000 / 8.8 years
Cost breakdown:
2. AHU with EC Plug Fan: HKD 0.37 million • High Efficiency LED Downlight: HKD 20,000 / 12.5 years
breakdown:
3. High Efficiency LED Downlights: HKD 0.25 million
Payback: ~ 8.82 years
Award Subsidy/ Funding
The project is
CLP Smart Energy Award 2021 - Merit Certificate CLP Eco Building Fund
supported by:
63
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 13
Building
Harvest Sun Limited Olympian City 1

• Wholly Owned Shopping Arcade with parking space from G/F to 1/F
• Three floors shopping centre
• Fully water-cooled air-conditioned system
• BMS monitored A/C, Plumbing and Electrical System
• Grid-connected Photovoltaic System

of Retrofitting
Project Chiller plant
• Replace depreciated air-cooled chillers to water-cooled and review new chiller
combination.
• Newly install cooling tower fans with Variable Speed Drive Control to control the
air flow rate to suit the operation condition.
• Improve chilled / condenser water pumps efficiency by converting constant
speed pumps to variable speed pumps.
• Newly install Integrated Building Management System(iBMS) to enhance the
system monitoring and optimise the chiller operation so as to maximise the
overall system efficiency.
• Data collection and monitoring of power consumption of chiller system by
installation of power analyser.
Electrically Commutated (EC) plug fans for AHU

• To provide the higher efficiency of motor as well as the cost and energy efficient.
Energy Valve
• Better control of water flow rate which matches the cooling load.
• More precise control with better control logic by controlling the flow rate
instead of valve position only.
Photovoltaic system
• Total 178 pcs. of PV panels with 89 kWp.
64
05 CASE STUDIES CASE 13 Harvest Sun Limited

• Olympian City 1
Replacement of air-cooled chiller plant to fresh water-cooled • HVAC system retrofit have not affected the tenants.
chiller plant
• Standard retrofitting initiatives with proven technologies and straight
• Increase reliability and life span of system and equipment. forward.
• Enhance hardware to for future retro-commissioning and operation • Training to operation staff can strengthen their understanding and
review. familiarising the operation of new Integrated Building Management
• More information for data analysis to implement plant monitoring System (iBMS) and chiller systems.
and reporting. • The flow & delta temperature control mode of the Energy Valve help
Electrically Commutated (EC) plug fans for AHU in saving chilled water flow in individual AHU. By adopting the VSD
• Fan speed reduced and less noise created. feature of chilled water pump,more energy can be saved.
Energy Valve • Permanently measures and logs the energy usage of the application,
the flow and the differential temperature across the coil. This creates
• Better balancing of chilled water flow. Can reduce excessive full load transparency in the system.
demand of chilled water and circulate surplus water to other more
demanding AHUs/FCUs. • Electronic PI valves have a much lower pressure drop that mechanical
PI valves and therefore require significantly lower differential pressures
• Can check the actual flow rate of the AHU and whether or not the to achieve designed flow.
system chilled water flow is well balanced or not.
Water-cooled Chiller Plant EC Fans in PAU/AHU
Energy Valve PV System
Cost Saving
Total cost: HKD 17,495,000 + HKD 1.89 million Total savings/year: HKD 2.17 million & PV: HKD 0.21 million
• Chiller Plant: HKD 2.1million

• EC fan: HKD 62,000
Savings/year breakdown:
• Chiller Plant : HKD 17.4 million • Energy Valve: HKD 9,000
• EC Fans (4 nos.) HKD 74,000 • PV system generated power: HKD 214,000
Cost
breakdown: • Energy valve (1 no.) HKD 21,000 • Chiller Plant: 8.3 years
• PV system : HKD 1.89 million • EC fans: 1.2 years
Payback:
• Energy Valve: 2.3 years
• PV system :9 years
Subsidy/ Funding
CLP Eco Building Fund

The project is supported by:
CLP Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff
65
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 14
Building
Best Profit Limited Olympian City 3

• Wholly owned Shopping Arcade
• Two floors shopping centre
• Fully water-cooled air-conditioned system
• BMS monitored A/C & Electrical System

of Retrofitting
Project • For unlocking the saving from the operation of A/C plant.
• A trial project for energy saving using machine learning and A.I. functions.
• Time-consuming manual processes: This included the manual switching on/

off of chillers, and the setting of temperature based on experience and weather
forecasts. Depending on the time of day, weather conditions and shopping
mall traffic, the facility team would determine each time the number of chillers
required for the day.
• Limited capacity to save energy: Facility team rarely had the opportunity to
assess the system data and to put forth strategies for energy saving which is
typically done through trial and error.
• Limited information: With mostly manual control, there was a lack of

comprehensive information on chiller conditions, nor a sequencing that ran on
an energy-conscious manner.
66
05 CASE STUDIES CASE 14 Best Profit Limited

• Olympian City 3
• Early fault detection & early warning function. • Achieved an energy saving of more than 8% and reduced
• Comprehensive charting and data analysis for system performance. over 25 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from 2022
• Auto staging (up/ down) based on weather condition and cooling load. Apr to 2022 June.
• Reduce carbon emissions as a result of improved energy efficiency.
BMS for chiller plant
Chiller plant optimisation monitoring and control system using smart/AI technologies
Name of consultant and Cost Saving

contractor
Average 9.2%, Annual Saving = total annual

Total savings/year:
electricity cost * 9.2%
CLPe Solutions Limited Total cost: HKD 360,000
Payback: ~ 5.8 years
Award received by the CLP Smart Energy Award 2020 The project is supported by: CLP Eco Building Fund
project: • Smart Technology Excellence Award
67
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 15
Building
Sino Estates Management Limited Skyline Tower
Description of the building: 9/F Carpark Block and R/F Office Tower
• Grade A Commercial complex with 34 floors of offices, exhibition hall and
kiosks at Ground floor, 8 floors of carpark
• Fully air-conditioned with water-cooled central chilled water system,
deferential pressure by-pass, heat exchange, VSD and constant speed pumps
• Fan coil unit for offices and exhibition hall with fresh air supply
• Curtain Wall System in Office Tower
• 2 Generator sets for common area and tenant emergency supply
• T5 and LED light tube
9/F podium garden
• Green Roof on 9/F Carpark Block
• Renewable Energy System on 9/F Carpark Block and R/F Office Tower
Layout Plan for 9/F Carpark Block and R/F Office Tower
R/F Office Tower

of Retrofitting
Project Skyline Tower upholds sustainability to incorporate sustainability in all aspects of
operations with a view to creating long-term value for the community. In 2018, we
installed total 382 nos of solar panel at 9/F Carpark Block (92 nos) and R/F Office
Tower (290 nos) with monitoring system to embrace low-carbon lifestyles. In 2020,
we transformed the rooftop garden of 9/F Carpark Block into a 11,840 sq.ft. urban
farm, namely Sky Farm, which providing a platform for staff, tenants and the wider
community to experience the joy and benefits of urban farming while breathing new
life into the Grade A commercial building. By turning the rooftop space into flourishing
garden nestled amongst busy streets and skyscrapers, it also helps combat climate
change and promotion of sustainability. Sky Farm opened for the general public and
provided a public green place for stealing a little leisure from the rush of business.
Various workshops (urban farm tours, dyeing workshop, etc.) were hosted to get our
community involved and disseminate our Green responsibilities. With the Establishment
of “Sky Farm” and missions of upholding corporate social responsibility and promoting
sustainability, we wished to bring green inspiration to commercial building.
68
05 CASE STUDIES CASE 15 Sino Estates Management Limited

• Skyline Tower
Sky Farm with renewable energy established with To promote urban farming and work towards a greener future with our colleagues, tenant
a goal to make our community a better place to and the community, a green task force was formed and all of the staff including security
live and work. Aligning the Group’s sustainability guards, Customer Service Centre as well as cleaning staffs are included in the task force.
vision of “Creating Better Lifescapes”, wishing we All members are encouraged and welcome to raise their innovative ideas towards the Sky
could build life together, where communities Farm, no matter trivial issue or substantial installation. They were invited to participate in
thrive in harmony and bring the community every tiny parts of the project, and provide user-based feedback so as to make the Farm
closer to nature. To ensure our business activities truly ready prior to the opening. Furthermore, it was understood that a majority of our
conducted within the wider context of our employees do not have much knowledge toward urban farming, green-minded staff thus
communities and the environment to create have been recruited as “Sky Farm Green Ambassadors” to spread the message to colleagues
shared value for all our stakeholders, “Sky Farm” and tenants in workplaces. Shortlisted green ambassadors have joined the farming seminar
project was initiated in Year 2019. Hoping that taught by Smiley Planet, our farming advisor, in each Tuesday to learn green tips and farming
Sky Farm can promote green life, enhance knowledge, which raising awareness of green living and sowing the seeds for a green and
the wellness of our stakeholders, improve the caring environment for all. While Sky Farm produced radishes, staff will be participated in the
wellbeing of community and foster a culture of harvest and having the opportunity to take home and share the harvest with their families.
innovation. The project took a holistic, long-term approach and worked in partnership with stakeholders
to create better environments together. In addition to promote green living and urban farm
among the busy modern life, SkyFarm also serve the purpose of being a common rest place
for the public, which was rarely exist in the business community.
9/F Sky Farm
R/F Office Tower
Cost Saving
Total cost: HKD 3.1 million Total savings/year: ~ 93,480 kWh/year
• For Green Roof HKD 0.7 million Savings/year breakdown: For renewable energy system
Cost breakdown:
• For renewable energy system HKD 2.4 million Payback: ~ 5.81 years
Awards
For 2021: • BEAM Plus EB V2.0 Comprehensive Scheme A - Final Platinum
• Hong Kong Green Awards 2021 - Green Management Award (Service Provider - Large Corporation) - Gold
• HSBC Living Business SDGs Award 2021 – Silver Award
• HSBC Living Business ESG Award 2021 – Excellence
• Excellence in Facility Management Award 2021 - Innovative Technology Award
• Excellence in Facility Management Award 2020 (Office Building) - Excellent
• 20th Hong Kong Occupational Safety & Health Award - Safety Performance Award
• The 8th Best Property Safety Management Award – Safety Culture Award – Bronze Award
• IFMA Asia Pacific Awards of Excellence Environmental Stewardship Award - Merit
• BOCHK Corporate Environmental Leadership Awards - EcoChallenger
• Quality Lift Service Recognition Scheme – Excellent
• Wastewi$e certificate – Excellence Level
• CLP Smart Energy Award – Merit
• Manpower Developer Award Scheme
• Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Recycling Campaign – Silver Award
• IAQ Certificate Scheme – Excellence Class
• Hong Kong Work Happiness Scheme – 5years+
• Caring Company Logo
Subsidy/ Funding
The project is supported by: • Landlord
• CLP Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff
69
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 16
Building
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Shatin Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Shatin

• 5 Stars Hotel. A Refreshing Urban Resort in Hong Kong Located adjacent
to the University MTR Station in Sha Tin
• Total 567 guest rooms & 9 treatment rooms
• L5-L12, 275rooms + 9 treatment rooms for Low Zone
• L13-L21, 207 rooms for Mid Zone
• L22-L26, 82 rooms for High Zone

of Retrofitting
Project • For high Zone hot water system,
L22-L26, total 82 rooms.
• Replace original 24nos. of ~60kW

Town Gas heaters (total energy
output ~1440kW ) by Heat Pump
System.
• The heat pump system consists of

2nos. 40kW Air source heat pumps,
3nos. 1000L storage tanks and 3nos.
1000L/ 48kW storage heaters. (total
output ~224kW), and with master
control panel.
High Zone Heat Pump System
70
05 CASE STUDIES CASE 16 Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Shatin

• Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Shatin
• Smoother operation, Central monitoring and operation by master • Heat pump system retrofitting work have not affected
control panel. the hot water supplies.
• Reduced maintenance cost due to less equipment used. • New system have been installed beside the existing,
• No CO2 exhaust to environment on site. these would be changed over for replacing original
gas heaters system at after system cleaning, self-tested,
• Stable and continuous hot water output. detail testes and trial running.
• Better water balancing supply.
Original High Zone Gas Heaters
24 Nos. Town Gas Heaters
High Zone – Hot Water System after Retrofit
3nos. 1000L storage tanks and 3nos. 1000L, 48kW storage heaters
2nos. 40kW Air source heat pumps 1 no. master control panel
Name of consultant and contractor Cost Saving

Total cost: HKD 1,081,500 Total savings/year: HKD 250,000
Savings/year
Heat Pump C.O.P. = 3.0~3.5
JF Thermal System Limited Equipment: HKD 543,500 breakdown:
Cost
breakdown: Material and Labour:
HKD 538,000 4.33 years
Payback:
71
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 17
Building
Newfoundworld Investment Holdings Limited Citygate

Citygate is a commercial complex in Tung Chung, comprising a premier outlet shopping mall, Citygate Outlets, together
with a Grade-A office building, One Citygate. The total gross floor area of the development is approximate 62,800 sqm.

of Retrofitting
Project HVAC Chiller Plant Upgrade - Chilled Water Side
• Adoption of "Platinum rated CIC Green Product" - Low GWP HFO chillers.
• Retro-commissioning approach.
• Constant Speed and Variable Speed chillers combination design for enhanced
energy optimisation.
72
05 CASE STUDIES CASE 17 Newfoundworld Investment Holdings Limited

• Citygate
• Optimised the chillers operation by enhanced chiller • The tenants were not affected by the HVAC system retrofit.
plant design with Constant speed chiller and Variable • Disassembly of plant room equipment was minimised by well-planned
speed chiller. project execution.
• Sustainability through adoption of Low GWP High energy • Successful application was achieved by combination of constant speed
efficiency HFO chillers. and variable frequency drive chillers.
• Reduced noise generation in the plant room by chillers • A signature project which brings recognised rewards and excellent
with exceptionally low sound level. environmental benefits was accomplished.
• It is estimated nearly 20% of annual energy consumption is saved,
• Reduced system downtime by chillers with superior
equivalent to around 1,000,000 kWh per year.
reliability.
• The payback is around 3 years for high efficiency chillers option.
Basement 1 Chiller Plant Room For Retail and Cinema Basement 1 Chiller Plant Room for Office
Name of consultant and contractor Saving

Trane Service Hong Kong
Payback: Around 3 years
Award
Award received by the project: The Association of Energy Engineers Award 2019
• Final Platinum Rating - BEAM Plus Existing Building V2.0 (Comprehensive Scheme A)
73
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 18
Building
Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited V city

• 83 Tuen Mun Heung Sze Wui Road
• Owned by Sun Hung Kai Properties
• Managed by Kai Shing Management Services Limited
• GFA 300,000 s.f.
• Grand opening on 1 Aug 2013
• 215 parking spaces and 120+ shops

of Retrofitting
Project • Chiller plant optimisation monitoring and control system using smart/AI
technologies with required metering and sensing devices.
• Automated Chiller Optimisation using machine learning coupled with digit twin.
74
05 CASE STUDIES CASE 18 Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited

• V city
• The sensor drift of temperature sensor is calibrated. • The project is a holistic consideration of the
system that suggests the most energy efficient
• The cloud based system enables a closer data monitoring on the chiller plant performance in the chiller plant system and
system from 15 mins to 30 seconds, and the system filters out invalid data. provides some insight for maintenance works.
• The performance of chiller can be compared between, and the priority of
condenser tube could be decided.
• The efficiency of the cooling tower is monitored.
• A physical guided machine learning platform for suggesting more energy

saving operation of the plant.
Name of consultant and contractor Cost Saving
Total savings/year: 289,527 kW/year

Contractor:
ATAL Building Services Engineering Ltd. Immediate
Payback:
(with CLP Eco Building Fund)
Awards
Awards received by the project:
• CLP Smart Energy Award (2019) - Grand Award
• Excellence in Facility Management Award (2020) - Excellent
• Hong Kong Green Awards (2020) - Green Management Award - Service Provider (Large Corporation) - Silver
• Sustained Performance 3 years +
• Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence (2020) - Property Management (Commercial & Industrial) Gold Award
• CIBSE Building Performance Awards (2021) - Merit
• HKGSA (2021) Best Green Practice in Malls - 1st Runner up
• HKIH (2022) Shortlisted and to be announced in 18 Oct 2022
75
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 19
Building
Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited Sun Hung Kai Centre

Sun Hung Kai Centre as one of the iconic building in Wanchai, with 53 floors. It also serves as the corporate headquarters
of Sun Hung Kai Properties.
Information Retrofitted system involved:

of Retrofitting
Project
Retrofitted initiative:
Replace air filters with lower MERV grading
utilising the use of sonic technology, which
can achieve the same or higher filtration
efficiency with the original grading and
enhance IAQ. Energy saving can also be
attained through a reduction in pressure
drop, hence on the fan power.
Existing filter of SHKC - 0.0701 kPa Pressure Drop Aurabeat Energy Saving Sonic Air Filter - 0.0298 kPa Pressure Drop
76
05 CASE STUDIES CASE 19 Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited

• Sun Hung Kai Centre
• Enhanced PM Filtration Efficiency. • 1.17x increase in PM10 filtration efficiency. • 57.5% reduction in pressure drop.
• 8.68x increase in PM2.5 filtration efficiency. • 14.16% in fan power energy saving.
• 1.65x increase in PM1 filtration efficiency.
Measurement of Filter Efficiency of existing electrostatic air filter: Measurement of Filter Efficiency of Aurabeat Energy Saving Air Filter:
Checkpoint Measurement 6 months after installation.

Ventilation system lowered Fan Power by 14.16% while achieving better filtration efficiency
507,384 kWh Annual Electricity Saving
Sun Hung Kai Centre Installation Key Findings with 6 months running time:
14.16% Reduction in Fan Power
57.5% Reduction in Pressure Drop
1.65x Increase in PM1 Filtration Efficiency
8.68x Increase in PM2.5 Filtration Efficiency
1.17x Increase in PM10 Filtration Efficiency
Cost Saving
Total savings/year: HKD 9,000 per AHU
Total cost: HKD 18,000 per AHU Savings/year breakdown: HKD 660,000 per year (for 180 AHUs in total)
Payback: ~ 2 years
77
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 20
Building
Champion REIT Champion Tower

South-west facing office unit at 25/F of Grade A office building in Central

of Retrofitting
Project • To improve solar shading performance of current curtainwall glass and hence
cooling energy saving for the office unit.
• To improve thermal comfort of office unit occupants.
• To stabilise indoor air temperature in sunny and cloudy days.
• To validate solar shading and energy saving improvement for consideration of

full scale retrofit for the whole building. Validation was done by HK Polytechnic
University.
Typical Details for BVG
78
05 CASE STUDIES CASE 20 Champion REIT

• Champion Tower
• Improved thermal comfort. • The measured data indicates that, for both sunny day and cloudy day,
• Improved sound reduction from 35 to 40dB (Rw). the VIG retrofit can effectively stabilise the inside surface temperature
of the window glass and significantly reduce the heat gain through
• Reduced UV light transmittance to indoor to 5%. windows.
• Reduced glass indoor reflectance from 47% to 35%. • The risk of condensation on the insider surface of windows can be
• Eliminated condensation on glass at cold morning time. eliminated because of the VIG retrofit as the inside glass surface
• Stabilised solar heat flow to indoor. temperature is higher in winter.
• For VIG retrofit on this glass in the building, the energy-saving potential
is 8.4% - 32.1% for different orientation.
• A higher cooling setpoint temperature for the indoor space is possible
for additional energy saving without compromising the indoor thermal
comfort. The potential saving is 25.2 kWh/m2 (floor area) when cooling
set point is increased by 1ºC.
• The OTTV is reduced by around 70% to 11 W/m2 level.
• Annual energy saving per window area HK$150.82/year.
• Reduce the carbon emission of 63.8 kg CO2-e/ m2 (window area).
Installation
Cost Saving
Total savings/year: HKD 2,443 (first year)

Total cost: HKD 26,730 8.25 years for case office unit
Payback:
4.58 years for west facing office units
Award received by the CIC Green Product Certificate (Platinum)

The project is supported by: Building owner
project: for vacuum glass
79
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 21
Building
Hang Lung Properties Limited GALA PLACE

Located at the junction of Dundas Street and Nathan Road in Mong Kok, GALA PLACE houses a diverse array of merchants
and attracts high footfall. In addition to the 4500-plus-square-foot Starbucks thematic store, and the new Foot Locker
Power Store, which will span approximately 20,000 square feet, it also showcases an expertly curated portfolio of
diversified services and products.

of Retrofitting
Project With the technology of i2Cool passive radiative cooling, the cooler, called iPaint
reflects most of the solar heat (>95% reflectivity) while effectively emitting thermal
energy as mid-infrared (>95% emissivity) to the cold universe. Since the earth’s
atmosphere is transparent to the mid-infrared radiation, the heat emitted by the
cooler can pass through the atmosphere and be absorbed by the cold outer space.
The coating method of iPaint is very similar to emulsion paint, leading to easy
application and low cost. By coating the roof of the equipment room in GALA
PLACE with iPaint, the effect of “electricity-free cooling” can be achieved without
energy input or refrigerant, resulting in significant energy saving for air cooling.
80
05 CASE STUDIES CASE 21 Hang Lung Properties Limited

• GALA PLACE
iPaint also offers the embellishment effect for the GALA PLACE The temperature of the bare roof measures 62.1 o C of surface
rooftop, from a regular grey-coloured concrete surface to a temperature via IR camera under the direct sunlight at noon; after
brand new white-coloured area. applying iPaint, the temperature of the roof surface drops down to
31.8oC, without any energy input; With this electricity-free cooling
effect, the cooling load and energy consumption of the HVAC
system in the building can be reduced. Based on the measured data
using power meter provided by the building owner, using 1 square
meter of iPaint helps reduce approximately 0.39 kWh electricity
consumption per hour for the building.
Gala Place with iPaint Schematic diagram of surface temperature
14:30 June 24 2022 at Gala Place;

Sunny Day with Ambient Temperature = 33°C
*Estimated based on the increasing rate

(from June to July) in Control Room
Gala Place iPaint Implementation
Cost Saving
Total cost: HKD 180 / square meter Total savings/year: ~ HKD 2,340 / square meter
HKD 80 / square meter for material cost

Cost breakdown: Payback: 1 month
HKD 100 / square meter for application cost
Subsidy/ Funding
The project is supported by: HK Tech 300, City University of Hong Kong (CityU)
Incubation, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park (HKSTP)
81
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 22
Building
Television Broadcasts Limited TVB City

TVB City is a 110,000 square-metre facility, that comprises the following
buildings:
• Main Block - a 11 storey building used as generic office building/hotel
scenes for TVB's modern dramas
• Drama Studio Block - used for shooting drama shows
• News and Car park Block - used for news and information which car park
opening 24-hours 7-days a week
• Variety Studio Block - used for shooting variety and specials
• Workshop Block
• Link Block - with Canteen and Cafe facilities

of Retrofitting
Project • HVAC Air Handling Unit System (with Variable Speed Fan):
Replace pre-filters and bag filters with Nanofil Low Energy Air Filters (LEAF) at
HVAC Air Handling Unit System.
Observed benefits other than energy saving: What have been/will be done on TVB City?
• Over 50% reduction of filter waste Replace the existing pre-filter + bag filter with Low Energy
• Around 240 tonnes reduction of carbon emission (based Air Filter (LEAF)
on 70 sets of HVAC Air Handling Unit system)
• Maintenance resources reduction (manpower, cost, time)
on changing filter
• IAQ improvement, particularly ultra-fine particles (around
50% reduction on PM0.3 and PM2.5)
General observations of the retrofitting project:

• Reduce filter storage space requirement, utilize space
usage.
• Replacement of HVAC filters is easy and fast. Does not
affect the tenants. Positive comment from contractors.
• Pressure drop across air filters substantially decreased in
AHU.
• Electricity consumed by HVAC system is reduced.
• Tenants are happy as a result of IAQ improvement.
82
05 CASE STUDIES CASE 22 Television Broadcasts Limited

• TVB City
Implementation
AHU#1: Cardboard Frame Pre-filter + Bag Filter AHU#2: NanoFIL Mini-pleated Filter (LEAF)
(measurement after filtration by filters) (measurement after filtration by filters)
pressure drop
Pressure Drop: Pressure Drop: reduced after
replacement
with LEAF
21 Dec 2022: 121Pa 21 Dec 2022: 52Pa

02 Mar 2023: 137Pa (+13%) 02 Mar 2023: 57Pa (+10%)
Cost Saving
Total cost: HKD 435,381 Total savings/year: HKD 1,527,205
Electricity tariff : HKD 1,038,845

Savings/year
Pre-filters and bag filters cost : HKD 447,640
Cost breakdown:
Nanofil Low Energy Air Filters cost per year : HKD 435,381
breakdown: Filter maintenance (labour cost) : HKD 40,720
Payback: 0.29 years
• Chinese Invention Patent 2022

• Hong Kong Standard Patent 2019
Awards • Bronze Medal, Hong Kong Inventions 2019
The project is
received by • "Outstanding Technology (Building)", CLP Eco Building Fund
supported by:
the project: Build4Asia Awards 2022
• "Most Favourable Startup", Jumpstarter 2017
• "Best Solution (Voting)", B4B Challenge 2021-22, ICT Expo
83
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 23
Information of Project owner: Project name:
Project
Cha Fan Catering Limited Dishwasher Replacement Project
Description of the project:

A chain restaurant group has approximately 100 seats per store.

of Retrofitting
Project • Energy-saving Dishwasher with Heat Recovery System: Replace the
traditional dishwasher with an energy-saving dishwasher equipped with a
heat recovery system. The heat recovery system efficiently captures waste heat
generated during the dishwashing process and repurposes it to heat water
from room temperature to 50-60 degrees Celsius.
Energy Consumption (traditional dishwasher)
• Energy Consumption Assessment using Smart Wireless Power Sensor:

Following the replacement, an energy consumption assessment was conducted
to compare the performance of the traditional dishwasher and the new energy-
saving dishwasher. Users can evaluate their actual energy saving and carbon
footprint more accurately. The result demonstrated that new energy-saving
dishwasher consume 16,600kWh less energy and reduce carbon emissions by
6,500 Co2 Kg per year.
Energy Consumption (energy saving dishwasher)
84
05 CASE STUDIES CASE 23 Cha Fan Catering Limited

• Dishwasher Replacement Project
Heat Recover System Smart Sensor
Smart CT sensor
Smart Data receiver
Observed benefits other than energy saving: General observations of the retrofitting
project:
• Water Saving: the new energy-saving dishwasher consume 1-1.5L water per rack
comparing with traditional washer consume 2-2.5L water per rack. • Energy assessment using Smart Wireless
Power Sensor is fast and requires no
• In-situ energy information of the energy-efficient dishwasher: Hong Kong does not electrical work. Operations was not
have any energy labels for commercial dishwashers. Users can only know the power of the affected during the energy assessment.
equipment, but different models of dishwashers have different energy efficiencies, therefore
dishwashers with the same power may not necessarily mean they consume the same
amount of electricity. Energy consumption assessment can help users evaluate an energy-
efficient dishwasher by measuring actual energy consumption.
• ESG reporting: Users may need to report environmental indicators or the performance of
their energy-saving measures to the company or different stakeholders. For many catering
industries, they do not have a suitable tool to evaluate the energy consumption of their
kitchen equipment. Energy consumption assessment before and after replacing equipment
can help users report their environmental performance to different stakeholders.
Name of the Cost Saving

consultant and
contractor
HKD 1,200/month Total savings/

Total cost: HKD 27,000 (HKD 2,250/month)
(operating lease) year:
1) Reduced power consumption per hour : 4.01kWh

2) Dishwasher operating hours per year :
4,153.7 hours (11.38 hours per day x 365 days)
Champion
Group Savings/year 3) Reduced power consumption per year :
International breakdown: 16,656kWh (4.01kWh x 4153.7 hours)
Cost Dishwasher leasing :
Limited
breakdown: HKD 1,200/month 4) Annual electricity bill reduction : HKD 27,316 (16,656kWh x $1.64)
5) Reduced carbon emissions per year :
6,496 Co2 Kg (6,656kWh x 0.39)
Immediate
Payback:
(energy saving cost covers leasing cost)
85
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 24
Building
Government Property Agency Queensway Government Offices

Queensway Government Offices (QGO) was completed in 1985, located at 66
Queensway, Admiralty. It consists of 5-storey Low Block and 47-storey High Block,
with a total gross floor area of approximately 60,000 sqm. It is a government
property that consists of various government departments, such as Department of
Justice, Architectural Services Department and Food and Environmental Hygiene
Department.

of Retrofitting
Project
This replacement project has the initiatives
of energy efficiency, sustainability and
innovation.
In the chillers selection process, data collection
on cooling load was carried out in th first
place. The data was then utilized to develope
a new energy model for the prediction of
energy-savings. The analysis revealed that
the proposed combination of R-514A VFD
centrifugal water-cooled chillers was superior
in terms of energy saving.
The selection of chillers also took the consideration of sustainability. The refrigerant
R-514A is the latest generation HFO refrigerant that has Ozone Depletion Potential
(ODP) of 0 and Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 2. Given its higher toxicity
classification (B1), safety measures were implemented in the QGO chiller plant room,
including a refrigerant leakage detection system, an eye-washing facility, and regular
safety drills for refrigerant leakage incidents.
Innovative ideas were incorporated into the project to enhance construction
processes and equipment monitoring. Building Information Modelling (BIM) was
utilized during the construction stage to minimize clashes and reduce project delays.
For operation and maintenance, the new chillers allow for monitoring through mobile
app. This enables the operation team to access real-time data wirelessly, providing
crucial information on chiller operation and energy performance.
• Better sustainability. The new generation HFO refrigerant R-514A • Upon all 4 chillers were replaced, it is estimated that 1,280,000 kWh
has ODP of 0 and GWP of 2. could be saved per year. This is equivalent to approximately HKD
• The new chillers had lower noise level than conventional chillers, 1,500,000, when estimated using HKD 1.2 per kWh.
which could benefit working environment on-site. • The operation COP is closely monitored, and it has been aligning
• Reduced maintenance resources in plants operations and future with the expected manufacturer COP.
retro-commissioning.
Cost Saving

Payback: Approx. 9 years
Awards
• First Place - ASHRAE Hong Kong Chapter Technology Award 2021

Awards received by the project: • Second Place - ASHRAE XIII Region Level Competition
• Honorable Mention - ASHRAE Society Level Competition
86
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 25
Building
Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited V Walk

• A 300,000 square feet storey shopping mall, with a nearly 100,000 square feet car park, situated atop MTR Nam Cheong
Station, opened in 2019.
• Traditional T5 fluorescent tubes were used in V Walk's carpark, in-house corridors and staircase.

of Retrofitting
Project Lighting:
• Replaced the traditional T5 fluorescent tubes in carpark area, in-house corridors
and staircase by Excalibur ET5E-ECG LED tubes.
• The ET5E T5 LED adopted the "Easy to install" technology • Lighting Retrofit was conducted during business hours on
developed by Excalibur ESCO. The ET5E match with 95+% of weekdays. It slightly affected the usage of the carpark if the
the major ECG ballast in the market, it can help to reduce 50- retrofitting product required to rewire the wiring from ECG to AC.
60% expenses on the installation and provide extra flexibility for • However, the installation of ET5E
maintenance and future replacement and upgrade. is easy and does not require any
• No extra expenses required on changing the Emergency kit rewiring work. The installation
during the LED retrofit project due to the ballast and wiring are takes much shorter time. (85% off
same as before. than replacing to a AC tube)
• No extra solid waste like the light fixture and ballast will be • Prolonged lifetime of the LED
created due to the fixture, E-kit, and ballast being used after the tube up to average 50,000 hours
ET5E LED deployment. • Adoption of ET5E does not affect
the user experience
Name of the consultant and contractor Cost Saving
Total savings/year: HKD 184,505

Excalibur Energy Service Company Limited Total cost: HKD 140,400
Payback: 5.48 months
Subsidy/ Funding
The project is supported by: CLP Eco Building Fund
87
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 26
Building
Million Success Limited/ China Hong Kong City
Wide Harvest Investment Limited
• Grade A Commercial complex with 13 floors of offices,
6 floors shopping centre, 2 floors basement carpark
• Fully air-conditioned with sea water-cooled central
chilled water system
• Fan-coil unit for offices and shopping centre with pre-
treated fresh air
• Generator set lift
• LED, T8 & T5 light tube
Information Retrofitted systems involved: Retrofitted initiative:

of Retrofitting
Project HVAC- Water-side :
• Installed a variable speed drive to 6 sets of chilled water pumps & 5 sets of
sea-water pumps;
• Installed a Central Control & Monitoring System (CCMS) for system
monitoring and data logging;
HVAC – Air-side :
• Replacement of centrifugal fan in AHU/ pre-cooling air handling unit
(PAU) using electronically commutated (EC) plug fan at Towers and
shopping mall;
Electrical Systems :
• Lighting : replaced the common area lighting to LED lighting;
• Lift : modernise the existing Generator set lift to VVVF lift control;
• Renewable energy: install the 474.345 kWp solar panels at roof top in
office tower.
• Electricity : Installed smart metering for HV & LV supply system with
energy management system for Chiller System
Others :
• Installed the EV chargers at B/F in carpark.
Central Control & Monitoring System (CCMS)
Central Control & Monitoring System Chiller Optimization Seawater System
88
05 CASE STUDIES CASE 26 Million Success Limited/

Wide Harvest Investment Limited
• China Hong Kong City
Replacement of PAU Smart Meter for Chiller Plant and HV System
Lift Moderization EV Facilities Solar System
• Smoother operation, shorter waiting time for passengers; • HVAC system retro-fit & PV system have not affected the tenants;
• Reduce the heat load of the roof floor after install solar plane; • Lift retro-fit requires shut down of lift services one by one. Some
disturbance to tenants but manageable;
• More information for plant monitoring and reporting;
• Noise complain by tenant during the install of solar plane; and
• Better light quality; and
• Reduce the manpower for replacement of lighting.
• Enables real-time monitoring of power quality of all building services
in our buildings, hence aiding the planning and implementation of
energy saving initiatives through turning raw measurement data into
insightful power quality performance information.
Cost Saving
Total cost: HKD 17.04 million Total savings/year: HKD 3.33 million
Installation of VSD for CHWPs :

HKD 350,000 Payback 3.5 years
Installation of VSD for CHWPs : HKD 1.2 million
Install CCMS/iBMS : HKD 650,000 Payback : 1.5 years
Install CCMS/iBMS : HKD 1 million
Savings/year
HVAC – Air-side : HKD 123,000 Payback : 11.7 years
Cost HVAC - Air-side : HKD 1.44 million breakdown:
breakdown: Lift modernization : HKD104,000 Payback : 14.4 years
Lift modernization : HKD 1.5 million
Installation of Solar Plane at R/F in office tower :
Installation Solar Plane at R/F in all office towers: HKD 2.1 million Payback: 5.7 years
HKD 11.9 million
Payback: 5.1 years
Subsidy/ Funding
The project is CLP Eco Building Fund

supported by: CLP Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff
89
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 27
Building
Hornbrook Investment Limited Empire Centre

• Grade A commercial complex with 11 floors of offices, 4 floors
of shopping arcade and 1 floor of basement carpark
• Fully air-conditioned with seawater-cooled central chilled
water system with differential pressure by-pass
• Fan coil units for offices and shopping arcade
• LED, T8 & T5 light tube

of Retrofitting
• Replacement of 2 sets seawater-cooled centrifugal chillers to variable speed
drive (VSD) screw chillers. (one completed and one in progress);
• Replacement of 2 sets of chilled water pump with IE3 motor and installation
of variable speed drive to 2 sets of new secondary chilled water pumps;
• Installed electromagnetic water conditioner for condensing water;
• Installed a Central Control & Monitoring System (CCMS) for system
monitoring and data logging;
Electrical Systems & Smart Control Systems :
• Replacement of LED tubes for carpark area;
• Installed smart metering in HV and LV power supply system with energy
management system for whole buildings (tenants & common area) ;
Others :
• Installation of 126.9 kW Photovoltaic System on R/F;
• Conducted retro-commissioning (RCx)
Central Control & Monitoring System (CCMS) Smart Meter for HV System
90
05 CASE STUDIES CASE 27 Hornbrook Investment Limited

• Empire Centre
Power Management
Chiller Plant and Electromagnetic Water Conditioner PV Panels
• Increase reliability and life span of system and equipment; • HVAC system retrofit & PV system with waterproofing work at R/F
has not affected the tenants; and
• Reduced maintenance resources in chiller plant operations and
future continuous RCx and balancing; • Some advanced technologies, such as CCMS and remote
condensing water monitoring system, can be led in a chiller plant
• Better efficiency operation under light load condition;
retrofit project. This is value-added.
• More information for chiller plant monitoring and reporting; and
Cost Saving
Total cost: HKD 9.8 million Total savings/year: HKD 1.4 million
Chiller Plant : HKD 0.8 million (10.1 years)

Chiller Plant : HKD 8.1 million Savings/year
PV System : HKD 0.57 million (3.0 years)
Cost breakdown:
PV system : HKD 1.7 million
breakdown: Carpark Lighting : HKD 3,700 (1.1 years)
Carpark lighting : HKD 4,000
Payback: 7.0 years
Award(s)
The project is CLP Eco Building Fund
received by BEAM Plus EB V2.0, Platinum
supported by: CLP Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff
the project:
91
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 28
Building
Will Glory Company (C.I.) Limited Pacific Plaza

• Grade A commercial complex with 27 floors of offices,
2 floors of shopping centre, 1 floor of basement
• Fully air-conditioned with air-cooled central chilled water
system, deferential pressure by-pass
• Fan-coil unit for offices and shopping centre with pre-
treated fresh air
• Generator set for fire equipments
• T5 and LED lighting fitting.

of Retrofitting
• Replacement of 2 sets of air-cooled reciprocating chillers to 2 sets of air-cooled
screw chillers;
• Replacement of 3 sets of chilled water pumps with IE3 motor and installation of
variable speed drive to new chilled water pumps;
• Converted the chilled water system to variable flow system. All pumps fitted
with variable speed drives and necessary controls to control the flow rate of
the chilled water by differential temperature of chilled water supply and return
header and override by pressure differential of the critical circuit point;
• Installed a Central Control & Monitoring System (CCMS) for system monitoring
and data logging;
HVAC – Air-side :
• Replacement of centrifugal fan in AHU/ pre-cooling air handling unit (PAU) using
electronically commutated (EC) plug fan for whole building;
Electrical Systems & Smart Control Systems :
• Installed smart metering in power supply system with energy management
system for chiller plant;
• Lighting: replace all lighting to LED light in AC control room.
Chiller Plant
92
05 CASE STUDIES CASE 28 Will Glory Company (C.I.) Limited

• Pacific Plaza
Central Control & Monitoring System (CCMS)
Power Management PAU with EC Plug Fan
• Reduced maintenance resources in plant operations and future • HVAC system retro-fit have not affected the tenants.
retro-commissioning and balancing.
• Standard retro-fitting initiatives with proven technologies and
• More information for plant monitoring and reporting straight forwrd.
• Smoother operation • Lightings for control room are replaced during non office hour
which do not affect our daily operation.
• Better light equality
Cost Saving
Total cost: HKD 5.23 million Total savings/year: HKD 584,000
Savings/year Chiller Plan / CCMS works : HKD 508,000 (9.3 years)

Cost MVAC / CCMS Works : HKD 4.73 million breakdown: Primary Air Handling Unit : HKD 76,000 (6.6 years)
breakdown: Primary Air Handling Unit : HKD 0.50 million
Payback: 8.9 years
Subsidy/ Funding
The project is
Smart Power Building Fund
supported by:
93
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 29
Building
Champion REIT Three Garden Road

• A Grade A office complex that comprises Champion Tower, a 47-storey building
and ICBC Tower, a 37-storey building as well as a retail podium.
• Each tower is fully air-conditioned with its own water cooled and air cooled
central chilled water system, variable speed water pumps, differential pressure by-
pass system.
• Air Handling Units and Direct Digital Control (DDC) VAV system in each office floor.

of Retrofitting
Project • HVAC Chilled Water System:
Combined the chiller plant of Champion
Tower and ICBC Tower to one chiller plant
by installed a pair of new dia. 300mm chilled
water connection pipe and six (6) nos. of
motorized valves on 1/F of Three Garden
Road.
A smart energy meter is installed at the
connection pipes for monitoring the building
cooling load. Also, the water pressure sensors
are installed at both sides for controlling the
chilled water flow rate.
Observed benefits other than energy saving: Schematic of New System

• Reduced the manpower for monitoring the operation of chiller
plants.
• Reduced the maintenance cost and repairing work of chiller
plants as the running hours of chillers and water pumps are fewer.
• In case any failure is found in one chiller plant, another one can
still supply chilled water through the new system and maintain
essential services.

The HVAC system retrofitting project have not affected the normal
chilled water supply.
The motorized valves, smart energy meter and water pressure
sensors are installed during non-office hour.
Cost Saving
Total savings/year: HKD 1.88 million

Total cost: HKD 1.86 million
Payback: 1 year
94
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 30
Building
Times Square Limited Times Square

• A commercial-retail complex with 943,000 square feet of retail space, over one million square feet of top quality Grade A
office space, and 700 car parking spaces.
• Uses centralized MVAC system which consists of
the following equipment:
- 3 H.V. chillers (2500 TR each)
- 2 L.V. chillers (1000 TR each)
- 1 L.V. chiller (600 TR)
- 10 cooling towers on Roofs of Tower 1 and 2
- AHUs on office floors and retail floors
• System monitored and controlled by BMS

of Retrofitting
Reducing the temperature of condenser water before entering cooling tower and
Project
therefore that of condenser water leaving cooling tower as well. In order to achieve
this, "passive radiative cooling paint" is applied on the condenser water inlet pipe of
the cooling tower.
Observed benefits other than energy saving: Site photo of CT#4 Thermal imaging photo
• Simple application, and low capital investment. (non-Radiative Paint): of CT#4:
• Prolong service life of cooling towers against upgrading for meeting the
peak demand in hot summer.

• The effect of free cooling of condenser water by coating branching
condenser water pipes with the radiative cooling paint is less significant in
cloudy / rainy days.
Site photo of CT#5 Thermal imaging photo
• Coating the radiative cooling paint on Cooling Towers’ Fibre Casing and (with Radiative Cooling Paint): of CT#5:
main Condenser Water Main could further improve the cooling effect on
condenser water. Results:
• Optimizing cooling tower
performance could be achieved
through integrating the
radiative cooling paint with
Artificial Intelligence with due
consideration of other factors like
wind direction and speed.
Name of the consultant and Cost Saving

contractor
HKD 85,000 80,000 ~ 140,000 kWh
Consultant: Total cost: Total savings/year:
(Exclude CT#4 as the control) (subject to weather condition)
EnerRight Intelligent Limited
HKD 57,000 (material cost) Savings/year HKD 160,000 ~ 280,000
BIM / GIS Expert:
Moebius Innovation Limited HKD 28,000 breakdown: (subject to weather condition)
Cost
(labour cost – no high-level work)
Contractor: breakdown:
Remark : Cost of Measurement and Payback: 4 ~ 6 months
S&S Air Conditioner Limited
verification is excluded
Awards
• AIIB Excellent Intelligent Green Building 2023 (Renovation Award) organized by AIIB – Winner
Award(s) received by • Hong Kong OpenBIM / OpenGIS Awards 2023 (Technology Solution Category) organized by HKABAEIMA and
the project: Building Smart HK – Honorable Mention
• Energy Awards 2023 organized by emap – Finalist
95
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 31
Information of Project owner: Project name:
Project
Swire Properties Limited EAST Hong Kong's FEAST
(FOOD BY EAST)
Description of the project:
FEAST (Food by EAST) underwent a major renovation in 2020, during which significant efforts were made to adopt various
green features recommended in the Swire Properties’ Green Kitchen Technical Guidelines. As a result, the newly revamped
premises received the highest “Three Leaf” rating, making it the first food and beverage (F&B) operator in Hong Kong to
achieve this top accolade.

of Retrofitting
Project FEAST is a bustling eatery featuring international cuisine with authentic Asian
specialties and international favourites. It operates in an efficient and environmentally
friendly way, giving the customers a green dining experience to lead a sustainable
lifestyle.
The success of FEAST showcases the significance of engaging with F&B operators
from the early stages and reaping benefits throughout the operations phase of an
F&B outlet. Notable green features adopted during the renovation include:
Aspects Green Features Adopted
Energy
• LED lighting;
• Variable speed control for kitchen exhaust fan and fresh air supply;
• Heat recovery function adopted for dishwasher and gas cook stoves;
• Power analyser to monitor kitchen electricity use;
Water
• Flow rate restrictors to conserve water;
Waste
• Recycling of food waste, coffee grounds, used cooking oil, glass bottles, metal
cans, etc.
Outstanding Operational Management
• Strong commitment to sustainability supported by corporate policy,
environmental targets and communication with customers and staff.
Environmental Performance Enhancement
Key impacts observed after the renovation (comparison between the second
halves of 2019 i.e. before renovation and 2021):
• Overall electricity use intensity* (excluding air conditioning) reduced by 6%
• Towngas usage intensity* reduced by 31%
• Water use intensity* reduced by 19%
* Intensity figures are calculated on a per guest basis
96

• EAST Hong Kong's FEAST
(FOOD BY EAST)
Environmental Performance Enhancement
Recycling bins dedicated to collecting plastic ORCA – A food waste digestor which Dishwasher with heat recovery function.
bottles, metal cans, glass bottles, and coffee uses microorganisms to convert food
grounds. Besides, FEAST also recycles paper, food waste into sewage water and reduce
waste and oyster shells. burden to landfills.
Adopted high efficiency UV grease hood. Provided spot cooling to

provide thermal comfort for kitchen personnel.
Observed benefits other than energy saving:

• To enhance the sustainability performance and staff wellbeing.
• To provide thermal comfort for kitchen personnel.
• To promote resource recycling and water saving.
Launched in 2017, Swire Properties' Green Kitchen Initiative is a Based on the number of items adopted, tenants are eligible for
platform for landlord-tenant partnership aimed at helping F&B recognition with the One Leaf, Two Leaf or Three Leaf (highest)
tenants design and operate a sustainable restaurant. rating.
The scheme includes a set of comprehensive “Green Kitchen Upgrade to Green Kitchen Initiative 2.0
Technical Guidelines” that fosters sustainability conversations well-
before tenants’ fit-out or renovation projects. F&B tenants who Building upon the enduring success and popularity of the Green
integrate highly effective sustainability solutions into the design of Kitchen Initiative, Swire Properties rolled out “Green Kitchen Initiative
their premises are recognised with a “Green Kitchen Award” for their 2.0” in 2022. The upgraded version included updated mandatory
efforts to maximise environmental performance and enhance staff requirements based on latest government regulations and
well-being. introduced prerequisites for the Green Kitchen Award, i.e. LED light
fittings, flow controllers, and food waste recycling. Enhancements
The Green Kitchen Evaluation Framework were also made to ensure that emerging best practices and
innovations are incorporated.
The framework includes recommendations categorised under five
key areas of sustainable restaurant design and operation: Tenant Participation
• Energy Efficiency and Reduction As of September 2023, over 100 F&B outlets across Swire Properties’
• Water Efficiency and Quality Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland portfolios have participated in
the Green Kitchen Initiative, highlighting the continuous growth
• Exhaust Efficiency and Kitchen Environment and engagement of the participants. Among them, 32 tenants have
• Resource Recycling achieved the highest possible Three Leaf rating.
• Outstanding Operational Management
97

• EAST Hong Kong's FEAST
(FOOD BY EAST)
ROI Analysis on Selected Kitchen Equipment
Dishwasher with Heat Recovery System (Door Type)
Cost Saving
70% total energy consumption saving

50% water consumption saving
Savings/year
13.6MWh saving per year*
breakdown:
Total cost: HKD 33,800 (2023) per unit
>HKD 28,000# on energy bill saving per year*
>9600kg of CO2 emission saving per year*
Payback: HKD 33,800 / HKD 28,000 = 1.21 years
*Assume an operation of 6 hours per day and 30 days per month

#According to Hong Kong Electric Apr 2023 Electricity Tariff
Dishwasher with Heat Recovery System (Conveyor Type)
Cost Saving
66% total energy consumption saving

70% water consumption saving
Savings/year
breakdown:
>HKD 160,800k# on energy bill saving per year*
>139,980kg of CO2 emission saving per year*
Payback: HKD 85,800 / HKD 160,800 = 0.53 years = 6.4 months

#According to Hong Kong Electric Apr 2023 Electricity Tariff
Steam Cabinet with Heat Recovery System
Cost Saving
>23.5% operation noise reduction

25% total gas consumption saving
Savings/year
breakdown:
>HKD 29,500# on gas bill saving per year*
20 times of CO2 emission saving per year*
Payback: HKD 15,600 / HKD 29,500 = 0.53 years = 6.3 months

#According to Towngas 2023 Tariff
98
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 32
Building
Hongkong Land Limited Exchange Square

• Exchange Square is a major development that sets the
benchmark in Hong Kong for a prestigious, globally
oriented, 24-hour business complex. It is home to many
leading international investment banks and financial
institutions.
• One, Two and Three Exchange Square (52, 51 and 33
storeys respectively) was completed in 1985 - 1988 and
the Forum was redeveloped as a 5 storeys office building
in 2013.
• The public plaza at Exchange Square, seamlessly integrated with the office buildings, offers a captivating open space with
greeneries, fountains, and an impressive collection of renowned sculptures.

of Retrofitting
Project • Refurbish the rooftop of office buildings
by photovoltaic installation (Flexible
Photovoltaic and Cadmium Telluride
Photovoltaic)
• Install green roof on the footbridges
• Photovoltaic system in Exchange Square • One effective way to enhance the energy efficiency of buildings is through installation
with smart grid compatibility to support the of photovoltaic system on the rooftop. This refurbishment not only reduces heat transfer
decarbonization of Hong Kong. from the roof, at the same time it could enhance the overall aesthetic of the roof /
• Reduce the heat transfer from roof top for equipment. Additionally, the generated power from the photovoltaic system can offset
better thermal comfort and reduce heat load. the carbon emissions of the building, contributing to a greener environment, or generate
profit through the feed-in tariff scheme.
• Ultra light-weight green roof to reduce
urban heat island effect and benefit to the • Another eco-friendly initiative was the implementation of a 450sqm ultra-lightweight
surrounding environment and neighborhood. green roof on the footbridge and the roof of podium. This retrofit not only helps combat
the urban heat island effect which reduces the overall temperature of the surrounding
area, it also serves the purpose of biophilia for tenants of nearby buildings, enhancing the
overall sustainability and wellness for our occupants and surrounding area.
Cost Saving
Total cost: HKD 4 million (PV Installation Only) Total savings/year: HKD 100,000 (by REC)
Awards
• Pioneer Award in GREEN BUILDING LEADERSHIP CATEGORY: Facilities Management under Green Building Award 2023
• Platinum rating in HK BEAM Plus Certification for Existing Buildings
• Grand Award in Facilities Management under Green Building Award 2019
Award(s) • Distinction Award (Large Organization Category) of the Hong Kong Sustainability Award 2023
received by
the project: • 2022 Wise Save @ RCx Bronze Award
• Energy Saving Championship Scheme 2019 Outstanding RCx (Implementation) Award
• IFMA Asia Pacific Awards of Excellence 2022-2023 in Environmental Stewardship Award, Certificate of Excellence
• The Excellent Building Award 2023, Year of Excellent Award (Existing Building)
99
05 CASE STUDIES
CASE 33
Building
China Resources Longdation Co., Ltd. China Resources Building

A revitalization project to transform the original 50-storey building in Wan Chai North since
1983 into a contemporary building:
• To give the corporate headquarter a new international image,
• To create a more comfortable and convenient environment in harmony with the
neighbourhood, and
• To integrate with the redevelopment of Harbour Road Garden, the Causeway Centre
podium and the public passage linking buildings in the area.

of Retrofitting
Project • Renovation strategy was to have the building
remained occupied during construction.
• Low noise demolition methods were also adopted.
• High performance façade system was adopted:
- The existing façade of white tiles and red stone cladding was renovated by adding
a new curtain wall using robust construction materials like glass panels, aluminium
and stainless steel claddings for easy future maintenance.
- This semi-unitized curtain wall system with pressure equalized system and drain
gutter at each floor facilitated ease of construction by allowing random installation
sequence, and flexibility to minimize disturbance to the tenants and to allow special
events during construction.
- Low-e glass panels help reduce the solar heat gain to the interior office space and
reduce energy use.
- The retrofit achieved a 33% reduction in OTTV, from 20.39 W/m2 to 13.66 W/m2.
Use of tower working platforms for curtain wall installation
100
05 CASE STUDIES CASE 33 China Resources Longdation Co., Ltd.

• China Resources Building
Reuse the existing structural frame to reduce construction Optimises daylight and energy consumption by using a glazing system.
waste and the demand of resources:
Low-e Laminated Glass to Reduce Solar Heat Gain. Thus, reduced the building
• Saving 13,000m³ of water per year = filling of 5 Olympic operating cost with reduced heat gain.
pools
Allows only 5% of solar energy to be transmitted indoors. Naturally reducing
• Recycling 1,600 tons of waste during construction.
interior temperature.
Use of Tower Working Platform instead of scaffold to allow
The air-tightness of the façade reduces the need for air-conditioning and
external view, natural light penetration and minimize
improve indoor air quality.
disturbance to tenants.
Enhanced building permeability at podium level. Together with other major MEP retrofitting improvement, such as renovation
of the AHU fan type, installing CO2 Demand Control Ventilation System and the
Use Low-VOC materials for renovated spaces. subsequent Energy-cum-Carbon Audit and Post-evaluation revealed that :
Installed innovative and high-efficient LED lighting • Reduction of 1,950 tons CO2 p.a. as compared with ASHRAE Baseline = annual
equipment. It transforms the building appearance and CO2 absorption approx. 280,000 pine trees
enhances its presence at nighttime.
• Energy consumption savings of 2.35 GWh p.a. compared with ASHRAE
Baseline.
Cost Saving
According to energy/ carbon audit, electricity in 2013

Total cost: Approx. $447 million Total savings/year:
was reduced by 9.3%, compared to 2008 baseline
Awards
• 1st building renovation project to receive a LEED Core & Shell Gold recognition in Hong Kong
• 2015 FuturArc Green Leadership Award – Merit Award (Commercial Category)
• 2014 MIPIM Asia Awards – Bronze Winner (Best Office and Business Development)
• 2014 Chivas 18 Architecture and Design Awards – Commercial and Mixed-use Building: Hong Kong
Award(s) • 2014 Quality Building Award – Grand Award (Hong Kong Building [Renovation/Revitalization] Category)
received by • 2013 The Hong Kong Institute of Architects Annual Awards – Merit Award of Hong Kong
the project: • 2013 Perspective Awards – Excellence (Architecture (Professional) Commercial, Retail or Office)
• 2013 Meiju Award – The Most Beautiful Commercial Property
• 2012 The American Institute of Architects Hong Kong Chapter Honors and Awards – Sustainable Design Award for
Architecture
• 2012 Green Building Award – Finalist (Existing Building category [Completed Building] - Hong Kong)
101
ABBREVIATIONS
Abbreviation Extension Abbreviation Extension
AC Alternating Current HKGBC Hong Kong Green Building Council
AHU Air Handling Unit HKSAR Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
AI Artificial Intelligent HVAC Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning
BD The Buildings Department IAQ Indoor Air Quality
BEC Building Energy Code IEA The International Energy Agency
BEEO Buildings Energy Efficiency Ordinance IEQ Indoor Environmental Quality
BIPV Building Integrated Photovoltaic IGBT Insulated-gate Bipolar Transistor
BMS Building Management System IoT Internet of Things
CAV Constant Air Volume IPCC The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
CIC Construction Industry Council ISPC Industry Standards and Practices Committee
CLP Power CLP Power Hong Kong Limited IT Information Technology
CO Carbon Monoxide LED Light Emitting Diode
COP Coefficient of Performance LiDAR Light Detection and Ranging
CRAC Computer Room Air Conditioning OTTV Overall Thermal Transfer Value
CSR Corporate Social Responsibility PAU Pre-cooling Air Handling Unit
DC Direct Current PM Permanent Magnet/ Particulate Matter
DCiE Data Centre Infrastructure Efficiency PUE Power Usage Effectiveness
DDC Direct Digital Control PV Photovoltaic
EAC Energy Audit Code RCx Retro-commissioning
EC Electronically Commutated RH Relative Humidity
EERSB Energy Efficiency Registration Scheme for Buildings SSRC “Smart” Sub-ambient Radiative Cooling
EMSD The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department SRI Solar Reflectance Index
EPD The Environmental Protection Department UPS Uninterrupted Power System
ESS Energy Saving Sonic UV Ultraviolet
FCU Fan Coil Unit VAV Variable Air Volume
GFA Gross Floor Area VSD Variable Speed Drive
HK Electric The Hongkong Electric Company, Limited VVVF Variable Voltage Variable Frequency
WSD Water Supplies Department
102
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
HKGBC Industry Standards and Ar. Donald CHOI, JP (HKGBC Director cum ISPC Chairman) - Chinachem Group
Practices Committee (ISPC) Ir Dr Anthony LO (HKGBC Director cum ISPC Vice Chairman) - CLP Power Hong Kong Limited
Prof. Jack CHENG (HKGBC Director) - The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Ir Victor CHEUNG (HKGBC Director) - J. Roger Preston Limited
Ar. Dr Tony IP (HKGBC Director) - Tony Ip Green Architects Limited
Ir PAN Shu-jie (HKGBC Director) - CR Construction Company Limited
Sr Frankie SO (HKGBC Director) - LESK Solutions Co., Limited
Ms Eliza WONG (HKGBC Director) - Swire Properties Limited
Dr Raymond YAU (HKGBC Director) - Swire Properties Limited
Mr Andy YEUNG (HKGBC Director) - Hongkong Land (Property Management) Limited
Ms Yvonne IEONG (Founding Member Representative) - Leigh & Orange Limited
Mr Felix CHAN - Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Limited
Dr Benny CHOW - Aedas Limited
Ms KO Ping-sze - Gammon Construction Limited
Mr Kevin LEE - SOCAM Development Limited
Ir Ian LEE - Schneider Electric (Hong Kong) Limited
Ms LIN Yu - Allied Sustainability and Environmental Consultants Group Limited
Mr Alvin LO - CLPe Solutions Limited
Mr NIP Kam-cheong - Wheelock Properties (Hong Kong) Limited
Ms Samanta PONG - Shiu Wing Steel Limited
Ar. Carmen WONG - The Hong Kong Institute of Architects
Ex - HKGBC Industry Standards and Mr Ivan CHIU - Gammon Construction Limited

Practices Committee (ISPC) Mr Nicholas HO - The Hong Kong Institute of Architects
Mr LI Pui-chuen - Schneider Electric (Hong Kong) Limited
HKGBC Industry Standards and Mr Paul CHAU - Hong Kong Housing Authority
Ms Kitty HO - Architectural Services Department
Practices Committee (ISPC) Advisors Mr Marsden KONG - Electrical & Mechanical Services Department
Mr Gary YIP - Water Supplies Department
Ex - HKGBC Industry Standards and Mr Luke HAHN - Hong Kong Housing Authority
Practices Committee (ISPC) Advisors Ms Rachel LEUNG - Hong Kong Housing Authority
HKGBC Retrofitting Expert Group Ir Victor CHEUNG (Convenor) - J. Roger Preston Limited
Ir Antonio CHAN - REC Engineering Co. Limited
Ir Dr Cary CHAN - Hong Kong Green Building Council
Mr Dave CHAN - ATAL Building Services Engineering Limited
Ir Dr K.L. CHAN - The Jardine Engineering Corp., Limited
Ir Tony CHAN - CLP Power Hong Kong Limited
Ms Michelle CHEUNG - Building Services Operation and Maintenance Executives Society
Ms Yvonne IEONG - The Hong Kong Institute of Architects
Ir Chris TING - Building Services Operation and Maintenance Executives Society
Mr Andy YEUNG - Hongkong Land (Property Management) Limited
HKGBC Retrofitting Expert Group Mr Osman LAU - Electrical & Mechanical Services Department
(Regulatory Perspectives) Mr Ricky LI - Electrical & Mechanical Services Department
Ex - HKGBC Retrofitting Expert Group Mr Leo CHENG - Electrical & Mechanical Services Department
(Regulatory Perspectives)
Case Study Contributors Best Profit Limited Million Success Limited/ Wide Harvest Investment Limited
Cha Fan Catering Limited Newfoundworld Investment Holdings Limited
Champion REIT PCCW-HKT Telephone Limited
China Resources Longdation Co., Ltd. Sino Estates Management Limited
Government Property Agency Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited
Hang Lung Properties Limited Sunny Force Limited
Harvest Sun Limited Swire Properties Limited
Hongkong Land Limited Television Broadcasts Limited
Housing Authority Times Square Limited
Hornbrook Investment Limited Will Glory Company (C.I.) Limited
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Shatin World Empire investment (CI) Limited
Image Credits The Jardine Engineering Corp., Limited 6, 7 (middle), 9 (bottom), 10 (bottom)
ATAL Building Services Engineering Limited 8 (top and middle), 10 (top), 12 (middle),
13 (bottom), 17, 19, 21 (bottom)
iStock.com/ zhudifeng 11
Swire Properties Limited 12 (bottom), 13 (top), 21 (top)
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 14 (top)
Hong Kong Telecommunications (HKT) Limited 18, 23 (bottom)
The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited 28, 29 (top and middle 1)
CLP Power Hong Kong Limited 29 (middle 2 and bottom), 38 (bottom)
JF Thermal System Limited 30
The Hong Kong Institute of Architects 31, 33 (bottom left and right), 37 (top left), 38 (top)
Leigh & Orange Limited 32 (top left and right), 35, 36 (bottom), 37 (top right)
i2Cool Limited 32 (bottom)
P&T Architects and Engineers Limited 36 (top left and right)
The Chinese University of Hong Kong 36 (middle)
South Star Glass Limited 39 (middle)
airDefender International Company Limited 39 (bottom)
103
HKGBC
RETROFITTING
GUIDEBOOK
The Hong Kong

Green Building Council (HKGBC)
Contact Us
Phone +852 3994 8888

Email [email protected]
Address 1/F, Jockey Club Environmental Building,
77 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong
www.hkgbc.org.hk

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HKGBC

First release : January 2023

To learn more about the HKGBC, please visit www.hkgbc.org.hk

MESSAGE FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 4

2. Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning – Air-side 11

4. Smart Control Systems 20

5. Server Room/ Data Centre 22

7. Green Commercial Kitchen 26

04 USEFUL RESOURCES AND LINKS FOR RETROFITTING 44

Dr CHEUNG Tin-cheung, SBS

Determining the A holistic view on what you could and should be

The key measures include:

02 RETROFITTING STRATEGIES 1. HVAC – Water-side

Replacement of Efficiency of existing chillers will drop after

• Check EMSD’s, Water Supplies Department

• Conduct energy audit and prepare load profile

• Design a new chiller combination based on the

• Prepare life cycle cost analysis for replacing air-

• Use plant optimisation systems

02 RETROFITTING STRATEGIES 1. HVAC – Water-side

• The efficiency of the chillers can be

• Tube cleaning balls need to be replaced

• Tube cleaning systems using brushes

• Reduce the cost for using chemicals.

• Reduce water consumption for flushing

• Reduce scaling and corrosion inside

• Maintain the heat rejection capacity of

02 RETROFITTING STRATEGIES 1. HVAC – Water-side

Piping heat-recovery chiller

Conversion of centralised Central chilled water systems use large central

02 RETROFITTING STRATEGIES 1. HVAC – Water-side

2. Heating, Ventilation, and

• By using intelligent networking thermostats, more advanced energy

02 RETROFITTING STRATEGIES 2. HVAC – Air-side

• EC plug fans do not have belt and pulley or gear, so

• EC fan grid provides increased reliability to operation. If

• Noise level is lower than centrifugal fans and may

• May require additional pusher fan

02 RETROFITTING STRATEGIES 2. HVAC – Air-side

02 RETROFITTING STRATEGIES 2. HVAC – Air-side

02 RETROFITTING STRATEGIES 2. HVAC – Air-side

• Infiltrations have to be controlled to prevent condensation.

Standard Standard Ventilation Makeup

Dehumidification Natural Convection

Radiation Heat Transfer From Surfaces

• Ceiling fans can generate a

• Light-coloured furniture and wall painting should be used.

02 RETROFITTING STRATEGIES 3. Electrical Systems 3.1 Lighting

02 RETROFITTING STRATEGIES 3. Electrical Systems

System distribution system to reduce energy loss

Power and Install power and harmonic analysers to

The key measures include: Considerations:

• Modernising the lift machines • All alterations need to be designed and

02 RETROFITTING STRATEGIES 3. Electrical Systems 3.3 Lift & Escalator

Installation of For conventional lifts, when

ii. the lift is slowing down or in

The power generated by the

4. Smart Control Systems

02 RETROFITTING STRATEGIES 4. Smart Control Systems

Installation of meters A smart metering platform is used to facilitate