Project Description:
New Taipei City has identified building decarbonization as a key component of its 2050 net-zero pathway. The city released its first Voluntary Local Review (VLR) in 2019, formally announced the 2050 net-zero target in 2021, and published its Pathway to Net-Zero Emissions in August 2022, gradually establishing its local net-zero governance framework. In October 2022, New Taipei City officially became a coal-free city in line with its commitment to the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA), marking an important milestone in its net-zero transition. In terms of greenhouse gas emissions, the residential and commercial sector accounts for about 42% of total emissions, highlighting the importance of reducing emissions from buildings as a key local climate priority. To address this challenge, the city has adopted three core strategies—energy-saving monitoring, energy-saving retrofitting, and zero-carbon electricity—based on a whole-life-cycle approach to building management.
Under this framework, New Taipei City has launched two initiatives—Energy-efficient E-House and Energy-efficient E-Housekeeper—to improve the energy performance of existing residential communities. Energy-efficient E-House is a building energy performance rating system that classifies communities from three to six stars based on calculated energy-efficiency performance. The system helps residents understand the energy performance of shared building facilities and encourages communities to adopt energy-saving measures such as replacing inefficient equipment, optimizing equipment settings, and reducing unnecessary operating hours. The program integrates electricity bill data with building management information and provides communities with free building energy performance assessments. Stakeholders involved in promoting building energy efficiency include real estate companies, residents, prospective homebuyers, and property developers, and certified community star ratings are disclosed on property listing platforms, enabling residents to take building energy performance into account when buying or renting homes. The data can also be used by property developers to review whether building envelope design and equipment configurations align with near-zero building guidelines.
The Energy-efficient E-Housekeeper supports smart electricity management through the integration of artificial intelligence, big data, and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. The system provides proactive functions such as daily electricity-use tracking, a Household Energy Logbook, and electricity-use management to assist households in monitoring and managing their electricity consumption. Through these functions, users can better understand their electricity-use behavior, identify major energy-consuming appliances, and improve abnormal or inefficient electricity use. In terms of gender inclusiveness, the design of the Household Energy Logbook takes into account that women often play a leading role in household energy expenditure decisions. The interface is optimized based on women’s reading habits and operational needs to enhance usability. The system is also designed to accommodate elderly users, for example by adopting a one-click login mechanism and simplified operating procedures to reduce the inconvenience caused by frequent password resets due to forgotten passwords. Delivered in the form of a mobile application, the service improves overall ease of use The Energy-efficient E-Housekeeper provides the public with services such as electricity-use analysis, abnormality detection, and carbon emissions verification. In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) principle of “Leave No One Behind,” the program strengthens the data foundation for energy governance and further supports decarbonization efforts in the residential sector.
Estimated Savings
Savings Narrative
In promoting energy conservation in the residential sector, New Taipei City has launched two initiatives—Energy-efficient E-House and Energy-efficient E-Housekeeper—to advance electricity savings from two dimensions: community building energy efficiency management and household smart electricity management. Among them, the Energy-efficient E-Housekeeper system can achieve overall electricity savings of approximately 25%. This figure is estimated based on assumptions in the Ministry of the Interior’s net-zero pathway, under the premise that renewable energy can supply 50% of electricity, together with policy target setting and the aggregated electricity-saving benefits achievable through the actual implementation of the program. The calculation is based on two components: first, according to existing statistics from approximately 1000 households, users can achieve about 9% electricity savings during the summer months; second, if households further replace air conditioners rated at energy efficiency level 5 with those rated at level 1, an additional 11% electricity-saving benefit can be achieved. These electricity-saving benefits are incorporated into the overall estimation as the basis for projecting total electricity savings of 25%.
The Energy-efficient E-House program introduces a building energy performance rating system that classifies residential communities from three to six stars based on calculated building energy performance. The system helps residents understand the energy efficiency of shared building facilities and encourages communities to implement energy-saving measures such as replacing low-efficiency equipment, improving equipment settings, and reducing unnecessary operating hours. As of 2024, 235 communities participated in the program, among which 203 communities received a three-star rating and 29 communities received a four-star rating.
The Energy-efficient E-Housekeeper system integrates artificial intelligence, big data, and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to support smart household electricity management. By installing a micro-meter on the main household distribution panel, the system can identify the electricity-use timing and consumption of different appliances. It provides three proactive energy-saving tools—daily electricity tracking, a household energy logbook, and electricity-use management—which help users understand household electricity-use behavior, analyze the consumption patterns of major energy-consuming appliances, and promptly address abnormal electricity use or adjust electricity-use timing.
Net Operating Cost Savings per year: $439,000 USD
Kilowatt-hours Savings per year: 4,851,258kWh /year (kWh)
Carbon Emissions Offset: 2,397 metric tons CO₂e per year