Energy Performance Certificates and Minimum Energy Standards
Is there a mandatory form of energy performance certification? When does it apply and are there any prescribed minimum standards?

The energy performance certification for buildings in Taiwan is a part of  the EEWH evaluation system, as mentioned under "Green certification." The indicators include requirements and recommendations for energy performance improvements to be implemented whenever a building is constructed.

At the beginning, the EEWH certification, as a voluntary mechanism, resulted in relatively limited applications for green building certification. To enhance its overall effectiveness, the Executive Yuan, the administrative department of the Taiwan government, ratified the "Green Building Promotion Program" in 2001. This initiated a mandatory EEWH evaluation for all the new publicly owned buildings with a price of more than TWD 50 million (approximately USD 1,587,300). This includes schools, theaters, gyms, transportation stations, markets, department stores, museums, libraries, medical facilities and government offices, among others.

The relevant requirements, including those for energy performance, will be included first in the tender documents and then evaluated at the completion, and sometimes also during the construction work. The contractor's obtaining of the completion certificate will be conditional on its fulfilment of the goals. Through the public sector's initiative of employing green building practices, the green building industry and its market were gradually formed.

To promote green buildings in the private sector, the Construction and Planning Agency of the Ministry of Interiors (CPAMI) under the Executive Yuan was tasked with institutionalizing and establishing relevant regulations. The CPAMI devised the "Green Building Basic Chapter" in the Building Technical Regulation, a general guideline for construction works. The chapter includes vegetation and planting, water infiltration and retention, energy saving, rainwater and grey water reuse, as well as green building materials. Nevertheless, it remains voluntary in the private sector, and green buildings are mostly seen only in large factories or leading buildings, such as Taipei 101, previously the highest building in the world from 2004 to 2010.

The use of green materials, however, is widely accepted and implemented in the field of interior and outdoor decoration. Pursuant to the Rules of Construction Technology, it is mandatory to use at least 45% green materials in each interior decoration work, and at least 10% in the case of outdoor decoration work, in both the public and private sectors.

Meanwhile, the Architecture and Building Research Institute of the Ministry of the Interior assembled all the relevant regulations and practices, and made the Green Building Evaluation Manuals as minimum requirements and recommendations for the five main types of green buildings or communities, which are as follows:

  • EEWH-BC: Basic version
  • EEWH-RS: Residential buildings
  • EEWH-GF: Factory
  • EEWH-RN: Renovated buildings
  • EEWH-EC: Eco-community

Different types of green buildings focus on their respective purposes and may not only apply the indicators developed in the EEWH system. For example, EEWH-GF also involves the energy-saving requirements for facilities and commitments from factory managements, while EEWH-RN emphasizes indicators of carbon reduction and evaluation of energy costs. For EEWH-EC, the evaluation is more on the integration design and community establishment rather than a single building.

Except for construction work, a landlord may request that a tenant in a green lease agreement implement energy-saving materials, facilities or appliances for interior decorations with green building material labels, green marks, and water-saving or power-saving labels, which were respectively granted to the green products by the construction, environmental or energy authorities.