New Taipei City’s Residential & Commercial Net-Zero Transformation

New Taipei City is implementing an integrated, citywide strategy to reduce emissions from the residential and commercial sector, which accounts for a major share of local CO₂. Through mandatory energy-efficiency rules for new buildings, smart-energy retrofits in existing stock, large-scale audits, digital management systems, and targeted incentives, the city is building a coherent pathway toward net-zero buildings by 2050. The approach combines regulation, public-private collaboration, and smart management technologies to gradually decrease energy demand, strengthen monitoring, and shift behaviour across millions of daily users. These measures are part of the city’s broader 2050 Net-Zero Strategy, positioning buildings as a cornerstone for long-term mitigation.

New Taipei City’s implementation model links technology, regulation, audits, and community systems into one coherent framework.

-  Digitalisation of public and shared buildings

• Deployment of real-time AC monitoring across all 487 public activity centres, enabling automated optimisation.
• Introduction of cloud-connected dashboards for continuous tracking of consumption trends, aiming for data-driven efficiency improvements.

- Citywide audit and diagnostic programme

• 664 targeted audits in 2024 feed directly into retrofit guidance and compliance follow-up.
• A single municipal platform aggregates audit data, enabling trend analysis and adaptive policy design.

- Community-based energy management (E-House Program)

• Provides free diagnostics and training to communities using a unified indicator (Public Facility Energy Use Intensity).
• 442 participating communities (2024) receive annual reviews and publicly shared performance assessments.
• High-performing communities access recognition and incentive mechanisms.

- Mandatory building performance standards

• 2040: Mandatory smart electricity management systems in all new buildings.
• Ongoing: All new buildings must meet Level-1 energy efficiency standards, with progressive tightening of requirements.

- Cross-sector and cross-institutional collaboration

• NT$45.4 million in annual support lowers barriers to renewable energy and efficiency upgrades.

- Behavioural programmes and capacity building

• Targeted training for building operators and SMEs improves operational efficiency.
• Public outreach encourages household-level energy-saving behaviours.

Collaboration is core to scaling the building transition.

• Inter-departmental coordination between energy, building, environmental, and digital services.
• Partnerships with community committees for the E-House Programme.
• Public-private cooperation for audits, digital platforms, and smart-management upgrades.
• Academia–government cooperation on diagnostics, performance indicators, and target-setting.

Behavioural change is supported through continuous awareness efforts.

• Guidance for households and building managers on energy-saving behaviours.
• Public reporting mechanisms for performance in public buildings.
• Outreach through community committees engaging residents in monitoring consumption.

New Taipei City mobilises public funds and targeted incentives.

• NT$ 39.76 million (approx. USD 1.32 million) annually allocated for renewable energy and efficiency programmes.
• Municipal investments in digital AC systems and building-level retrofits.
• Subsidy programmes supporting household and SME participation in audits and upgrades.

Results show measurable progress and systemwide change.

• Significant expansion of smart systems, improving visibility and control across public buildings.
• Widespread market transformation, with thousands of businesses engaged and adjusting consumption behaviours.
• Rapid growth in community-level energy governance, increasing residents’ participation and literacy.
• Clear long-term shift toward higher standards via 2030 and 2040 requirements.
• Strong contribution to citywide emissions reductions, supporting the overall 5.27% GHG decline since 2020.

Despite progress, important challenges remain.

• Retrofitting existing buildings requires sustained investment and behavioural adoption.
• Data integration across old facilities remains uneven.
• SMEs still face financial and technical hurdles.
• Scaling household-level change requires continuous outreach.

New Taipei City’s approach is transferable to cities with dense layouts and mixed building ages, thanks to its modularity and clear sequencing.

• Modular design: audits, digital systems, community monitoring, and regulation can be deployed independently.
• Community committees offer a governance model useful for cities needing decentralised oversight.
• Digital tools (sensors, dashboards, AI-based management) can scale according to local technical capacity.
• Progressive regulatory ramp-up (2030–2040–2050) provides a realistic transition model for cities moving from voluntary action to mandatory requirements.
• Municipal leadership through public buildings helps de-risk market adoption and demonstrate feasibility.

New Taipei City shows how cities can deliver rapid, meaningful decarbonisation in the building sector through smart systems, participatory programmes, and phased regulation. By combining audits, digital management, community governance, and targeted financing, the city has already achieved measurable reductions and built long-term capacity for sustained change. Its model is practical, scalable, and adaptable, offering a compelling blueprint for achieving net-zero buildings and improving public value in dense urban contexts.

• New Taipei City Net Zero 2050 Pathway & Climate Action White Paper
• New Taipei City’s E-House Program is pioneering nearly zero-carbon communities

New Taipei City Government
Environmental Protection Department
Low-Carbon Community Development Center