Seoul City Launches Full-Scale Expansion of 1 Million Low-Carbon Buildings... 150,000 Renovations Scheduled This Year

20,000 Public Housing Units Equipped with Eco-Friendly Boilers and LED Lighting... Green Remodeling of Daycare Centers and Medical Facilities
This Year, Four City-Owned Buildings Including Namsan Creative Center Achieve Zero Energy Level... Energy Performance Improved in 24 Locations

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul Metropolitan Government is set to actively begin the expansion of one million low-carbon buildings, a key measure of the climate change response plan announced last January. This year, through large-scale investments including expanding project targets, establishing support centers, and building collaborative systems with related organizations and companies, Seoul will renovate 150,000 public and private buildings.

Additionally, Seoul has announced plans to convert approximately 122,000 public buildings into low-carbon buildings by 2026, spreading new technologies and construction methods to the private sector. This year, energy efficiency improvements will be carried out on 22,000 public buildings, including public housing and government offices.

According to Seoul on the 10th, Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation (SH) will replace old boilers and fluorescent lights in 20,000 public housing units with eco-friendly boilers and LED lighting through the ‘Energy Performance Improvement Project’ this year. By replacing old boilers and fluorescent lights in 21,400 public housing units with eco-friendly condensing boilers and LED lighting, the project aims not only to reduce residents’ fuel costs but also to enhance residential satisfaction. The city plans to improve the energy efficiency of about 120,000 public housing units by 2026.

The energy performance of 98 facilities used by vulnerable groups to the climate crisis, such as senior centers and daycare centers, will be improved by more than 30% to create a comfortable environment. The ‘Senior Center Zero Energy Conversion Project’ involves replacing old facilities and applying eco-friendly design techniques to convert public senior centers that have been in use for over 15 years to zero-energy building standards. The initial targets include 13 centers such as Dongshim Senior Center in Yeongdeungpo-gu and Sageun No.1 Senior Center in Seongdong-gu, with construction to be completed this year and a goal of 321 centers by 2026.

Furthermore, 24 sites including Namsan Creative Center, Central and Northern Technical Training Institutes, and Tancheon Water Recycling Center will be converted to zero-energy building (ZEB) standards or improved by more than 30% in energy efficiency. A full survey of 1,874 city-owned buildings over 20 years old, such as office buildings, welfare centers, art galleries, and museums, will be conducted by June, and energy performance improvements will be pursued according to a phased plan to upgrade building energy efficiency ratings to 1++ level.

Seoul will continue to promote interest-free loans this year, which have been in effect since last year, to improve the energy efficiency of old houses and buildings. By preventing heat loss through replacement of insulated windows and insulation materials, energy consumption can be reduced, leading to lower electricity and city gas bills. For houses or buildings over 10 years old, Seoul provides interest-free loans covering up to 80-100% of construction costs for energy efficiency improvements such as insulated windows and insulation materials. The loan principal must be repaid in equal installments within 8 years. The maximum loan amount is up to 60 million KRW for residential buildings and up to 2 billion KRW for non-residential buildings.

In cooperation with the Korea Energy Foundation, the ‘Energy Efficiency Improvement Project’ will also be promoted. From this year, the plan is to support energy efficiency improvements for more than 6,000 vulnerable households annually. The Korea Energy Foundation’s project supports the replacement of high-efficiency equipment such as insulated windows and eco-friendly boilers for households receiving basic livelihood security, low-income families in energy welfare blind spots, and social welfare facilities. Support amounts to 2.2 million KRW per household and 10 million KRW for facilities.

To promote the spread of low-carbon buildings, a dedicated support window for energy efficiency projects will be operated. Seoul plans to open the tentatively named ‘Building Energy Plus Support Center’ at the Climate Energy Information Center in Building 1 of Seoul City Hall Seosomun Office from the 29th, providing various information and consulting services on building greenhouse gas reduction.

Meanwhile, Seoul plans to develop a brand identity (BI) to raise awareness and build public consensus on eco-friendly buildings, and prepare a ‘Seoul-style Low-Carbon Building Certification Plan’ linked with domestic and international green building certification systems.

Yoo Yeon-sik, Head of the Climate and Environment Headquarters, said, “Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector, which accounts for 69% of Seoul’s total emissions, requires not only public efforts but also active participation from the private sector. Along with promoting green remodeling projects for public buildings, we will expand incentives and provide project promotion and guidance to encourage active citizen participation.”