Seoul City Promotes 'High-Efficiency Easy Installation Demonstration Project for Aging Buildings'

Improving Energy Efficiency with Easy Installation

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] On the 16th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will conduct a ‘Super Simple High-Efficiency Easy Installation Demonstration Project’ that anyone can easily apply to old buildings with low thermal efficiency, in collaboration with the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology.

As gas prices rise and urban gas usage increases due to abnormal cold waves, the heating cost burden on citizens is rapidly increasing. Vulnerable groups living in old houses with thin insulation and poor windows, resulting in low thermal efficiency, are suffering even more.

Most of these old buildings cannot undergo energy efficiency projects due to structural or safety issues. In addition, most energy-vulnerable people are tenants who do not have decision-making authority over energy efficiency projects, and there are side effects such as having to move due to rent increases after installation.

Accordingly, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology decided to carry out the ‘Super Simple High-Efficiency Easy Installation’ demonstration project that can improve the energy efficiency of old buildings with just a few simple installations.

This pilot demonstration project will be conducted for two months from the 20th to April 20th, targeting small-scale old multi-family housing over 30 years old, and the energy usage during the demonstration period will be compared with the usage during the same period last year and with a control group (an adjacent building without installation).

The city plans to vigorously promote the easy installation project targeting vulnerable residential areas such as hillside villages and rental apartments in the second half of the year if the energy efficiency improvement effect of the demonstration project is proven.

Lee In-geun, Head of the Climate and Environment Headquarters, stated, “In this era of energy crisis, super simple high-efficiency easy installation is expected to be an alternative for energy-vulnerable groups to overcome the climate crisis,” and added, “We will continue to discover various support measures that can reduce building greenhouse gas emissions and help energy-vulnerable groups.”