Southeast Asia region

Singapore: BCA Strengthens Pathway for Ultra-Low Energy Buildings, Sets "80-80-80" Target

On May 7th, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) of Singapore announced at the 2026 Sustainable Building Symposium that it will further focus on the Super Low Energy (SLE) building certification system and promote carbon emission reduction in building operations. SLE requires that building energy efficiency be improved by 60% compared to the 2005 benchmark, which is currently the highest standard for building energy efficiency in Singapore. The BCA stated that the seventh edition of the Green Mark certification system will be released in September, further strengthening policy guidance for super low energy buildings. 

In terms of goals, Singapore continues to implement the "80-80-80 by 2030" strategy: by 2030, 80% of buildings will be greened, 80% of new projects will meet the SLE standards, and building energy efficiency will be improved by 80%. Additionally, Singapore has designated 2026 as the "Climate Adaptation Year" and launched a national adaptation plan. Among these, the "Energy Efficiency Grant" can cover up to 50% of the installation costs for smart glass and solar integration, providing financial incentives for the intelligent transformation of commercial buildings.

Vietnam: National energy-saving targets are being raised, and smart city construction is accelerating.

On May 15th, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam released the "Action Plan for Strengthening Energy Saving Measures", clearly stating that by 2026, the country aims to achieve at least a 3% reduction in electricity consumption. During the peak electricity usage months from April to July, the savings target is even raised to at least 10%. This policy places higher requirements on energy management in public buildings, creating direct policy-driven impetus for building energy management systems (BEMS) and intelligent energy-saving solutions. 

In the field of smart cities, the city of Can Tho in Vietnam has approved the "Smart City Development Project 2026-2030" at the beginning of 2026. The plan is to prioritize the implementation of 21 key projects in 2026-2027, covering core platforms such as information technology and communication architecture, urban databases, innovative infrastructure, and smart security management. What is particularly noteworthy is that the project will introduce an AI Agent ecosystem to support the operation of urban infrastructure such as water management, flood prevention, risk warning, smart transportation, and intelligent waste disposal, representing the cutting-edge practice of intelligent public buildings in Southeast Asia.

ASEAN Region: PEEB-ASEAN Building Energy Efficiency Cooperation Enters Implementation Phase

On April 24th, the ASEAN Energy Center (ACE) and the French Development Agency (AFD) jointly held the first project steering committee meeting of PEEB-ASEAN (ASEAN Building Energy Efficiency Partnership). Representatives from six countries - Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam - participated together. This plan is deeply aligned with the "ASEAN Energy Cooperation Action Plan (APAEC) 2026-2030", aiming to accelerate regional zero-energy building and energy efficiency innovation through policy support, capacity building, knowledge sharing and investment promotion.

European and American area

EU: EPBD Solar Roof Mandatory Order - Member States Must Convert by May 29, 2026

The revised EU "Building Energy Efficiency Directive" (EPBD) requires member states to convert the solar provisions into national laws by May 29, 2026. This marks the transition of EPBD from a policy declaration to a mandatory enforcement stage. According to the schedule, starting from December 31, 2026, all new public and commercial buildings with an area exceeding 250 square meters must install solar facilities. It is expected that between 2026 and 2030, this directive will unlock an additional 150-200 GW of rooftop solar capacity in the EU. 

Furthermore, on May 5th, BPIE (European Institute for Building Performance) released the 9th policy guideline for EPBD in Poland and Romania, setting minimum energy efficiency standards (MEPS) for non-residential buildings and establishing a national building renovation trajectory to align the overall building stock with the net-zero target by 2050. 

UK: Multiple actual projects are being advanced simultaneously

(1) Low-carbon renovation project for office buildings in London 

On May 13th, Mace Construct was appointed to carry out the low-carbon renovation project for 60 Queen Victoria Street in London. This 16,700-square-meter office building will undergo a comprehensive upgrade of its mechanical and electrical systems while maintaining its original structure. The goal is to reduce the implicit carbon emissions by 33% compared to the carbon benchmark set by the Greater London Authority, and to strive for BREEAM Outstanding and WELL Core certifications. 

(2) Nottingham Hospital completes decarbonization transformation 

On May 11th, the last NHS hospital in the UK that still uses coal for heating - Nottingham City Hospital - completed a £34.8 million low-carbon energy system upgrade. The project replaced old coal and gas boilers, built a new energy center, installed air-source heat pumps and solar panels, and deployed a unified building management system (BMS) throughout the hospital. Just the BMS alone reduced natural gas consumption by over 74 million kilowatt-hours annually, and is expected to reduce 16,000 tons of carbon emissions and save £1.4 million in energy costs annually. The project's funding came from the government's "Public Sector Decarbonization Program", and was managed by Salix Finance. 

USA: Federal policies face adjustments, while local levels actively fill the gaps

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has postponed the compliance date for the fossil fuel ban to May 1, 2026, to review whether it aligns with the priorities of the Trump administration. There is uncertainty regarding the federal public building energy efficiency policy. Meanwhile, the "Next Generation Energy Standards Coalition" led by ACEEE (including California, Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, Washington, and six other states) released the "Efficient New Residential Standards Framework" for the 2024 version of IECC on April 30, providing stronger energy-saving requirements for local regulations than the current standards. The IMT (Market Transformation Institute) also pointed out that the driving force behind the US building energy efficiency policy in 2026 is shifting from the federal level to the state and local levels.