EU: Continues to deepen the "Green New Deal" in the construction sector

Ⅰ.Enhanced implementation of the Energy Efficiency Directive for Buildings: The member states of the European Union are currently at a critical stage of converting the revised "Energy Efficiency Directive for Buildings" into domestic laws. The core of the policy lies in requiring all new buildings to achieve zero carbon emissions starting from 2030, while public new buildings must meet this standard by 2028. At the same time, for existing buildings, especially those with the poorest energy efficiency performance, mandatory energy-saving renovation roadmaps and timetables have been set. This creates a clear market demand for compliance with building energy efficiency renovation technologies and services. 

Ⅱ.The focus is on the "Smart Ready" indicators: In conjunction with the energy efficiency directive, the EU is vigorously promoting the assessment of the "Smart Ready" level for buildings. This assessment system aims to measure the ability of buildings to optimize operations through technology, adapt to grid demands (such as by adjusting electricity consumption in response to grid signals), and interact with residents. This means that merely energy-saving renovations are no longer sufficient to meet future standards. Integrating intelligent building automation systems, smart meters, and flexible load management capabilities have become new requirements for smart buildings. 

Ⅲ.Funding and Investment Orientation: The major funding tools of the EU, such as the "Innovation Fund" and the "Recovery Fund", continue to prioritize the renovation of buildings to a deep extent and regional-level zero-carbon energy solutions (such as the low-carbon transformation of regional heating systems) as the areas for priority funding, providing support for the implementation of large-scale projects.

The United States: Driving the market through tax incentives and federal procurement

Ⅰ.The full implementation of the tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act: This act provides the highest-ever green tax credits for commercial buildings and residential properties. For commercial buildings, the new "179D" commercial building energy efficiency tax credit policy has been significantly enhanced, offering more generous direct incentives for new or renovated projects that meet specific energy efficiency standards. At the same time, the act provides substantial subsidies for projects such as installing solar panels, heat pumps, and upgrading energy-efficient systems, directly stimulating the activity of the building energy conservation renovation market. 

Ⅱ.Enhancement of Green Standards in Federal Procurement: The US federal government is gradually implementing stricter procurement regulations, requiring new federal buildings or major renovation projects to meet higher energy efficiency and low-carbon standards, and giving priority to purchasing "Made in the USA" clean technology products. This has created a stable high-end market for providers of smart building technologies, low-carbon building materials, and energy management solutions that meet these standards. 

Ⅲ.Promotion of zero-carbon building regulations at the local level: At the state level, such as in California, etc., regulations are being actively promoted that require new buildings to adopt a fully electric system and prohibit the use of fossil fuels like natural gas. This policy trend is spreading from the West Coast to other states, forcing the electrification and decarbonization of the construction sector and bringing huge business opportunities to related electrical equipment, heat pumps, and smart grid integration technologies.

Cross-regional industry initiative and standard update

Apart from government policies, industry-level initiatives and standards are also evolving rapidly, influencing the construction paradigm of smart parks. 

Ⅰ.The popularity of net-zero carbon building certification: The "net-zero carbon building certification" promoted by the World Green Building Council is becoming a key indicator for multinational enterprises and high-end parks to showcase their sustainable development performance. Projects seeking such certification not only focus on energy consumption during the operation phase, but also need to calculate the embodied carbon throughout the entire life cycle. This has driven the demand for low-carbon building materials such as low-carbon concrete and green steel. 

Ⅱ.Building implicit carbon calculation becomes a new focus: The industry is increasingly realizing that merely focusing on energy consumption during the operation phase of buildings is far from sufficient. Therefore, the accounting and control of "upstream" carbon emissions (i.e., implicit carbon) generated during the production, transportation, and construction of building materials have become a new industry frontier. Relevant assessment standards and tools (such as the EC3 tool) are being applied more and more widely.