Southeast Asia: Intelligent city construction accelerates, energy-saving policies become more urgent

Ⅰ.Intelligence: From Urban Blueprint to Infrastructure Implementation

Over the past week, Malaysia has made particularly significant progress in the field of intelligence, marking a shift from top-level planning to the implementation of specific projects for its smart city strategy. 

（1）Dongjiang State Commences 5G Smart Pole Project: On March 12th, the Dongjiang State Government installed the state's first 5G smart pole in Kedah Bharu Bus Terminus. This is not merely a lighting facility; it is a smart urban hub that integrates IoT sensors, 5G connectivity, centralized monitoring, facial recognition closed-circuit television, emergency call buttons, even electric vehicle charging stations and weather and pollution monitoring functions. This project is part of the "Dongjiang 2040 Smart City Blueprint", aiming to modernize urban infrastructure through the integration of intelligent technologies and enhance urban operational efficiency. This provides a concrete example for the intelligent and digital ecological construction around public buildings. 

（2）Jaluang City Initiates Smart City Action Plan: The Jaluang City Council of Johor State has also recently launched a study to formulate the "Jaluang Smart City Action Plan 2030". This plan aims to provide a systematic development guideline for the local government, state government agencies, and other stakeholders. It has already begun soliciting opinions from residents, indicating that the public participation in smart city construction is on the rise. 

Ⅱ.Energy conservation policies: Administrative directives to address the energy crisis

Unlike Malaysia's long-term plans, Thailand's energy conservation policies are more urgent. 

（1）The Thai government has issued a mandatory energy conservation order: Due to the energy crisis caused by the conflict in the Middle East, the Thai government has ordered all civil servants to implement strict energy-saving measures this week. The specific instructions include: encouraging remote working, suspending unnecessary overseas visits, requiring staff in office buildings to use stairs instead of elevators, setting the air conditioning temperature at 26-27 degrees Celsius, and turning off unnecessary lights and equipment. Although these emergency measures are not long-term policies, they highlight that the public sector, as a major energy consumer, can quickly become the direct implementers of energy-saving policies under the pressure of energy security, and also provide a large-scale testing ground for energy-saving technology and behavior guidance programs.

Europe and America: Legislation drives "zero carbonization" and mandatory energy efficiency upgrades

Ⅰ.Europe: The Energy Efficiency Directive for Buildings (EPBD) is approaching its deadline

The requirements for new buildings in the European Union are shifting from "near-zero energy consumption" to "zero emissions", and the relevant provisions are about to enter the mandatory implementation stage. 

（1）The countdown to the "zero emission" standard for new public buildings: According to the revised "Building Energy Efficiency Directive" (EPBD), starting from January 1, 2028, all new buildings owned by public institutions must meet the zero-emission building (ZEB) standard, two years ahead of the ordinary new buildings (2030). This means that buildings must not produce fossil fuel emissions on-site and their energy demand must be at least 10% lower than the current "near-zero energy consumption buildings" standard of member states. 

（2）Solar energy applications and full life-cycle carbon emissions disclosure become mandatory: In terms of policy details, starting from December 31, 2026, all newly constructed non-residential buildings must be required to install solar facilities. Additionally, since 2028, new buildings with an area exceeding 1000 square meters must disclose their global warming potential values for the entire life cycle, that is, calculate and publicly report the carbon emissions throughout the entire process from material production, construction, operation to dismantling. This officially incorporates "embodied carbon" into the regulatory framework, presenting new challenges for the selection of building materials and the supply chain. 

Ⅱ.The United States: Federal Leadership and Local Mandatory Transformations Proceed Simultaneously

At the federal level, the United States is continuously promoting the standardization of smart buildings. Meanwhile, at the local city level, strict legislation is implemented to enforce mandatory energy efficiency renovations of existing buildings. 

（1）Federal Smart Building Program: According to Section 17064 of Title 42 of the US Code, the "Federal Smart Building Program", which was established by the US Department of Energy long ago, continues to function effectively. This program requires the selection of typical buildings within federal agencies (such as the Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy, the Department of Veterans Affairs, etc.) to implement intelligent building technology upgrades and assess their cost-effectiveness. The program clearly defines "intelligent buildings": they must have flexible and automatic energy systems, extensive monitoring and communication connections, overall control capabilities of system integration, the ability to communicate with public utility institutions, and ensure the health and safety of occupants while adopting the best cybersecurity practices. This has set a national benchmark for the intelligentization of public buildings in the United States. 

（2）Philadelphia achieves mandatory energy efficiency standards: At the local level, Philadelphia's Building Energy Performance Program (BEPP) is entering a crucial enforcement phase. This program requires non-residential buildings over 50,000 square feet to undergo compliance renovations every five years. Depending on the size of the building, there are strict compliance deadlines: 2026 marks the first compliance year for large buildings over 200,000 square feet, and the threshold gradually decreases in subsequent years. This indicates that deep energy-saving renovations for existing large public buildings have become a "required procedure" for local cities in the United States to achieve their climate goals.