Practice Note for Authorized Persons,

Buildings Department Registered Structural Engineers and APP-156

Registered Geotechnical Engineers

Design and Construction Requirements

for Energy Efficiency of Residential Buildings

Introduction

In Hong Kong, buildings accounted for more than 90% of the total
electricity consumption 1 . Around 27% of the total electricity of the territory was
consumed by residential buildings. Enhancing the energy performance of residential
buildings forms an important part of the Government’s overall strategy towards the
achievement of a more environmentally friendly and sustainable built environment.
The Buildings Department (BD) commissioned a consultancy study on the design and
construction requirements of residential buildings for energy efficiency (Consultancy
Study) in 2010. This practice note promulgates the measures formulated in the Consultancy
Study and sets out the procedures to implement the measures for improving the energy
efficiency of residential buildings.

2. For the avoidance of doubt, “residential building” in the context of this

practice note means a domestic building as defined in section 2(1) of the Buildings
Ordinance (BO) but does not include those premises having an air-conditioning operation
profile not similar to that of a normal domestic household, such as hotel, guesthouse,
residential care home for the elderly/persons with a disability.

Improvement of Energy Efficiency of Residential Buildings

3. Based on the Consultancy Study, a set of design and construction

requirements is devised for improving the energy efficiency of residential buildings. These
design and construction requirements are promulgated in the “Guidelines on Design and
Construction Requirements for Energy Efficiency of Residential Buildings” (Guidelines)
which has been issued and uploaded to the BD website at www.bd.gov.hk. The Guidelines
set out the following key measures to enhance energy efficiency of residential buildings:

(a) controlling Residential Thermal Transfer Values (RTTV) of

building envelopes, including visible light transmittance
(VLTGlass) and external reflectance (ERGlass) of the glazed
portions; and

(b) promoting natural ventilation in window design for maintaining

thermal comfort (NVTC).

/4. …

1
Hong Kong Energy End-use Data 2021 published by the Electrical and Mechanical Services
Department.
 -2-

4. As the building fabric and air-conditioning profile of residents’ recreational

facilities (RRF) in residential developments share similar attributes with commercial
buildings and hotels, the Consultancy Study recommended that the Overall Thermal
Transfer Value (OTTV) of RRF (OTTVRRF) should be subject to similar control as hotels
and commercial buildings.

5. BD has set up a Technical Committee on Design and Construction

Requirements for Energy Efficiency of Buildings (TC) to, among others, collect and
consider the views and feedback from the building industry arising from the use of the
Guidelines and the Code of Practice for OTTV in Buildings 1995 (CoP). The TC also
reviews the OTTV and RTTV standards under the Energy Saving Plan for Hong Kong’s
Built Environment 2015~2025+2 . On the advice of the TC, the revised RTTV standards are
incorporated in paragraph 6(a) below.

6. To improve the energy efficiency of residential buildings and on the advice

of the TC, the compliance with the following design and construction requirements is
included as one of the pre-requisites for the granting of gross floor area (GFA) concessions
for green/amenity features and non-mandatory/non-essential plant rooms and services in a
residential building under Practice Note for Authorized Persons, Registered Structural
Engineers and Registered Geotechnical Engineers APP-151:

(a) the RTTV of wall (RTTVWall) and roof (RTTVRoof) should not
exceed 12.5 Watt/m2 (previously 14 Watt/m2) and 3.5 Watt/m2
(previously 4 Watt/m2) respectively;

(b) the OTTVRRF should not exceed 21 Watt/m2 (in case of a building
tower) or 50 Watt/m2 (in case of a podium) as calculated in
accordance with the CoP;

(c) the extent of compliance with NVTC requirements (i.e. the

percentage of area of habitable space complying with the
Guidelines on NVTC) should be submitted to the BD; and

(d) glass forming part of the building envelope such as curtain wall,
cladding, skylight, window and door of the residential building
and RRF should have a VLTGlass of not less than 50%3 and an
ERGlass of not more than 20%.

/Procedures …

2
It was promulgated by the Environment Bureau in May 2015 requiring that RTTV standards
for residential buildings would be reviewed twice before 2030 (https://www.enb.gov.hk/en/
energysavingplan.html).
3
The visible light transmittance requirement is only applicable to the glass installed in the
prescribed windows referred to in regulations 30 and 31 of the Building (Planning)
Regulations.
 -3-

Procedures

7. It is recognised that the design of the façade of a building may not have
been finalised when the building plans are first submitted to the Building Authority (BA)
for approval. Accordingly, the BA would accept that the first submission of building
plans need not be accompanied by the information and calculations as required in
paragraph 6 above. However, the plans should include a statement indicating that the
proposed development should comply with the requirements of RTTVWall, RTTVRoof,
OTTVRRF, VLTGlass and ERGlass under this practice note. The plans should also be
accompanied by a letter from the developer or owner undertaking to submit to the BD a
provisional energy efficiency report (EE report) and a final EE report, as described more
fully in paragraphs 8 and 9 below.

8. After the approval of general building plans and prior to the application for
consent to the commencement of the building works, a provisional EE Report should be
submitted to demonstrate compliance with paragraph 6(a), (b) and (d) above. The
provisional EE Report should include the following information:

(a) RTTV calculations and information on the standard forms at

Appendix III of the Guidelines; and

(b) OTTVRRF calculations, if applicable, with information on the

standard forms (Forms OTTV 1 to 4) set out in the Schedule to
the CoP.

9. Prior to the application for an occupation permit (OP), the finalised

RTTVWall, RTTVRoof, OTTVRRF, VLTGlass, and ERGlass of the building and the shading
coefficients of glass should be incorporated into the general building plans for record.
Upon application for OP, the final EE Report containing the updated calculations, the
record plans, test certificates or published specifications for the building materials used
(such as glass used for fenestration and façade), Summary Sheets in Appendices A and B,
and the extent of compliance with NVTC requirements in Appendix VI of the Guidelines
should be submitted.

10. A sample of the RTTV calculations for a residential building is provided in

Appendix IV of the Guidelines and user-friendly computer spreadsheets are available at the
BD website at www.bd.gov.hk to facilitate the calculation of RTTV for residential
buildings.

Acceptance of Building Materials

11. If building materials other than those listed in the Guidelines and the CoP
are used, their RTTV and OTTV related properties should be obtained from reliable
sources. It would facilitate the processing of the consent or OP application if full
background of the source of information and the suitability of the materials for use in
local conditions are detailed in the submission.

/Sunshading …
 -4-

Sunshading and Innovative Designs

12. Genuine sunshades that are conducive to the reduction of RTTV and
OTTV are not accountable for GFA and shall not be included in site coverage
calculations. In case the sunshades project more than 750 mm from the external walls,
quantitative assessment should be submitted to the BA for consideration. It is not
envisaged that sunshades would project more than 1.5 m from the external walls.

13. In addition, sunshades with a projection of not more than 750 mm are
regarded as not causing obstructions to prescribed windows.

14. Sunshades will not be allowed to project over streets under section 31(1) of
the BO, but exemptions may be considered in individual cases if special circumstances so
justify.

Disclosure for Public Information

15. To promote the adoption of the Guidelines for enhancing energy efficiency
of residential buildings and increase the transparency of information to the public, the
information on RTTV (including RTTVWall and RTTVRoof) together with OTTVRRF of
individual residential developments will be uploaded onto the BD website after issuance
of the OP.

16. The extent of compliance with the NVTC requirements as set out in the
Guidelines is collected for further research with a view to formulating a benchmark for
NVTC design in the long run. Such information will not be uploaded onto the BD website.

Implementation

17. The revised RTTV specified in paragraph 6(a) above are applicable to all
new building plans or major revision of building plans for development proposals submitted
for approval on or after 31 December 2022. For the avoidance of doubt, the revised
standards are also applicable to building plans which have been previously disapproved and
are resubmitted for approval on or after 31 December 2022.

18. This practice note does not apply to alteration and addition works or change
in use not resulting in a new residential building.

/Way …
 -5-

Way Forward

19. Similar to the control on OTTV under the Building (Energy Efficiency)
Regulation, the benchmark values for RTTVWall, RTTVRoof and OTTVRRF in this practice
note will be subject to periodic review to keep pace with advancement in building design
and technological development.

( YU Po-mei, Clarice )
Building Authority

Ref. : BD GR/1-150/62
BD GR/1-50/84 (IV)

First issue September 2014

Last revision August 2019
This revision February 2022 (AD/NB1) (Paragraphs 1 and 6(a) amended; new paragraphs
5 and 17 added)
 Appendix A
(PNAP APP-156)
RTTV Summary Sheet
Address: BD Ref. No.

Building Type: Residential

RTTV calculated by  1. Registered Professional Engineers
 2. Architect
 3. Others, please specify :
No. of Storeys
(Residential Units)
Table 1
Deemed to Satisfy RTTV Wall
Facade Orientation Facing
Average Absorptivity
Average Window to Wall Ratio
Shading Coefficient of Glazing
Average Shading Coefficient of Facade
Visible Light Transmittance % % % % % % % %
External Reflectance % % % % % % % %
Table 2
RTTV Wall
Facade Orientation
Facing
Wall Orientation Factor
Total External Wall m² Window to Wall m² Window to Wall m² Window to Wall m² Window to Wall
Area (Residential Units) Ratio Ratio Ratio Ratio
Total Window Area m² = m² = m² = m² =
Heat Opaque
W/m² W/m² W/m² W/m²
Conduction Wall
Window W/m² W/m² W/m² W/m²
Window Glass Type  Area= SC= VLT= %  Area= SC= VLT= %  Area= SC= VLT= %  Area= SC= VLT= %
Reflective m² ER= % Reflective m² ER= % Reflective m² ER= % Reflective m² ER= %
 Area= SC= VLT= %  Area= SC= VLT= %  Area= SC= VLT= %  Area= SC= VLT= %
Tinted m² ER= % Tinted m² ER= % Tinted m² ER= % Tinted m² ER= %
 Area= SC= VLT= %  Area= SC= VLT= %  Area= SC= VLT= %  Area= SC= VLT= %
Clear m² ER= % Clear m² ER= % Clear m² ER= % Clear m² ER= %
Double  Yes  No  Yes  No  Yes  No  Yes  No
Glazing
External Overhang  Yes  No Overhang  Yes  No Overhang  Yes  No Overhang  Yes  No
Shading Sidefin  Yes  No Sidefin  Yes  No Sidefin  Yes  No Sidefin  Yes  No
Solar Radiation through
W/m² W/m² W/m² W/m²
Gazing
Average Absorptivity
RTTV Wall at each facade W/m² W/m² W/m² W/m²
Overall RTTV Wall W/m²
Table 3
RTTV Roof
Roof Orientation Factor
Total Roof Area (Residential Units) m²
Total Skylight Area m²
Heat Roof W/m²
Conduction Skylight W/m²
Skylight Glass Type  Reflective Area= m² SC= VLT= % ER= %
 Tinted Area= m² SC= VLT= % ER= %
 Clear Area= m² SC= VLT= % ER= %
Double Glazing  Yes  No
External Shading  Yes  No
Solar Radiation through Glazing W/m²
Average Absorptivity (roof)
Overall RTTV Roof W/m²

ER = External Reflectance; SC = Shading Coefficient & VLT = Visible Light Transmittance

Notes :

1. Please tick in the box as appropriate

2. Window and skylight data should represent the major proportion of its use in the development. (9/2014)
 Appendix B
(PNAP APP-156)

OTTV of Resident’s Recreational Facilities Summary Sheet

Address: BD Ref. No.

Building Type / Use : Resident’s Recreational Facilities

OTTV calculated by  1. Registered Professional Engineers
 2. Architect
 3. Others, please specify :
Classification  Podium /  Tower
No. of Storeys (RRF)
Gross Floor Area m²
Usable Floor Area m²
Total External Wall Area (including m² Window to Wall Ratio
windows)
Total Window Area m² =
Total Skylight Area m²
**Weighted Opaque Wall W/m²
Average U-value Window W/m²
Opaque Roof W/m²
Skylight W/m²
Window Glass Type  Reflective Area= m² SC= VLT= ER=
% %
 Tinted Area= m² SC= VLT= ER=
% %
 Clear Area= m² SC= VLT= ER=
% %
Double Glazing  Yes  No
External Overhang  Yes  No
Shading Sidefin  Yes  No
Skylight Glass Type  Reflective Area= m² SC= VLT= ER=
% %
 Tinted Area= m² SC= VLT= ER=
% %
 Clear Area= m² SC= VLT= ER=
% %
Double Glazing  Yes  No
External  Yes  No
Shading  Yes  No
**Weighted Wall
Average
Roof
Absorptivity
**Weighted Wall kg/m²
Average Density
Roof kg/m²
OTTV RRF Wall W/m²
Roof W/m²
Overall Average W/m²

ER = External Reflectance; SC = Shading coefficient & VLT = Visible Light Transmittance

** Weighted by area

Notes :
1. Please tick in the box as appropriate
2. Window and skylight data should represent the major proportion of its use in the development.

(9/2014)