With the recent release of CEPA Supplement IX, Sr Stephen Lai, Chairman of the HKIS CEPA Committee, arranged a meeting with the Development Bureau on 22 August 2012. We met with Mr Helius Ng, Team Leader (Mainland Affairs), and Kelvin Lo, Principle Assistant Secretary (Works) of The Development Bureau, both of whom are the new officials in charge of CEPA issues after Mr David Tong left. Stephen kicked off the meeting with a brief summary and updated us on the latest progress of the mutual recognition between HKIS members and their Mainland China counterparts, including the professional qualifications of both parties. This was followed by each divisional representative presenting his/her own report on the respective progress made and the difficulties encountered. I again expressed my frustration about not being able to open a dialogue with the China Property Management Institute. Both Mr Ng and Mr Lo raised deep concerns about the hurdles we encountered and promised to assist us in overcoming them in any way they could. Our last request to the Development Bureau was our desire to restart the Annual CEPA Meeting in Beijing, which has been put off for years.

 

We invited Ir Dominic Lau and Ir Brian Leung of the Energy Efficiency Office, EMSD, to deliver a briefing on the Buildings Energy Efficiency Ordinance (Cap. 610) (BEEO) on 11 September 2012. The enactment of the BEEO is an important initiative for reducing the total energy consumption of buildings, which represented about 90% of Hong Kong’s total annual electricity consumption in 2010, by enhancing building energy efficiency. The BEEO was gazetted on 3 December 2010 and became fully operational on 21 September 2012.

 

Under the BEEO, there are two subsidiary regulations: the Energy Audit Code (EAC) and the Building Energy Code (BEC). The EAC only applies to commercial buildings and the commercial portion of a composite building. The BEC covers a much wider area (e.g. commercial buildings, the common areas of industrial buildings, residential buildings, composite buildings minus their residential or industrial units, hotels & guesthouses, educational buildings, community buildings, municipal buildings, hospitals & clinics, government buildings, airport passenger buildings, and railway stations). But it doesn't apply to small buildings, buildings with main electrical switches under or equal to 100A, historical buildings, Building Service Installations with specific operational & technical natures (such as fire protection, life safety, industrial undertaking, etc.), and buildings that will be demolished or redeveloped within 12 months.

 

Ir Brian Leung shared with our members those salient points under the BEEO, in particular the administrative procedures and introduction of Registered Energy Assessors. His speech received an enthusiastic response from the floor. Members are highly recommended to familiarize themselves with this new BEEO and its subsidiary regulations. We were also told that the EMSD intends to tighten the BEC requirements in a bid to align with international practices and technologies.

 

The HKIS was invited by the Development Bureau to suggest ways in which our members can contribute to and participate in the development of Qianhai. Surveyors in Hong Kong are widely recognized both locally and internationally as experts in real estate development. I strongly believe that with our relevant experiences in China and compliance with international standards, our professional members can play advisory roles in the various stages of Qianhai’s development. At the startup stage, we can provide in-depth expert opinions on security, functions, space management, and human resources planning for single and/or multi-development projects. At the consolidation stage, we can contribute our experiences and expertise on green management, energy savings, air quality improvements, environmental education, sustainable development, and control. At the expansion stage, we can provide a platform for education, ideas, and good practice exchanges for green management initiatives and help Qianhai showcase its emergence as a world class green/sustainable cooperation zone.

 

The Organizing Committee of the 2012 Quality Property Facility Management Award (QPFMA) has been set up and is currently busy preparing for its launch, which should be announced by late October or early November. Again, the 2012 QPFMA is jointly organized by The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors and The Hong Kong Association of Property Management Companies. Its main objective is to arouse greater public recognition of the industry and to pursue the betterment of business and the living environment by way of management excellence. I will keep members informed of its progress in due course.