When will Japan’s huge construction sector adopt sustainable building technology?
When it comes to renewable energies such as solar, wind and biomass, Europe has often led the way.
In 2009 Japan reintroduced subsidies for solar cell installation and followed the European example with a feed-in tariff allowing homeowners to sell surplus electricity back to power companies.
But Japan, the world’s third-largest construction sector, still lags far behind Europe and its Asian rivals when it comes to creating energy-efficient buildings.
Take your windows. While strict regulations in Europe mean high-efficiency “low-e” double glazing has long been the norm, single glazing still satisfies building standards in most of Japan.
Low-e (glass coated to retain heat) double glazing is around six times more efficient than single panes. Yet despite being greener and more cost-effective in the long term, builders are often put off by its higher initial cost. If you live in Japan, the chances are that you have only single-glazed windows.
Then there is your insulation. With approximately 35% of heat loss in a typical house going through its walls, insulating your home well is one of the cheapest and most effective ways of saving energy and reducing CO2 emissions. As with glazing, however, Japan’s insulation standards fall far short of those in Europe. They are also less stringent than in China and South Korea.
To put that gap in perspective, Guy Prendergast, former vice-chair of the EBC Construction Committee, believes 80% of Japanese buildings would likely fail to get a building permit somewhere like Germany or France.
“Japanese buildings are well-engineered to cope with earthquakes, but they could also be better engineered to cope better with heat and cold. That we are still building un-insulated buildings is a criminal waste of resources,” Prendergast adds.
So why are Japanese standards lagging? You need to consider the historical and climatic context, says Gordon Hatton, chair of the EBC Construction Committee and vice-president of Pembroke Real Estate Japan.
With the most populated areas of Japan enjoying a relatively temperate climate, heating and air conditioning are unnecessary during much of the year. “A degree of patience and a kotatsu would traditionally have got people through the relatively short cold periods of winter, while natural ventilation provided relief from the mid-summer heat,” Hatton says. “The perception of the merits of proper building insulation remains low.”
Consider too that the construction industry has typically focused its engineering research, code refinement and project budgeting on the mitigation of seismic and fire risks. It has been hard to promote regulatory improvements or convince industry and consumers to change, says Hatton.
But it isn’t just green materials that are under used. Energy-management technology is too. Many office buildings, for instance, lack flexible control systems. If you work in an office where a single switch controls the air conditioning for an entire floor, consider how much more efficient it would be with an improved control system. Something as simple as being able to adjust the air-conditioning room by room or workspace by workspace would substantially cut running costs and emissions, and for very little investment.
Yet things could soon improve. Hatton says an increasing awareness of energy issues may bring about more opportunities to address insulation and other passive means of making buildings comfortable and environmentally friendly.
Paul Goudeau, president and representative director of Saint-Gobain HanGlas Japan, says change has already begun.
“With the Windows 25 working group, for example, Japan’s window industry is now trying to create new industry standards, while looking for solutions to energy-efficiency issues together,” he says.
“On the government level there is also a great political desire to become a more energy-efficient country, and an awareness that construction is an area where great progress can be made.”
Then-prime minister Yukio Hatoyama pledged to lower Japan’s CO2 emissions by 25% from 1990 levels by 2020. With 30% of Japan’s CO2 emissions coming through buildings, this is one area where the government is expected to look for more reductions.
Eco points
One government-run initiative that is already having an impact is the Eco Point system. Launched in January this year, it rewards consumers with points when they purchase certain energy-efficient products. The points can then be exchanged for such things as store coupons and discounts on other eco-friendly goods. Although the overall double-glazing market in Japan has been flat since 2009, Goudeau credits Eco Points for a significant increase this year in low-e double glazing.
However, more needs to be done to reach the 2020 target, he says. One way forward? Tighten regulations. “Japan doesn’t have a shortage of green materials; it just lacks the regulations to make sure they are used,” Goudeau says.
Gösta Tyrefors, CEO of Swedish firm Gadelius, whose businesses include energy-saving products for residential use, says another solution would be to give consumers and builders more incentives to go green. That means not only extending the reach of the Eco Point system, but giving tax breaks to builders and consumers using energy-efficient products.
“A combination of enhanced regulations and incentives would be ideal,” Tyrefors says. “You can explain to a consumer how much they will save in the long term using energy-efficient materials, but the higher upfront cost can still often put them off. Some form of more immediate incentive, like Eco Points, can make a big difference in getting them to choose more efficient options.”
What about other ongoing initiatives? Well, since 2007, the government has also been working on a “200-year-home” project aimed at increasing the lifespan of Japanese homes. Currently, residential buildings last just 30 years on average in Japan. In the UK that number is 77 years. Among other things, the project promises to promote better quality construction methods and introduce financial subsidies for housing builders to produce longer-life homes.
Longer-life homes not only reduce material usage, they also increase the long-term return from installing energy-efficient materials, such as insulation and high-efficiency glazing.
“Promoting a 200-year life-cycle for housing, as well as the building standards that would need to be established to achieve this, is commendable, and some of the major housing providers are marketing high-grade housing with this in mind,” says Hatton.
“Hopefully this influence is also finding its way into government-driven housing projects. But whether it can filter down to small-scale local builders, who are responsible for a major portion of residential construction, is yet to be seen.”
Rigid local standards
Shared wisdom among European firms operating in Japan is that enhanced and enforceable building standards, combined with green incentives, will lead to more business opportunities. Yet even if high-efficiency European products see an uptick in demand, companies will still face substantial challenges breaking into the Japan market.
As in other industries, operating costs can be prohibitively high and it can take time to establish relationships. Andreas Stange, president and CEO of TÜV SÜD Japan, a German testing and certification company, adds that it is very often expensive and time-consuming to meet the rigid local standards needed to get approval for materials and equipment in Japan. In many cases products need separate Japanese approval even after gaining approval in Europe.
It also takes time to change old industry and consumer habits and ways of thinking, says Johanna Schilling of ECOS Japan Consult, a firm that promotes economic cooperation and relations between Japan and Germany.
“One shouldn’t give up too early; it may take years until the market moves, though when it does, new trends can develop very quickly,” Schilling says. “You also absolutely need to have a strong partner in the market who is able and ready to invest time and money into market development.”
One company that has overcome these challenges is Tremco illbruck, a German manufacturer of pre-compressed sealing tapes. In 2005 the company teamed up with Japanese construction company ABC Trading to successfully introduce its eco-friendly alternative to silicone sealing.
Schilling is hopeful similar European successes will follow. “Consumers and politicians are more and more interested in better energy efficiency and healthier indoor climates. With that there is an ever-growing demand for related building materials,” she says.