30-Year-Old 'Pyeonbaek Senior Center' Reborn with Energy Efficiency '1+++'

Leading the 'Green New Deal' Era: Zero Energy Buildings (ZEB)
Seoul City's First 'ZEB Remodeling Pilot Project' Building
Annual Usage Reduced by 84%... Self-Sufficiency Raised to 98.9% with Solar Power and Waste Heat Recovery

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] As the world focuses on combating climate change, attention is being drawn to Zero Energy Buildings (ZEB), with aggressive investments underway. In line with this global trend, the South Korean government and local authorities are gradually expanding related projects, starting with the renovation of existing public facilities into Zero Energy Buildings. According to the government's roadmap for mandatory Zero Energy Buildings, public buildings over 1000㎡ were targeted starting in 2020, followed by public buildings over 500㎡ in 2023, and from 2025, private buildings over 1000㎡ and apartment complexes with 30 or more households will be required to be constructed as Zero Energy Buildings.

Zero Energy Buildings, as defined by the 'Green Building Promotion Act,' refer to green buildings that minimize the energy load required for the building by utilizing new and renewable energy sources to reduce energy consumption to a minimum. These buildings use high-performance insulation materials to minimize heating and cooling energy demands, apply high-efficiency energy equipment, and incorporate renewable energy technologies such as solar power, geothermal energy, and fuel cells.

Leading this trend, Seoul City achieved its first success following the establishment of the 'Plan to Expand Zero Energy Building Conversion Pilot Projects' in June last year. The 'Pyeonbaek Senior Center' (108.74㎡, basement 1 floor to ground 1 floor) in Junggye-dong, Nowon-gu, which was completed on January 14, transformed into a building certified with the highest energy efficiency rating of '1+++' after about 30 years. The project involved purchasing and remodeling an existing single-family house built in 1981, with Seoul City investing 228 million KRW out of the total budget of 271 million KRW, and Nowon-gu contributing 43 million KRW.

Nowon-gu, in cooperation with Seoul City, completed the Zero Energy Building design for Pyeonbaek Senior Center in September last year and carried out about three months of construction to upgrade it to Zero Energy Building standards. The energy consumption of this senior center was 16,995 kWh annually (rated 3) before the renovation but was reduced to 2,703 kWh after the work, achieving an 84% reduction. By applying solar power facilities, the self-sufficiency rate was raised from '0%' to '98.9%'.

Using highly insulated and airtight windows, Pyeonbaek Senior Center installed a heat recovery system that absorbs heat from solar power and waste hot water to produce new hot water, maximizing energy efficiency. Notably, it was designed to absorb and recycle the high-temperature heat released during exhaust gas emission and installed a low-NOx eco-friendly boiler to enhance nitrogen oxide reduction. A representative from Seoul City's Climate and Environment Headquarters stated, "Pyeonbaek Senior Center is Seoul City's first Zero Energy Building project achievement," adding, "As the first case, Seoul City supported Nowon-gu with remodeling budgets and actively provided advisory roles during the design process."

Seoul City plans to actively expand the Zero Energy Building projects in cooperation with each district office. Following Pyeonbaek Senior Center, 19 senior centers and daycare centers established remodeling plans last year and are awaiting transformation. Seoul City intends to select an additional nine public facilities this year. A representative from Seoul City's Climate and Environment Headquarters said, "Seoul City is the only local government currently conducting remodeling projects to convert existing public facilities into Zero Energy Buildings," and added, "As mandatory targets gradually expand in response to climate change, we plan to increase remodeling cases in cooperation with district offices."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.