Setagaya Ward's Original Energy Conservation Reporting System - Background of Urban Policy and Energy Conservation Promotion around 2007

Setagaya Ward's Original Energy Conservation Reporting System - Background of Urban Policy and Energy Conservation Promotion around 2007

In the mid-2000s, Japan was strengthening specific local policies to reduce CO₂ emissions following the Kyoto Protocol's entry into force (2005). The Tokyo Metropolitan Government amended the "Metropolitan Ordinance on Environmental Security" to require large business establishments to submit and report on greenhouse gas reduction plans, which later led to the emissions trading system. In the midst of this trend, Setagaya Ward introduced its own system to promote energy conservation at the ward level.

The main pillar of the system is mandatory reporting of actual energy use for buildings with a total floor area of 2,000 m2 or more. The scope of the program covered a wide range of buildings, including commercial facilities, office buildings, and housing complexes. The reports included consumption of electricity, gas, kerosene, water, etc. The district compiled and analyzed the data, and urged facilities with low energy efficiency to make improvements. This is a pioneering effort at the municipal level that precedes the national "Energy Conservation Law.

In addition, a system for dispatching energy efficiency advisors has been established. Under this system, the ward dispatches experts to business sites to provide advice on specific improvement measures, such as increasing the efficiency of lighting, optimizing air conditioning operation, improving insulation, and introducing a BEMS (Business Energy Management System). The program targeted not only large business establishments, but also small and medium-sized building owners and businesses in shopping arcades, with the aim of promoting energy conservation as a "measure that anyone can undertake.

In addition, a public financing system was introduced to support the efforts of small and medium-sized businesses and building owners. The initial investment required for energy-saving renovations and the introduction of high-efficiency equipment was a heavy burden for small businesses, but the ward, in cooperation with financial institutions, provided low-interest loans and subsidies. By promoting the renewal of equipment, the district sought to realize the benefits of CO₂ reduction as quickly as possible.

In the background, there are circumstances unique to urban Tokyo. Setagaya Ward has a population of approximately 900,000, one of the largest among Tokyo's 23 wards, and is an area with a mix of residential and commercial facilities. The demand for air conditioning and commercial facilities consumes an enormous amount of electricity, and it was essential for the ward to take its own measures to reduce CO₂ emissions for the entire region. At the time, energy conservation measures for households and small- and medium-sized businesses were weak, so this program served to "fill in the gaps.

In general, Setagaya Ward's original energy efficiency and conservation reporting system was unique in that the municipality designed its own system and took a comprehensive approach that included the dispatch of experts and financial support. This was not just a simple data collection effort, but an attempt to establish a culture of energy conservation in the local community, and it is an important precedent that influenced the subsequent strengthening of the system by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the national level.