Current Codes of Taiwan

Taiwan’s building regulations now integrate energy efficiency, green building certification, and net-zero transition goals under the leadership of the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) and the Bureau of Energy, Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).

The country currently enforces two core national energy standards—one for residential and one for non-residential buildings—supported by the EEWH Green Building Rating System, a mandatory or semi-mandatory sustainability standard for large or public projects.

Together, these codes form the backbone of Taiwan’s sustainable-building policy and contribute to its Net Zero 2050 strategy.

Taiwan Non-Residential Energy Efficiency Standard
The Non-Residential Energy Efficiency Standard is a fairly simple code and covers only building envelope. It uses an equation (ENVLOAD) to determine the annual cooling load based on area, and then sets an allowable envelope load.

Taiwan Residential Energy Efficiency Standard
The Residential Energy Efficiency Standard covers prescriptive insulation requirements for the roof and walls, as well as fenestration requirements.

Taiwan currently has mandatory residential and commercial building energy codes, but they were last passed in 1997 and 1995, respectively, and only cover building envelope elements. Part of Taiwan’s energy strategy is to update its codes, and it may be a good idea to incorporate many of the strategies covered in the 2009 Energy Efficiency Strategy.

Key Building Energy Standards in Taiwan

1. Non-Residential Building Energy Efficiency Standard

This standard defines performance targets for building envelope, lighting, and HVAC systems, expanding beyond its original envelope-only approach from the 1995 version.

Envelope Performance: Uses an ENVLOAD index (envelope load ratio) to calculate annual cooling load based on orientation, glazing, and insulation.
Lighting Power Density (LPD): Maximum allowable W/m² values are specified by occupancy type.
HVAC Efficiency: Minimum COP/EER values for air-conditioning systems; variable-speed drives are encouraged.
Compliance Paths: Designers can choose between prescriptive tables or a performance-based simulation method.

Latest revision: 2021 (enforced from 2022), aligned with ASHRAE 90.1:2019 benchmarks for comparable climate zones.

2. Residential Building Energy Efficiency Standard

Taiwan’s residential code establishes prescriptive requirements for roof insulation, external walls, glazing, and window shading.

Roofs and walls must meet specific thermal transmittance (U-value) limits by region.
Glazing must meet solar-heat-gain coefficient (SHGC) criteria.
High-rise residential buildings must include ventilation and daylighting design provisions.
Compliance can be verified through the Building Energy Efficiency Certification (BEEC) process under the Bureau of Energy.

Last updated: 2018, with revisions under review to incorporate renewable-energy readiness and building envelope performance modeling.

3. EEWH — Taiwan’s Green Building Rating System

Taiwan pioneered Asia’s first national green-building system, known as EEWH (Ecology, Energy Saving, Waste Reduction, and Health).
Administered by the Architecture and Building Research Institute (ABRI) under MOI, EEWH rates buildings across nine categories including energy conservation, waste reduction, biodiversity, indoor environmental quality, and CO₂ reduction.

Certification levels: Qualified, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Diamond.
Mandatory for:
- New public buildings ≥50,000 m²
- Government projects
- Certain large commercial and residential developments.
As of 2024, more than 7,000 projects have received EEWH certification.
A Zero Carbon Building pilot program (EEWH-ZCB) is under development to support Taiwan’s Net-Zero 2050 roadmap.

4. National Energy and Climate Framework

Energy Management Act (amended 2019) — provides authority for energy conservation requirements across building types.
Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act (2015) — sets long-term emissions caps, including building sector targets.
Net-Zero Emissions by 2050 Roadmap (2022) — includes stronger building-efficiency standards, renewable-energy integration, and stricter lifecycle carbon assessment for construction materials.

These frameworks ensure that building energy codes are periodically revised, with upcoming drafts expected to include whole-building energy modeling, renewable integration, and operational carbon reporting.

Helpful Links

History and Evolution of Taiwan’s Building Codes

Year	Milestone	Description
1979–1995	Early insulation codes	Initial envelope-based thermal standards introduced for commercial buildings.
1997	Residential standard	Roof and wall insulation requirements codified.
2009	“Energy Saving Measures for the Built Environment”	Set national efficiency and GHG-reduction goals; encouraged green-building practices.
2015–2018	EEWH expansion	Green building certification scaled nationally; residential energy standard updated.
2021–2022	Non-residential code modernization	HVAC and lighting provisions introduced; performance-based modeling allowed.
2023–2025	Net-Zero integration	Draft revisions add renewable-readiness, embodied-carbon accounting, and life-cycle benchmarks.

Although Taiwan did not sign the Kyoto protocol, the government is working to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. In June 2005, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) announced plans to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 170 million metric tons per year as of 2025.

In 2009, Taiwan’s Energy Saving Measures for the Built Environment set goals for 2015 for energy efficiency and cutting GHG emissions. It provides building strategies, case studies, and promotes overall building efficiency.

Compliance and Enforcement

Authority: Ministry of the Interior (Construction and Planning Agency, CPA) and Bureau of Energy (MOEA).
Permit Stage: Designers must submit envelope and system calculations or EEWH certification documentation.
Post-construction: Energy performance validation via testing or commissioning reports for large projects.
Penalties: Non-compliance can result in rejection of occupancy permits or fines under the Energy Management Act.

Taiwan Current Building Codes