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1. 1.Is online benchmarking tool a transitional measure?

   1. It is not a transitional measure. EMSD will consult with the stakeholders and review the effectiveness of the tool after its launch, and make enhancement on a timely manner as well as to consider including some other types of buildings with an aim to make wider use of the tool by the building owners.
   2. By taking some examples in the other countries, their tools would be regularly reviewed after the launch for gradually including some different types of buildings to make their tools be widely used by building owners.

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2. 2.Electricity consumption data are the privacy of building owners, how to avoid data breach?

   The power companies do not provide with EMSD about the electricity consumption of individual users or buildings. The power companies only provides EMSD about the building electricity utilization index in an anonymous way, hence it is not involved any privacy issue.
   The electricity utilization index and building information entered that are being entered by individual users through this online benchmarking tool will only be used for providing benchmark results for that particular user. All data provided will only be collected or stored for compilation of statistical reports

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3. 3.The online benchmarking tool can only be used for benchmark purposes. How to achieve energy saving in practical?

   1. The online benchmarking tool provides benchmarking result to compare the performance of electricity consumption in buildings and facilitate building owners to understand the performance of their electricity consumption with an aim to encourage them to improve their building operation and implement more energy saving measures, thereby resulting in reducing their electricity consumption.
   2. The online benchmarking tool is an fair based rating mechanism for the public. In the long run, the tool can encourage building owners to continuously improve the efficiency of building electricity consumption and raise public awareness of energy conservation.
   3. Facilitate the government to obtain a clearer picture of the electricity consumption in different types of buildings that can help to allocate resources in more efficient manner to assist those buildings with low energy efficiency, and thus to reduce the overall electricity consumption in Hong Kong.

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4. 4.How to make online benchmarking tool and current energy efficiency regulations together with synergy effect?

   1. The online benchmarking tool allows building owners to understand their electricity performance and their ratings allows them to unveil energy saving opportunities through setting their achievable energy saving targets.
   2. Once building owners have set their energy saving targets, they can take proactive actions in responding to EMSD's encouragement for implementing energy-saving measures, such as Procure a chiller or air conditioner with a higher coefficient of performance, purchasing electrical appliances with grade one energy efficiency labels, installing renewable energy installations, and conducting retro-commissioning (RCx).

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5. 5.Please elaborate the extent of the calculation of Total Internal Floor Area (IFA)?

   The total internal floor area (IFA) means floor area of all enclosed spaces measured to the internal faces of enclosing external and/or party walls. In this context, the area occupied by a column also counts towards the internal floor area, whereas the area should normally not include roof area, outdoor gardening area and balcony. Please click here Step To Use: Step 4 for details.
   
   Examples of area/ space in the buildings for inclusion into the calculation of total IFA are given below for reference (not exhaustive):–
   

   Items	Total IFA
   Staircases	Included
   Lift lobbies	Included
   Car parking	Included
   Loading/unloading facilities	Included
   Refuse handling facilities	Included
   Plant rooms	Included

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