Benchmark Study on Green Buildings - Royal Architectural Institute ...

ECCJ reduced rate loans:
The ECCJ also organizes financial assistance initiatives to accelerate the introduction of
energy efficient technologies and equipment into the industrial and commercial sectors.
The Development Bank of Japan along with the Okinawa Development Finance
Corporation will offers loans at reduced rates to companies for the following projects:
installing additional equipment for the collection of non-used energy, such as waste heat,
or the installation of equipment which raises the energy efficiency of the facilities by
20% or more; repair projects contributing to improvements in energy conservation; and
projects that will introduce cogeneration facilities with a minimum 60% efficiency rating
and a 50kW or more output level. The Japan Finance Corporation for Small and Medium
Enterprises, the National Life Finance Corporation and the Okinawa Development
Finance Corporation also offers some incentives to SMEs for the following kinds of
projects: projects which will result in the improved energy efficiency of the facilities
(including renovations and updates of existing facilities); projects which will replace
obsolete industrial furnaces and boilers or projects that will install additional equipment
which will increase the efficiency of this equipment (such as appliances that run on
waste-heat); and projects that will install equipment that uses alternative energy sources
as fuel.
ECCJ commendation programs:
There are also numerous commendation and recognition programs from the ECCJ to
promote awareness of the importance of efficient energy use. In the Commendation
Program for Excellent Energy Managers, a commendation certificate is given to
individuals who have long been pursuing energy management and who have made an
outstanding effort in efficient energy management. The Commendation Program for
Excellent Energy Management Factories gives a commendation certificate to factories or
business facilities that have made prolonged efforts to rationalize energy use, have long
been pursuing energy management, and who have made an outstanding effort in efficient
energy management. Both of these programs are sponsored by the Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry (METI). The ECCJ runs the National Contest for Successful Energy
Conservation Cases, where the winner is decided based on how well the technology or
methods used can apply more generally to energy conservation. The Commendation
Program for Meritorious Energy Management Performers gives a commendation
certificate to individuals who have long been playing a central role in energy efficiency
and who have made an outstanding contribution to promoting efficient energy
management. The Commendation Program for Excellent Energy Management Engineers
offers a commendation certificate to engineers who have incorporated efficient energy
management techniques in their work and who have made an outstanding contribution to
promoting energy efficiency. The Energy Conservation Grand Prize is awarded to the
creators of equipment, facilities or systems with excellence in energy conservation, which
have already been launched or are soon to be launched. The prize has three genres: homeuse,
commercial use, and automobiles, and entries are judged based on energy efficiency,
originality, marketability and environmental effects. The previous 4 programs are all
administered by the ECCJ, which runs an award ceremony every February in Tokyo and
Osaka to publicly honour the recipients and give them their certificates of excellence. The
Japan Machinery Federation (JMF) also runs a commendation program, called the
81