Global Environment

Report of this year's "COOL BIZ" achievement

November 10, 2006

Since last year Ministry of the Environment has been appealing to set the office temperature to 28 degrees C during summer by adapting "COOL BIZ," a business style to be able to work in offices comfortably at 28 degrees C, as a part of global warming mitigation activities.

The questionnaire survey conducted this September regarding "COOL BIZ" resulted in that the awareness of "COOL BIZ" is 96.1%, the companies that have raised the preset temperature since last or this year is 43.2% during summer. Based on these figures, calculated amount of the reduced carbon dioxide (CO2) emission is approximately 1.14 million ton (equivalent to approximately 3 million households' 1 month CO2 emission amount).

Continuously, next year as well, we will actively promote to establish "COOL BIZ."

1. Survey Overview

(1) Period
September 27-30, 2006
(2) Method
Questionnaire survey through the web
(3) Surveyed
The research company's 1,200 internet panels including both male and female, chosen by a random sampling technique from 0.1 million panels all over the country

2. Result

(1) Do you know "COOL BIZ"? (% of those who know "COOL BIZ")
Yes 96.1% No 3.9%
(2) For the 548 out of 1,200 panels who has an occupation such as businessman, public officer, and commerce and industry self-employed, percentage of those who answered "Yes" to a question that their office temperature has been set higher than usual since last or this year
Office temperature has been preset higher since last year 29.9%
Office temperature has been preset higher since this year 13.3%
Total 43.2%
(3) Estimated reduced carbon dioxide (CO2) by higher temperature
Compared to the figure before introducing "COOL BIZ," the estimated amount of reduced CO2 this year is approximately 1,410,000 ton - CO2 (equivalent to approximately 2.5 million households' 1 month CO2 emission amount)
This figure is based on the research data of private companies in addition to the survey result of "COOL BIZ" questionnaire. Due to the recent revision of data of energy reduction, the effect of raising 1 degree C when using A/C (*1) has become approximately 1.85 times more than before. That made this year's "COOL BIZ" result largely over the last year's (0.46 million ton-CO2).
(*1):
The figure of reduced energy amount by raising 1 degree C when using A/C is from "Encyclopedia of energy saving at home" by The Energy Conservation Center, Japan. In "Encyclopedia of energy saving at home (Rev.2)" the figure was 16.33kWh/year, and in Rev.3, 30.24kWh/year.
(4) Comparison with the last year's "COOL BIZ" achievement
The survey shows that 43.2% of this year and 32.7% last year raised the temperature of A/C. It can be said that the achievement has made approximately 30% increase compared to last year.

Contact

Ministry of the Environment
Global Environment Bureau
Climate Change Policy Division