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PurposeAs part of a study that aimed at enhancing the future roles and functions of building services (BS) engineers in Hong Kong, a survey was carried out to obtain demographic information about BS practitioners as well as their views and opinions on a range of issues which affect professional practices of BS engineers and recognition of their contributions by others. The purpose of this paper is to give a portrait of BS engineers in Hong Kong.Design/methodology/approachA series of statistical analyses were conducted based on the responses given by the BS practitioners, which included their qualifications, experience, job field, annual income and the number of trades of BS systems that they are competent in and responsible for.FindingsThe statistics show that: competence gap exists in that BS engineers are required to handle more trades of BS systems than those they are competent in; and the academic and professional qualifications, years of experience and job position are the key influential factors to the annual income of BS engineers but little differences exist in the average annual income of engineers in different job fields.Originality/valueThe competence gap is a concern that needs to be addressed to ensure BS engineers are competent in handling the common trades of BS systems, which is increasingly important for them to perform effectively in integrated professional teams for turning out holistic solutions for sustainable building developments.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to narrow the diverse views of the industry stakeholders on two controversial issues, namely the scope of core competence of building services engineers (BSEs) and the statutory role that they should play, which were encountered in an extensive research study on the building services profession of Hong Kong.Design/methodology/approachAn expert panel was formed and the Delphi method was applied to resolve the controversies. In the Delphi process, every panel member was provided with complete opinions expressed by all other panel members in each round of the deliberation.FindingsSufficient support was found for the proposition that professional BSEs should be competent in handling air‐conditioning, electrical, fire services, and plumbing & drainage works, and that the government authorities should mandate the design and compliance certification of electrical and fire services installations by BSEs.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the Delphi method has not been hitherto applied to resolve the controversies addressed in the study, it was proven to be a very effective tool in seeking majority opinions from a group of experts. The same approach may be taken in similar studies in future.Practical implicationsThe core competence identified should be made as a minimum requirement for practitioners who wish to practise as professional BSEs. The views and comments given by the expert panel members are informative references to public policy makers.Originality/valueThis was the first ever study conducted in an attempt to identify the core competence and statutory role of BSEs in Hong Kong.

PurposeThe survey reported here is intended to obtain an understanding of the general public's perception about building services and building services practitioners in Hong Kong.Design/methodology/approachTargeting a sampling error of within ±1 per cent at a confidence level of 95 per cent, a team of six surveyors conducted face‐to‐face interviews with 751 laypersons at places around 11 residential estates.FindingsOver 90 per cent of the general public know the presence of various building services installations in buildings and 12 per cent know that building services is the collective name of such installations. The general public are satisfied with the operability and reliability of building services installations but are just marginally satisfied with their performance at higher levels, such as energy conservation and indoor air quality control.Research limitations/implicationsA paucity of teenagers know about building services, which is a concern to the future development of both the building services profession and the facilities management (FM) industry in Hong Kong. Future work may investigate the situation in other regimes with a similar FM setting and study on how the profession is perceived for buildings with restricted access to the general public. Operation and maintenance personnel of the FM offices, who are approached by most people when problems with building services installations arise, are the key on the perceived image of building services professionals.Originality/valueIn addition to informing higher educational institutes the need to reinforcing promotion of building services engineering to school leavers, the findings can help professional institutions in formulating how the social status of building services engineers may be raised.

The lack of knowledge and motivation of the operation and maintenance (O&M) staff together with the available financial resources, are the key barriers to improving energy efficiency of buildings. A survey of O&M personnel has been conducted recently in Hong Kong to find out the energy consumption and the resource inputs to the operation and maintenance of services in commercial buildings. In turn, the current level of knowledge and skills of the O&M personnel was evaluated. Analysis of the collected data revealed that buildings with higher energy performance were associated with O&M personnel who were better paid. The income of the O&M personnel was associated with academic qualification and experience but a steady rate of rise could only be sustained by continued improvement. A feasible way to boost improvements in building energy performance would be to provide rewards that are linked to savings in energy costs.

Over the last ten years voluntary labelling schemes such as energy labels and eco‐labelling have become increasingly popular within the property sector. However, since the schemes are voluntary in nature their success generally depends on the environmental response of both the property owner and the facility manager. This paper discusses the prerequisites for introducing a successful energy and eco‐labelling scheme in Hong Kong. The paper also introduces a cost‐benefit analysis associated with Hong Kong’s accredited criteria for eco‐labelling. Finally, the paper examines the controversial issue of linking eco‐labelling to property valuation.