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  Channel NewsAsia 16 Dec 05
Energy Smart Building Awards for 8 office buildings
By Dominique Loh, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE : Being green doesn't just mean a clean environment. It can also help companies with their bottom line. By adopting simple energy-saving techniques, some Singapore companies have saved up to 20 percent on their electricity bills.

The Environment Building is one of eight structures in Singapore to be designated an Energy Smart Building. The others are Revenue House, SIA Computer Centre, JTC Summit, Alexandra Point, Fuji Xerox Tower, City House, and Republic Plaza.

It is all part of a new voluntary scheme by the National Environment Agency to recognise building owners that have adopted energy efficient measures and technologies.

From simple techniques like switching off half the lights at lift landings to motion sensors that turn on lights automatically when human movement is detected.

Associate Professor Koo Tsai Kee, Senior Parliamentary Secretary at the Environment and Water Resources Ministry, said: "Companies that come onboard, will serve as models and over time, they will substantiate their savings.

"In America, the energy star building is very successful. The primary motivator for many was not so much to save the environment, but to save costs for the company.

"So we work together - you save cost, we save the environment, especially today when energy cost is very high, margins are thin, every dollar saved is every dollar earned."

It is estimated that if all office buildings adopt energy-saving techniques, savings on electrical expenses could come up to $75 million a year. With buildings using up 30 percent of Singapore's power consumption, and with its power generation accounting for half its total carbon dioxide emissions, every energy saving method would contribute a lot to the environment.

Mr Anthony Goh, Assistant General Manager (Property) of City Developments Ltd, said: "If we compare similar sized buildings, the saving is about 20 percent on average, Republic Plaza for example, we can save as much as $40,000 a month."

Mr Raymond Chan Jee Poh, Facilities and Operations Management at the Environment and Water Resources Ministry, said: "You need to monitor your consumption very clearly, know where your usage is. Is it your equipment, your operational timing? This is what you need to ascertain. "Are you wasting unnecessary energy, lights not switched off? Air-con on for too long, or just plain wasteful? You should be using efficient bulbs, at the end of the day we put in sensors. We get payback in a year or so. It's not true you pay high cost to get savings."

The scheme is targeting office buildings with the eventual aim to spread the message to hotels, shopping complexes and hospitals. - CNA/de

Today 17 Dec 05
Energy Star, Singapore style launched
 Loh Chee Kong cheekong@newstoday.com.sg

MODELLED after America's highly-successful Energy Star labelling programme, Singapore has launched its own energy- efficient scheme for office buildings with a long-term goal of cutting its carbon dioxide emissions and energy consumption.

"We must act now and do our part as a responsible member of the global community," said Assoc-Prof Koo Tsai Kee, Senior Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, at the launch of the Energy Smart Building Scheme yesterday. "We must reduce the risks of global warming by being prudent with energy use … power generation accounts for about half of our carbon dioxide emissions."

Noting that the Energy Star programme, which has been in operation in the United States for more than 14 years, has saved the Americans billions of dollars in energy and hundreds of power stations, Prof Koo urged building owners in Singapore to support the new scheme.

Prof Koo, who is also the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Defence, added: "It saves money and improves your bottomline, especially when world energy costs are so high. Pursuing energy conservation strategies is a smart choice — smart from both environmental and economic perspectives."

Jointly developed by the National Environment Agency and the Energy Sustainability Unit (ESU) of the National University of Singapore, the Energy Smart Building Scheme recognises buildings in the top 25 per cent of their cohort for achieving energy efficiency without compromising the indoor environmental quality.

For now, the scheme will start off with the Energy Smart Office Awards being given out to office buildings that meet the criteria. It will be gradually extended to hotels, shopping complexes and hospitals.

And, according to Prof Lee Siew Eang who heads the ESU, the office sector in Singapore would save annually up to $108 million and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 360,000 tons, if all office buildings joined the scheme.

Besides drawing on the features of similar programmes in the US and the European union, the ESU took 18 months to complete a preliminary study on 120 office buildings around the island. From these buildings, the ESU drew up a benchmark to base the scheme on buildings which fall within the top 25 percentile to qualify for the Energy Smart Office award.

Indicators that will be used include air-conditioning plant, lighting and mechanical ventilation system performance, as well as the building energy efficiency index, which measures the building's unit floor area energy consumption.

Yesterday's inaugural recipients were the SIA Computer Centre, Alexandra Point, Fuji Xerox Tower, City House, Republic Plaza, Environment Building, Revenue House and JTC Summit.
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