Publication

19th April 2001, The Straits Times

Save-energy rules likely next year

Auditors guarantee savings on utility bills, yet in energy-hungry Singapore the take-up rate has been dismal

By SHARMILPAL KAUR

STRICTER rules to help buildings cut down on energy use are likely to become law next year.

Under the new guidelines, the new buildings would have to be designed to keep more hot air out while ensuring less cool air escapes.

Under the proposed rules, the amount of heat from the sun that may be absorbed by buildings will decrease by about 22 per cent, from 45 watts to 35 watts per sq m.

To meet the new limits, developers would have to use better insulation to keep out the heat.

The key to energy conservation is to slash the amount of air-conditioning, as better insulation would mean that the air-conditioner would not need to run continuously.

Air-conditioning accounts for up to 60 per cent of an office building's energy bill.

A medium-sized building would, normally, face an energy bill of almost $2 million a year, according to energy experts. So the savings industry-wide would run into millions of dollars.

Coupled with tighter standards in lighting and air-conditioner efficiency, this could cut energy use by 24 per cent, said Associate Professor Koo Tsai Kee, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for National Development, at an energy seminar yesterday.

He said: 'Since these savings could be applied to the existing buildings in Singapore, the potential for savings is huge.'

Mr Wong Wai Ching, director of the building-plan and management division at the Building and Construction Authority, told The Straits Times that trials lasting between six months and nine months have started.

He said: 'It will likely become law next year. When it becomes law, then an existing building that needs to undergo a major refurbishment will also have to meet the new standards.'

Checks with several large developers and architects showed most were unsure about what the tighter rules would mean, especially as they would increase building costs.

Professor Koo also announced that the Inter-Agency Committee on Energy Efficiency has been taken over by the Environment Ministry. Renamed the National Energy Efficiency Committee, it will now be open to private-sector participation.

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