'Energy Smart' malls in Singapore

Straits Times 28 Mar 09;

VISITORS to the 200 shopping malls here often forget that air-conditioning is the main guzzler of energy in these buildings.

But two malls - Anchorpoint and Liang Court - yesterday became the first two shopping centres to receive the Energy Smart Retail Mall award, for their efforts to cut energy usage and for their indoor air quality. The two recently renovated malls did so by merging separate chiller plants or replacing them.

Anchorpoint now saves $250,000 a year in energy bills. Liang Court, which now saves $100,000 a year, has also installed energy-saving light bulbs and cut the number of escalators.

The Energy Smart Building Scheme, developed by the National Environment Agency and the National University of Singapore, recognised offices with such awards in 2005.

Then, in 2007, energy-efficient hotels were recognised.

The three office buildings and one hotel given Energy Smart awards this year were the Ministry of Manpower building, the TripleOne Somerset building, the Central Provident Fund building and the Holiday Inn Park View hotel.

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Today Online 28 Mar 09;

By tweaking the air-conditioning system so that it works less hard when there are fewer shoppers, retail malls can optimise energy consumption, leading to cost savings and a smaller carbon footprint — without much capital outlay on mall owners’ part, noted Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Environment and Water Resources) Amy Khor.
On Friday, Anchorpoint and Liang Court were named the two inaugural recipients of the National Environment Agency’s Energy Smart Label for Retail Mall. Anchorpoint spent about $455,000 to retrofit its chiller system, which will help it save about $250,000 a year. Liang Court replaced its chillers, piping system and its old cooling towers, switched to energy saving bulbs and reconfigured the floor layout.