Today Online 24 May 11;
SINGAPORE - Six companies and one energy manager have earned themselves the inaugural Energy Efficiency National Partnership (EENP) Awards through measures like retrofitting the cooling and heating systems of their buildings to use energy more efficiently, and improving how they monitor energy use.
This is the first time the industrial sector is being recognised for its efforts in implementing energy efficiency improvement programmes.
The awards, organised by the National Environment Agency (NEA), Energy Market Authority and the Economic Development Board, are part of the EENP programme, which was launched last year.
Two other companies will also receive honourable mention for their best practices in implementing such projects at the awards ceremony, which will take place tonight at the National Energy Efficiency Conference 2011.
Said Mr Andrew Tan, chief executive officer of NEA: "Energy efficiency helps boost profits, lower costs and reduce greenhouse gases ... Through the Energy Efficiency National Partnership (EENP) and the EENP Awards, we are providing companies with a key platform to exchange their expertise and best practices, while recognising those who have achieved high standards in energy efficiency."
Among those receiving awards are Glaxo Wellcome Manufacturing, which will receive an award for excellence in energy management. "We installed a sophisticated monitoring and targeting system which allows us to see our energy usage across the site in great detail," said Mr Christopher Dobson, vice-president and site director of GlaxoSmithKline.
"Since the start of the programme, we have implemented almost 300 projects large and small, and saved in excess of S$12.5 million up to the end of last year," he said.
The company's engineering manager, Mr Yeo Yee Pang, also received the Outstanding Energy Manager of the Year award, for his 11-year track record in promoting energy efficiency.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Manpower will be presented with the "Best Public Sector Agency in Energy Management" commendation. Both its premises in Havelock Road and Bendemeer Road have attained the Building and Construction Authority's Green Mark Platinum rating.
The Havelock building also incorporates energy-efficient features such as photovoltaic sensors for perimeter lighting and energy regenerative units for lifts.
Conference to decode energy efficiency in Singapore
JOYCE HOOI finds out what's in store at the National Energy Efficiency Conference
Business Times 24 May 11;
AT the National Energy Efficiency Conference 2011, a line-up of speakers - all expert in their respective fields - will talk about a particular area of energy efficiency, ranging from broad policy to the specifics of technical issues.
Lee Eng Lock, technical director at Trane Airconditioning Pte Ltd, and Rohit Razdan, associate principal at McKinsey & Company, will both be among the speakers making presentations of their own during the conference, which opens today.
Mr Lee will be talking about the good industrial practices of energy-efficient heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) plants in buildings around the world, which, despite existing in different climatic conditions, have been able to achieve high energy efficiency design.
While he examines these practices in other countries during his presentation today, he has also given thought to how policies in Singapore have affected the landscape for HVAC plants here.
Singled out for praise was the Grant for Energy Efficient Technologies (GREET) scheme, which was introduced by the National Environmental Agency (NEA) in November 2008 to encourage the uptake of energy efficient technologies or equipment by providing a grant to offset part of the investment cost.
'The current GREET incentive scheme for industry buildings is very attractive to existing building owners going for retrofitting of the HVAC system. To qualify, the building need to be retrofitted with a high energy efficiency HVAC system,' said Mr Lee.
GREET co-funds up to 50 per cent of the investment cost of energy-efficient equipment or technologies, capped at $2 million per project, for projects which have a payback period of more than three years and up to seven years.
Mr Razdan, for his part, will be presenting on how a confluence of drivers such as cost, regulation and image is making energy management and efficiency increasingly important for companies.
'Historically, industry has focused on cost, quality and lean operations. However, the next wave of operational excellence is likely to focus on driving energy efficiency,' said Mr Razdan.
During the presentation, he will draw from McKinsey's experience in dealing with energy efficiency issues across various industries.
According to him, the good news for companies is that significant energy efficiency gains are possible with limited capital investments - up to a 75 per cent reduction in energy consumption is possible through investments with a payback period that is shorter than three years.
In reaching the promised land of lower energy usage and higher cost savings, however, a foundation of best practices need to be in place first.
'Adopting a transformational approach to driving energy efficiency improvement is critical - this requires creating transparency around energy consumption, systematically detecting energy waste, developing optimisation levers for energy productivity, incorporating energy key performance indicators in management systems and building capabilities for continuously improving energy productivity,' said Mr Razdan.
For Mr Lee, a concrete manifestation of best practices can be found at United World College South East Asia.
'The recently completed United World College South East Asia building located in Tampines will be putting up the actual operating condition of its facilities, especially air-conditioning plant, in real time on the Internet to showcase the high energy efficiency of the building. It is also a Green Mark Platinum-rated building,' said Mr Lee.
Singapore, by all counts, had made considerable progress in the march towards increasing energy efficiency - the country's energy intensity improved by 19.4 per cent from 2005 to 2008, up from 15 per cent from 1990 to 2005. This was attributed to better technology being used in power generation and more productive energy usage.
Even then, there is plenty of room for improvement - or upside potential, as it were. The industrial segment, for example, accounts for about 60 per cent of energy consumption in Singapore, Mr Razdan pointed out.
'Driving energy efficiency in this segment is critical for Singapore to achieve its overall sustainability blueprint targets,' he said.
Besides targeting the most effective segments in reducing energy efficiency, transparency during implementation is also highly prized for Mr Lee, especially where showing the actual operating condition of an air-conditioning plant - which could consume up to 60 per cent of total energy used - is concerned, he said.
In looking beyond its borders, there are several key concepts that could possibly be emulated in improving energy efficiency.
'Our experience from other countries shows that to have the most impact, energy efficiency-enabling measures need to go to the specifics and should be designed to target the key barriers as closely as possible,' said Mr Razdan.
Australia, for example, has building-specific incentive programmes that are formulated to drive an increase in the retrofitting of commercial buildings, he said.
In the United Kingdom, the issue of transparency has been picked by Mr Lee as a prime concept for improving energy efficiency.
'We can learn from the UK by displaying all the government building operating conditions to the public for scrutiny,' he said.
Currently, the future for energy efficiency in Singapore is a bright one, packed as it is with the necessary tools and policies for creating an environment that is conducive to such efforts.
'In the last few years, Singapore has made significant progress on energy efficiency through a series of incentives and initiatives, for example, the Energy Efficiency Improvement Assistance Scheme, Design for Efficiency, GREET scheme, Singapore Certified Energy Manager training grant and green vehicle rebates,' said Mr Razdan.
'Impressive results have been achieved especially in the commercial and residential segments. Furthermore, Singapore has set itself ambitious energy efficiency improvement targets as part of the Singapore Sustainability Blueprint, for example, to reduce energy intensity by 35 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030 and reduce energy consumption in new and mature housing estates by 20 per cent and 30 per cent respectively by 2030.'
Singapore energy efficiency gets boost
Wayne Chan Channel NewsAsia 24 May 11;
SINGAPORE: More funds and a new award for energy efficiency kicked off the first National Energy Efficiency Conference (NEEC) held in Singapore.
Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan announced that S$22.8 million will go, for the next two years, to the Grant for Energy Efficient Technologies (GREET) scheme, which helps companies defray the cost of purchasing such technologies.
Pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline has implemented almost 300 energy efficiency projects at its Jurong facility since 2002, achieving some S$12.5 million in energy savings as of end-2010.
It is one of six companies receiving the inaugural Energy Efficiency National Partnership (EENP) Awards, and it said it has its onsite energy monitoring system to thank.
Glaxo Wellcome Manufacturing engineering manager Yeo Yee Pang said: "Using this tool, this system to collect energy use on site, we can understand where are all the high energy use (and in) which area.
"... We can also identify the energy waste and from there, we can trigger a lot of projects and initiatives and from there, we are able to save the energy".
The EENP programme is a key recommendation of the Singapore Sustainable Development Blueprint, launched on April 29, 2010 to promote a culture of sustained energy efficiency improvements in industries.
There are three categories of the award: Excellence in Energy Management, Best Practices and Outstanding Energy Managers of the Year.
GSK is one of two companies to receive the EENP Award for Excellence in Energy Management.
And for Singapore to do just that, Dr Balakrishnan said it was important to have an eco-system where businesses and government agencies ensure energy efficiency objectives are achieved.
"Basically what you need is a system in which you can scan the horizon for new technologies, that we ensure that Singapore remains a testbed for the early adoption for new technologies that can improve energy efficiency," Dr Balakrishnan said.
With 96 partners so far, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said it hopes more will join the EENP network in promoting a sustainable Singapore.
The awards and conference are organised by the NEA, the Energy Market Authority and the Economic Development Board.
The GREET scheme was launched in 2008 with S$22 million to spur companies to invest in energy efficient equipment and technology.
The original S$22 million from 2008 is likely to be fully used by this year, one year ahead of schedule.
The projects approved and being processed are expected to result in a lifetime energy savings of more than S$160 million and an annual carbon dioxide abatement of more than 40 kilitonnes.
The grant cap has also been increased from S$2 million to S$4 million per project, and companies must now be EENP partners who have implemented energy management systems to qualify.
Another EENP Award for Excellence in Energy Management winner, Pfizer Asia Pacific, has linked employee performances to energy efficiency improvements.
For the public sector, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will receive the "Best Public Sector Agency in Energy Management" Commendation, which recognises outstanding public sector agencies for exemplary performance and commitment to energy management.
NEA CEO Andrew Tan said companies that already have an energy management system would be better placed to meet the requirements of the upcoming Energy Conservation Act (ECA) in 2013.
-CNA/wk
Singapore on track to be more energy efficient
Kimberly Spykerman Straits Times 25 May 11;
SINGAPORE'S push to reduce its carbon footprint is on track, having improved its energy efficiency over the last few years, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said yesterday.
Speaking at the opening of the National Energy Efficiency Conference, his first event since becoming the new Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, he said Singapore had already managed to lower energy intensity by 8 per cent between 2005 and 2009.
In 2009, an inter-ministerial committee on sustainable development had set a goal of reducing the nation's energy intensity output by 35 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030. This means a 35 per cent cut in energy consumption per dollar of gross domestic product.
Said Dr Balakrishnan: 'Improving energy efficiency will minimise energy wastage, cut costs for companies and consumers, reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and contribute to overall economic competitiveness.'
To recognise the efforts of those who reduced energy wastage at their workplaces, eight organisations, including the Manpower Ministry, were presented with the inaugural Energy Efficiency National Partnership (EENP) award last night.
The EENP is organised by the National Environment Agency, the Energy Market Authority, and the Economic Development Board. It was launched in April last year to help companies share best practices on energy efficiency and help them put these practices in place. Since its launch, 96 companies have signed up as EENP partners.
It was announced yesterday that $22.8 million would go, for the next two years, to the Grant for Energy Efficient Technologies scheme, which helps firms defray the costs of such investments. The grant cap has been doubled, from $2 million to $4 million per project.
Dr Balakrishnan also highlighted that the industrial sector had the potential to be more energy efficient, as it is responsible for almost 60 per cent of the nation's energy consumption.
