AN ANALYSIS OF SINGAPORE'S ENERGY MANAGEMENT POLICIES EFFICACY USING UTILITIES DATA

Abstract

Selecting and implementing the right energy consumption management policy based on the inherent characteristics of every nation such as climate and degree of urbanization is of critical importance to developed and developing nations alike in order to achieve sustainable growth by balancing economic development and environmental management. Whilst the Singapore Government has introduced numerous policies targeting various sectors over the years, their efficacy is questionable given that net energy use in the nation has been increasing steadily over the same time period. This study scrutinises the fluctuations of the aggregated and sectoral national utilities consumption data over the past ten years in order to determine if the introduction of policies have resulted in significant improvements in energy efficiency after accounting for all other drivers of electricity consumption and concludes that there is no evidence that energy efficiency policies introduced by the Singapore Government are effective at the aggregate, industrial sectoral and residential sectoral levels. Lack of data prevented drawing a robust conclusion concerning the effect of energy efficiency policy on building sectoral level. Although there is no evidence that energy efficiency policies are effective in general within Singapore, there is great potential to raise energy efficiency through introduction of new policies that address barriers to successful policy implementation. Based on Singapore citizens’ high level of education, presence of good infrastructure and good governance, the city state is ready for the adoption of automated Home Energy Management Systems that automate energy efficiency practices within households sector, where the biggest barrier to successful policy implementation is the hassle cost of practicing energy conservation.