SURPASSING BEYOND TARGETED LIMITS: ANALYSING SINGAPORE’S ENERGY EFFICIENCY EFFORTS FOR BUILDINGS

Abstract

Buildings are typically built for residential, institutional, or commercial purposes. Although buildings are needed to provide a shelter and enclosed area for facilitation of activities, construction of buildings has a detrimental effect on the environment. Depending on the construction and choice of materials used, it contributes to carbon production from various activities like the manufacturing and transporting of materials, and many more.

After buildings are built, it will continue to contribute towards carbon emissions depending on the nature of the business and building usage by the occupants. In Singapore, buildings are currently liable for over 20% of carbon production (Yeoh, 2021). Since buildings are to remain in operation over a long-run, proper management of energy is a way towards efficient usage of energy or possibly slight reduction in energy usage. But currently, only 43% of buildings are green certified while the Green Plan aims for 80% of buildings to be green by 2030 (Teh, 2021).

This paper seeks to examine governmental efforts like the Green Plan and relevant green regulations, to determine if the targets set are ideal for building owners to achieve. Additionally, current challenges towards greater energy efficiency will also be explored through surveys. Based on survey responses collected, common responses as to obstacles that buildings are facing are usually high equipment cost, building incompatibility and life-cycle costs.

Besides green barriers, limitations to this study are lack of study over a diversification or sector of buildings, low number of responses collected, and the preferred target audience for the survey.