Thanks to the efforts by the team from the Office of Facilities Management (OFM) and strong support from the senior management, SMU has bagged a hat-trick of sustainability awards in Singapore and the region over the past month.

The latest is the Energy Efficiency National Partnership (EENP) Awards 2016, which is jointly organised by the National Environment Agency, the Economic Development Board and the Energy Market Authority.

The Awards aim to foster a culture of sustained energy efficiency improvements in Singapore, and to encourage companies to adopt a proactive approach towards energy management by identifying and sharing best practices with other companies.

SMU won the EENP Award under the Excellence in Energy Management category, which recognises companies that have demonstrated a high level of commitment to excellence in energy management.

Mr Sim Teow Hong, SMU Senior Vice President, received the award from Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli on 4 October 2016.

[Caption: Mr Goh Thiang Hock, Director of Office of Facilities Management, shared SMU’s experience in reducing energy consumption at the awards ceremony.] (Photo: NEA)

OFM started its energy efficiency programmes in 2007 and implemented an ISO 50001 certified energy management system in 2013. In addition, SMU’s data center also meets the SS564 Green Data Centre standards.

More than 200 power meters are installed in SMU. These meters monitor energy consumption in each building and the important energy consuming systems. Monthly energy data are monitored, and the results of energy efficiency improvement measures are assessed and discussed. 

SMU had reduced its total energy use from 25 GWh in 2006 to 16.8 GWh in 2015, achieving a 33% reduction in energy consumption. The 8.2 GWh reduction in energy usage is enough to power about 1,782, 4-room housing units for a year. SMU has also improved its energy intensity in terms of energy use per student by 65% from 2006 to 2015. 

[Caption: The SMU team with Minister Masagos.] (Photo: NEA)

Mr Sim said, “SMU is pleased to be one of the EENP Awards winners this year, and appreciate the recognition given by NEA. Our ‘energy policy’ is to promote the ‘responsible use of energy on Campus’. We adopt an inside-out approach, improving the areas within our purview in the first instance and thereafter promoting the culture of sustainability amongst stakeholders. To improve energy efficiency in SMU, we can be more productive, using the same or fewer resources to address the increasing demand of energy use on Campus to support the growth of the University.

“Going forward, we will be adopting a two-pronged strategy to further improve energy efficiency in SMU. First, by promoting a culture of sustainability. We will be engaging more often with our students, faculty and staff to promote the mindset of ‘responsible energy use’, and to encourage sustainable initiatives to save energy. Secondly, we will continue to find new and better ways to improve energy efficiency. This year, our focus includes optimising demand management by using the facilities booking system and exploring better use of smart LED solutions.”

This is the third environmental award which SMU has won over the past month. On 6 September 2016, SMU won the inaugural Leadership in Sustainable Design and Performance Award – Institutional sub-category which is jointly conferred by the Singapore Green Building Council and the Building and Construction Authority.

On 21 September 2016, SMU was conferred the ASEAN Best Practices Awards for Energy Efficient Buildings (Retrofitted Building Category) at the ASEAN Energy Awards 2016 Ceremony which was held during the 34th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM) Gala Dinner in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.

[Featured photo: (R-L) Mr Sim Teow Hong, SMU Senior Vice President, received the EENP award from Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli.] (Photo: NEA)