Singapore wins big at energy awards [News]

By Esther Ng, Today, 21 Sep 2011.

For their efforts to be environmentally sustainable, eight organisations received the ASEAN Energy Awards, making it the largest number bagged by Singapore since the Awards started in 2000.

The Galen, an eight-year-old building in Singapore Science Park II, won in the Retrofitted Category, while the 30-year-old Ministry of Manpower (MOM) building emerged first runner-up.

Business space solutions provider, Ascendas, which owns The Galen, spent S$3.5 million replacing its air-cooled chillers with four 600 refrigeration ton water-cooled centrifugal chiller plants with an efficiency of 0.56 kilowatts per refrigeration ton.

As a result, the building now only generates 1,300 tons of carbon emission annually, from 4,000 tons before retrofitting. Read more

New Financing Scheme and Minimum Standards for Existing Buildings Announced at the International Green Building Conference 2011

Minister of State for National Development and Manpower, BG (NS) Tan Chuan-Jin announced a new financing scheme and minimum Green Mark standards for existing buildings at today’s opening of the International Green Building Conference (IGBC) 2011, which is part of the annual Singapore Green Building Week.

In the Singapore Sustainable Blueprint, the government has set a target to green 80% of Singapore’s buildings by 2030. 95% of Singapore’s building stock are existing buildings. The challenge is how to green the existing buildings, given the higher cost of retrofitting and the lack of financing.

To help existing building owners overcome the barrier of high upfront retrofitting costs, BG (NS) Tan announced that the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) will launch a pilot scheme from 1 Oct called the Building Retrofit Energy Efficiency Financing (BREEF) Scheme. Read more

Committee of Supply Debate 2010: Ministry of National Development

Ms Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State for National Development gave her speech during the Committee of Supply Debate under the Ministry of National Development (MND). The speech addresses policies related to green buildings in Singapore:

Greening Our Buildings

19 Mr Cedric Foo has asked how HDB estates can be more sustainable. Our existing HDB estates have designs which facilitate cross-ventilation and natural lighting. For new estates, we will continue to incorporate environmentally friendly features and green technologies. For example, HDB is pushing forward the installation of solar photovoltaic panels (PV) at four precincts at Tampines, Bukit Panjang, Tanjong Pagar and Marine Parade.

20 HDB, together with Town Councils, also aims to reduce the energy consumption of common areas in new and existing HDB estates by 20% and 30% respectively. This is done by introducing features such as energy efficient light fittings and lift systems.

22 Our sustainable development efforts must extend beyond our public housing estates. In April 2009, the Government released Sustainable Singapore Blueprint which outlined our efforts to improve our overall energy efficiency by 35% from 2005 levels by 2030. All sectors, including the building sector will need to play their part towards meeting this target.

Raising Minimum Standards for New Buildings

23 By the end of this year, we will raise the mandatory minimum energy efficiency standard for Green Mark certified level for new buildings by 10% from today’s standard. Correspondingly, the energy efficiency standards for other Green Mark levels, i.e. Gold, GoldPlus, and Platinum will be raised. Building owners can enjoy cost savings in the long run by being more energy efficient.

Mandatory Submission of Energy Data

24 To better understand energy consumption patterns, and to monitor the effectiveness of our energy efficiency measures, BCA will require building owners and utilities companies to submit energy and other building related data such as Gross Floor Area (GFA) and specifications of building systems on an annual basis starting from 2011. Building owners can also use the information to pro-actively improve their buildings’ energy efficiency.

25 Going forward, BCA will consult the industry on the possibility of mandating a minimum energy efficiency standard for existing buildings.

Source: MND

Singapore Guide to Government Funding and Incentives for the Environment

(The updated version of this article can be found at Green Business Times, includes 5 new funding)

Singapore is well-known as a clean and green city with the government striving for environmental sustainability while growing the economy. The government has also identified Environmental and Water Technologies (EWT) including Clean Energy as strategic areas where Singapore has a competitive edge and which could generate future economic growth.

To accelerate the growth of the environmental industry and to maintain Singapore’s image as a clean and green city, the government has initiated several funding and incentive schemes related to energy efficiency, clean energy, green buildings, water and environmental technologies, green transport, waste minimisation, environmental management system, environmental initiatives and clean development mechanism.

The funding and incentive schemes are provided by government agencies such as:

• Building and Construction Authority (BCA)
• Economic Development Board (EDB)
• Land Transport Authority (LTA)
• National Environment Agency (NEA)
• National Parks Board (NParks)
• PUB, the national water agency (PUB)
• SPRING Singapore (SPRING)
• Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)

Here’s our guide to the various government funding and incentives for the environment, which could help us move towards a Low Carbon Singapore:

1. Energy Efficiency Improvement Assistance Scheme (EASe)
2. Grant for Energy Efficient Technologies (GREET)
3. Accelerated Depreciation Tax Allowance
4. Design for Efficiency Scheme (DfE)
5. SCEM Training Grant
6. Clean Energy Research and Testbedding Programme (CERT)
7. Clean Energy Research Programme (CERP)
8. Solar Capability Scheme (SCS)
9. Market Development Fund
10. Green Mark Incentive Scheme for Existing Buildings (GMIS-EB)
11. Green Mark Incentive Scheme for New Buildings (GMIS-NB)
12. Green Mark Gross Floor Area Incentive Scheme (GM-GFA)
13. MND Research Fund for the Built Environment
14. Pilot Incentive Scheme for Green Roofs
15. Gross Floor Area Incentives for Outdoor Refreshment Area on Rooftops
16. Water Efficiency Fund (WEF)
17. Fast-Track Environmental and Water Technologies Incubator Scheme (Fast-Tech)
18. Technology Pioneer (TechPioneer) Scheme
19. Incentive for Research and Innovation Scheme (IRIS)
20. Environmental Technology Capability Development Programme (EnviroTech CDP)
21. Innovation Voucher Scheme
22. Innovation for Environmental Sustainability (IES) Fund
23. Land Transport Innovation Fund (LTIF)
24. Green Vehicle Rebate (GVR)
25. 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) Fund
26. Local Enterprise Technical Assistance Scheme (LETAS)
27. 3P Partnership Fund
28. Clean Development Mechanism Documentation Grant

If we missed out any funding or incentive scheme, do let us know. Thanks!

Energy Efficiency

1. Energy Efficiency Improvement Assistance Scheme (EASe)

NEA provides a co-funding scheme called the Energy Efficiency Improvement Assistance Scheme (EASe), to help companies in the manufacturing and building sectors engage accredited Energy Services Companies (ESCOs) to conduct energy audits and recommend energy saving measures. Funding is provided up to 50% of the qualifying costs of engaging an ESCO and capped at $200,000 for a single facility or building over a five-year period.

2. Grant for Energy Efficient Technologies (GREET)

The Grant for Energy Efficient Technologies (GREET) by NEA provides funding for the Singapore-registered owner or operator of existing or proposed industrial facilities to invest in energy efficient equipment or technologies. Funding is provided up to 50% of the qualifying costs and capped at $2 million per project. Only projects with a payback of more than 3 years and up to 7 years are eligible for funding.

3. Accelerated Depreciation Tax Allowance

The Accelerated Depreciation Tax Allowance scheme by NEA encourages companies to replace old inefficient equipment and invest in energy saving equipment. The capital expenditure on the qualifying energy efficient equipment can be written off in one year instead of three.

4. Design for Efficiency Scheme (DfE)

The Design for Efficiency Scheme (DfE) by NEA aims to encourage new facilities that are large consumers of energy to integrate energy and resource efficiency improvements into their development plans early in the design stage. Funding is provided up to 80% of the qualifying costs or $600,000, whichever is lower.

5. SCEM Training Grant

The Singapore Certified Energy Manager (SCEM) Programme offers training and certification in energy management, and is for engineering professionals to develop the technical skills and competence to become the Energy Managers of their organisations. The SCEM Training Grant is a co-funding scheme by NEA to fund the training cost at the Professional Level SCEM Programme. Successful grant applicants only pay a subsidised course fee of S$963 instead of the full course fee of S$5,885.

Clean Energy

6. Clean Energy Research and Testbedding Programme (CERT)

The Clean Energy Research and Testbedding Programme (CERT) by the Clean Energy Programme Office (CEPO) and managed by EDB, is a $17 million funding initiative for local and foreign companies and organisations to test and implement clean energy technologies at suitable sites. CERT involves three key partners: the R&D organisations, the technology providers, and the implementers. These three partners are involve in the following areas (obtained from the CERT press release):

The R&D organisations will lead and conduct testbedding activities, while the technology providers will be private sector companies providing the Clean Energy equipment and technologies to participate in the testbedding. Government agencies which are providing the testbedding location and facilitating the project are the implementers.

7. Clean Energy Research Programme (CERP)

The Clean Energy Research Programme (CERP) by the National Research Foundation (NRF) is a $50 million funding initiative for Institutes of Higher Learning, public sector agencies, private companies based in Singapore, and not-for-profit research laboratories, to conduct research and development projects in clean energy. The R&D projects are submitted based on calls for proposals in domains specified by the Clean Energy Programme Office (CEPO). Funding support is up to 70% or 100% of approved direct qualifying costs of a project.

8. Solar Capability Scheme (SCS)

Under the Solar Capability Scheme (SCS), EDB provides funding for new private buildings to install solar technologies. The building must be certified with minimum Green Mark Gold rating by BCA, and the minimum solar system installed should be 10 kWp. The funding provided is between 30% to 40% of the total capital cost and capped at $1 million.

9. Market Development Fund

The Market Development Fund is a $5 million funding initiative by the Energy Market Authority to help in the test-bedding of new electricity generation technologies such as solar, wind, hydrogen and fuel cell, which has significant potential and value in the electricity market.

Green Buildings

10. Green Mark Incentive Scheme for Existing Buildings (GMIS-EB)

The government recently announced in the Sustainable Singapore blueprint that it has set a target for 80% of the existing building stock to achieve at least Green Mark Certified rating by 2030. A $100 million Green Mark Incentive Scheme for Existing Buildings (GMIS-EB) was set up by BCA to encourage private building owners of existing buildings to undertake improvements in energy efficiency. The scheme provides a cash incentive that co-funds up to 35% of the costs for energy efficiency improvements and capped at $1.5 million.

11. Green Mark Incentive Scheme for New Buildings (GMIS-NB)

The enhanced $20 million Green Mark Incentive Scheme for New Buildings (GMIS-NB) by BCA is to accelerate the adoption of green building technologies and design practices. The enhanced scheme provides cash incentives to developers, building owners, project architects and M&E engineers, who achieve at least a BCA Green Mark Gold rating in the design and construction of new buildings.

12. Green Mark Gross Floor Area Incentive Scheme (GM-GFA)

The Green Mark Gross Floor Area Incentive Scheme (GM-GFA) by BCA and URA is to encourage the private sector to develop buildings that attain the higher Green Mark ratings. URA will grant additional floor area over and above the Master Plan Gross Plot Ratio (GPR) control, up to 1% for Green Mark Gold Plus developments and up to 2% for Green Mark Platinum developments, and subject to a cap of 2,500 sqm for Gold Plus and 5,000 sqm for Platinum.

13. MND Research Fund for the Built Environment

The MND Research Fund for the Built Environment is a $50 million funding initiative by the Ministry of National Development (MND) and managed by BCA. The objective of the fund is:

To encourage and support applied R&D that will raise the quality of life and make Singapore a distinctive global city

Under the MND Research Fund, some key focus areas include sustainable development projects such as integrating solar technologies into building facades. The fund covers 30% to 75% of the qualifying cost of the project, subject to a cap of $2 million.

14. Pilot Incentive Scheme for Green Roofs

The Pilot Incentive Scheme for Green Roofs by NParks will start in September 2009 to encourage existing building owners to green their rooftops. The scheme will pilot in the Downtown and Orchard Planning areas, and target low to mid-rise buildings that are highly visible and buildings with low level of street-level greenery. Funding is provided up to 50% of the cost of installation of the green roofs.

15. Gross Floor Area Incentives for Outdoor Refreshment Area on Rooftops

The Gross Floor Area Incentives for Outdoor Refreshment Area on Rooftops by URA complements NParks’ Pilot Incentive Scheme for Green Roofs. URA will grant existing buildings within the Orchard and Downtown Core planning areas additional gross floor area (GFA), beyond the Master Plan permissible Gross Plot Ratio (GPR), to be used for an outdoor refreshment area (ORA) on the rooftop if development owners introduce rooftop landscaping. The incentive scheme provides bonus GFA of up to 200 sqm or 50% of the roof space for ORA use.

Water and Environmental Technologies

16. Water Efficiency Fund (WEF)

The Water Efficiency Fund (WEF) by PUB encourages companies to be more efficient in managing their water demand or promote water conservation in the community. For feasibility studies, PUB will co-fund 50% of the study cost, subject to a cap of $50,000. For water audits, PUB will co-fund 50% of the water audit cost, subject to a cap of $5,000. For community campaigns and programmes, PUB will co-fund 50% of organising the programme, subject to a cap of $5000. Funding is also available for water recycling efforts and use of alternative source of water.

17. Fast-Track Environmental and Water Technologies Incubator Scheme (Fast-Tech)

The Fast-Track Environmental and Water Technologies Incubator Scheme (Fast-Tech) is an initiative by the Environmental and Water Industry Development Council (EWI) and managed by EDB. The Fast-Tech scheme aims to grow environmental and water start-ups by providing financial incentives and mentoring by specialized incubators. Funding is provided up to $500,000 per company or up to 85% of qualifying costs, over two years.

18. Technology Pioneer (TechPioneer) Scheme

The Technology Pioneer (TechPioneer) Scheme by the Environmental and Water Industry Development Council (EWI) aims to accelerate the commercialization of new environment and water technologies by bringing together both technology vendors and users to apply jointly under this scheme. Funding is provided up to $2 million or 30% of total qualifying costs for a technology user.

19. Incentive for Research and Innovation Scheme (IRIS)

The Incentive for Research and Innovation Scheme (IRIS) by the Environmental and Water Industry Development Council (EWI) funds Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), Research Institutes and Singapore companies to research and develop new environmental and water technologies (EWT) that lead to significant and sustainable growth opportunities in the EWT industry. Funding is provided up to 100% for IHLs, public sector agencies and non-profit research entities, and up to 70% for companies and for-profit research entities.

20. Environmental Technology Capability Development Programme (EnviroTech CDP)

The Environmental Technology Capability Development Programme (EnviroTech CDP) by SPRING helps local environmental small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to enhance their enterprise competitiveness and industry innovation. The EnviroTech CDP covers applied research, product development and commercialisation. Funding is provided for a portion of the project qualifying costs, which include manpower, equipment, materials, and professional services.

21. Innovation Voucher Scheme

The Innovation Voucher Scheme (IVS) by SPRING aims to encourage local SMEs to work with public Knowledge Institutions (KI) like the Centres of Innovation (COIs) to test new technology and innovative ideas. All SMEs can apply for an innovation voucher worth S$5,000 from SPRING, which can be redeemed at participating KIs such as the Centre of Innovation in Environmental and Water Technology (EWT COI) in Ngee Ann Polytechnic, for advice and to develop new products and processes.

22. Innovation for Environmental Sustainability (IES) Fund

The Innovation for Environmental Sustainability (IES) Fund is managed by NEA and helps companies to implement innovative environmental projects. The proposed project must have strong innovation and early adoption elements, and help Singapore meet its goal of environmental sustainability. The IES Fund provides funding to cover some of the qualifying cost of the project, up to a maximum of $2 million.

Green Transport

23. Land Transport Innovation Fund (LTIF)

The $50 million Land Transport Innovation Fund (LTIF) by LTA encourages research initiatives in land transport research and pilot trials for a more viable and sustainable land transport system. Funding is provided up to 90% of the total project cost and capped at $1 million per project.

24. Green Vehicle Rebate (GVR)

Owners of new hybrid, electric and CNG vehicles will enjoy the Green Vehicle Rebate (GVR) till 31 Dec 2011. The rebate is equivalent to 40% (for passenger vehicles) or 5% (for buses and commercial vehicles) of the vehicle’s Open Market Value (OMV) that can be used to offset the Additional Registration Fee (ARF) payable at registration.

Waste Minimisation

25. 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) Fund

The 3R Fund by NEA is a $8 million co-funding scheme to encourage organisations to implement waste minimisation and recycling projects. Funding is provided up to 80% of the qualifying costs and subject to a cap of $1 million per project, and depends on the quantity and type of waste reduced or recycled.

Environmental Management System

26. Local Enterprise Technical Assistance Scheme (LETAS)

The Local Enterprise Technical Assistance Scheme (LETAS) by SPRING helps SMEs to engage an external consultant to implement quality management and IT systems, including the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System standard. Funding is provided up to 50% of consultancy cost, subject to a maximum grant cap of $5,000.

Environmental Initiatives

27. 3P Partnership Fund

The 3P Partnership Fund by NEA aims to encourage organisations, companies and individuals from the People, Private and Public (3P) sectors to work together to develop environmental initiatives and promote environmental ownership. First-time applicants would receive no more than 50% of the eligible costs, while for other applicants, the Evaluation Panel will determine the grant to be offered based on the merits of the submission.

Clean Development Mechanism

28. Clean Development Mechanism Documentation Grant

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Documentation Grant by NEA encourages companies to develop CDM projects in Singapore. Funding is provided up to 50% of the qualifying cost of engaging a carbon consultant to develop a new methodology and Project Design Document (PDD), or only up to 30% if the carbon consultant develops a PDD using an existing approved methodology. The maximum amount of funding for a CDM project is capped at $100,000.

Image credit: TALUDA; Energy Label via E2 Singapore.

Consider Green Buildings and Green Mark

The buildings sector contributes about 16% of Singapore’s carbon emissions. To reduce the carbon footprint and energy consumption of buildings, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) is helping companies to build new green buildings or upgrade their existing buildings to greener buildings.

The BCA Green Mark Scheme was launched in January 2005 to encourage more green buildings and sustainability in the built environment. The Green Mark is a green building rating system to evaluate a building for its environmental impact and performance based on five key criteria:

1. Energy Efficiency
2. Water Efficiency
3. Environmental Protection
4. Indoor Environmental Quality
5. Other Green Features

Under the Green Mark assessment system, buildings are awarded the Platinum, Gold Plus, Gold or Certified rating depending on the points scored.

If your organisation is planning a new building or wishes to make your existing building more energy efficient, you can consider the following funding schemes.

The government recently announced in the Sustainable Singapore blueprint that it has set a target for 80% of the existing building stock to achieve at least Green Mark Certified rating by 2030. A $100 million Green Mark Incentive Scheme for Existing Buildings (GMIS-EB) was set up to encourage private building owners of existing buildings to undertake improvements in energy efficiency. The scheme provides a cash incentive that co-funds up to 35% of the costs for energy efficiency improvement.

For new buildings, there’s also the enhanced $20 million Green Mark Incentive Scheme for New Buildings (GMIS-NB) and the Green Mark Gross Floor Area Incentive Scheme (GM-GFA).

You may also wish to consider clean renewable energy for your building. Under the Solar Capability Scheme (SCS), the Economic Development Board (EDB) provides funding for new private buildings to install solar technologies. The building must be certified with minimum Green Mark Gold rating by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), and the minimum solar system installed should be 10 kWp. The funding provided is between 30% to 40% of the total capital cost and capped at $1 million.

Also check out the Singapore Guide to Government Funding and Incentives for the Environment.

Image credit: BCA.