Stiffer rules for green buildings

Nov 18, 2009

Stiffer rules for green buildings

New standards aim to improve indoor air quality and increase energy efficiency

THE building industry has been set more stringent standards for indoor air quality and ventilation which will hopefully reduce health problems among occupants and also increase energy efficiency.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Environment and Water Resources) Amy Khor announced two new standards yesterday at a conference on energy and sustainable-development benchmarks, which is part of the Singapore International Energy Week.

One of the new standards, called SS 554, is a benchmark for indoor air quality - for instance, how humid a building should be as well as how much dust and soot should be in the indoor air.

The maximum allowable humidity level is now 65 per cent, down from the previous 70 per cent, to reduce the growth of bacteria and mould.

And the new limit on the allowable concentration of particulate matter is 50 parts per billion (ppb), down from 150 ppb in previous rules.

A second set of guidelines, SS 553, was also laid down for energy efficiency in ventilation and air-conditioning systems, which, according to Spring Singapore, account for more than 60 per cent of a building's energy consumption.

With the new energy standard, businesses will be cutting their energy consumption by 10 per cent to 30 per cent, said a Spring spokesman.

The new standards kick in immediately and are part of the Building and Construction Authority's Green Mark sustainable-building scheme, which aims to make more buildings here environmentally friendly. The authority's goal is to mark 80 per cent of all buildings as green by 2030.

Developer City Developments welcomed the new standards. 'As a green developer and responsible landlord, CDL is committed to providing quality indoor environmental and service standards in an eco-friendly way for our tenants,' its spokesman said. CDL is a Green Mark Champion, chalking up 11 Green Mark awards this year.

The energy-efficiency and environmental standards are part of Singapore's sustainable development blueprint, the Government's plan released in April on how to build and grow the city in an environmentally friendly way.

Spring, the national standards and accreditation body, also announced yesterday that it would be developing energy-efficiency requirements for how electric vehicles are recharged, how data centres with their banks of computer servers are run, and other energy-related industries.

Spring and the Energy Market Authority (EMA) are coming up with standards for some types of solar-power systems, said EMA's deputy chief executive David Tan at the same conference.

These standards are expected to be ready by next year, Mr Tan said, and would ensure the systems are installed and operated safely.

EMA has also put out a handbook on installing solar photovoltaic systems, targeted at contractors, electricians, property owners and other laymen.

Solar energy is the most promising renewable-energy source in Singapore, Mr Tan added, with 1MW of solar photovoltaic capacity already installed and another 4MW in the pipeline.