Percentage of Non-residential Buildings in Singapore Not Green Mark Certified and Plans to Engage Building Owners

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) what percentage of non-residential buildings in Singapore are currently not Green Mark certified; (b) whether there is a system for end users and the public to provide feedback on buildings that have their air-conditioning set to temperatures lower than necessary; and (c) how does the Ministry engage these building owners on their building's ambient air temperatures.

Buildings contribute up to a quarter of Singapore's carbon emissions. The "greening" of buildings play an important part in ensuring Singapore continues to develop sustainably and meet our international climate change commitments. Singapore is targeting to "green" 80% of our total building gross floor area (GFA) by 2030 and to date, about half of Singapore's non-residential building GFA has been greened to meet minimum sustainability standards.

Today, users of air-conditioning in commercial buildings are encouraged to set their indoor temperatures at around 25 degrees Celsius through voluntary schemes like the BCA Green Mark (GM) scheme. The GM scheme recognises buildings for maintaining indoor temperature in air-conditioned space at 24 to 26 degrees Celsius. Under the scheme, recognition is also given for the installation of energy efficient air-conditioning systems. The latest Third Green Building Masterplan, launched in 2014, also focuses on changing the way building tenants and occupants consume energy.

Aside from commercial buildings, the Government also works closely with industries on cooling efficiency. Starting from 2020, NEA will set Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) for chilled water systems in industrial facilities. This will help companies reduce their energy consumption, save on energy costs, and avoid carbon emissions.

To continue our efforts in combating climate change, my Ministry will work with BCA on programmes to encourage owners and tenants of non-residential buildings to reduce energy consumption and lower their carbon footprint.