Report draft #1

Problem statement 

The ideal electricity usage in institutes of higher learning would be only what is needed, as it would reduce electricity usage and contribute less to climate change. The Building and Construction Authority’s (BCA) Green Mark rating criteria on building energy performance could be used as a guide for ways to reduce electricity usage in institutes of higher learning. 

Electricity is wasted in Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) due to inefficient electrical equipment, and air-conditioning and lighting systems in classrooms that are switched on even when they are empty. 

Automating electrical supply to rooms and changing to best in class energy efficient equipment could be a way for SIT to reduce its electricity usage. 

Proposal statement

The purpose of this proposal is to give suggestions to the estates division in SIT@Dover to reduce the electricity usage in SIT@Dover. 

Introduction 

Climate change is not a looming threat, it is already happening. 

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), recently released a special report summarising the steps that need to be taken to limit global warming to 1.5°C, and the consequences of going beyond that. However, the world is on track to go beyond the 3°C of warming (United Nations Environment Programme, 2016), a disaster that would adversely affect millions around the world, including the 5.6 million that are currently in Singapore (NCCS, 2018). 

The world has warmed by one degree Celsius (IPCC, 2018), and Singapore is already feeling the effects of climate change in the form of changing weather patterns, droughts and floods, and higher annual mean temperatures(NCCS, 2018). The effects will only worsen as the world warms further (IPCC, 2018), and Singapore needs to take action to mitigate climate change. 

According to the National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS) (2018), Singapore contributes to 0.11% of global carbon emissions, which seems like a negligible amount. However, Singapore’s per capita carbon emission is at least twice that of the global average (NCCS, 2018), which means that we are emitting far more than we should – at the expense of our future. 

As youths, we will bear the brunt of the effects of climate change in the coming years, and the burden of limiting the devastation that will be caused by climate change falls to us. 

2018 was designated the year of climate action by the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources (MEWR), to galvanise ground-up actions to mitigate climate change (MEWR, 2018). As an autonomous university that aims to nurture graduates that are grounded in the community and catalysts for transformation (SIT, 2018), SIT has the potential and responsibility to reduce its carbon emissions. 

The most direct way SIT can contribute to climate action is through reducing its electricity use. Universities in Singapore each consumed an average of 358 kilowatt hours per metre square (kWh/m2.yr) in 2017 (BCA, 2018), emitting 150kg of carbon per metre square every year (Energy Market Authority, 2018). 

Air conditioners typically contribute to 60% of a building’s electricity use, with lights contributing 15% and fans contributing 10% (NCCS, 2013). Combined, they consume 85% of electricity in a building, and there are huge potential savings to be had in these three areas. 

The current system in SIT@Dover is not well managed. Lecture rooms and classrooms have electrical systems like lights and air conditioners switched on all day, and turned off only at midnight, with no way for users to turn air conditioners off in the USC block. Open air areas also have lights and fans that are left on after users have left the area. 

Retrofitting SIT@Dover to replace inefficient electrical equipment, and automating the air conditioning and mechanical ventilation systems in SIT@Dover would reduce SIT’s use of electricity, leading to lower carbon emissions. 

      

References  

Building and Construction Authority. (2018). BCA building energy benchmarking report. Retrieved from https://www.bca.gov.sg/GreenMark/others/BCA_BEBR_Abridged_FA_2018.pdf 

Energy Market Authority. (2018). Singapore energy statistics. Retrieved from 

https://www.ema.gov.sg/cmsmedia/Publications_and_Statistics/Publications/SES18/Publication_Singapore_Energy_Statistics_2018.pdf 

Europa.eu. (2016). The emissions gap report 2016: a UNEP synthesis report. Retrieved from  

https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/unep/document/emissions-gap-report-2016-unep-synthesis-report 

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2018). Technical summary coordinating lead authors. Retrieved from http://report.ipcc.ch/sr15/pdf/sr15_ts.pdf 

Ministry of the environment and water resources. (2018). Climate action. Retrieved from https://www.mewr.gov.sg/about-climate-action-sg 

National Climate Change Secretariat. (2013). Building energy efficiency R&D roadmap. Retrieved from 

https://www.nccs.gov.sg/docs/default-source/default-document-library/building-energy-efficiency-r-and-d-roadmap.pdf 

National Climate Change Secretariat. (2018). Impact of climate change on Singapore. 

Retrieved from https://www.nccs.gov.sg/climate-change-and-singapore/national-circumstances/impact-of-climate-change-on-singapore 

National Climate Change Secretariat. (2018). Singapore’s emissions profile. 

Retrieved from https://www.nccs.gov.sg/climate-change-and-singapore/national-circumstances/singapore's-emissions-profile 

Singapore Institute of Technology. (2018). The SIT-DNA. Retrieved from https://www.singaporetech.edu.sg/about/sit-dna 

Reader Response Draft #3

Improving Indoor Air Quality 

In the report Guideline for Good Indoor Air Quality in Office Premises, the Ministry of Environment (ENV) (1996) sets the guideline to improving indoor air quality into two main factors: The design and construction of the ventilation systems in the building. The ministry states that the materials used in Air Conditioning and Mechanical Ventilation(ACMV) should be free from any contamination, so that air supplied to the space is not polluted. The ministry explains that the air duct for taking in outdoor air should be designed at where the air is least likely to be polluted. Furthermore, careful examinations will be done by professionals to ensure systems are up to standard throughout all phases of construction. The ACMV systems should also be strategically designed to prevent any spread of pollutant to unaffected areas when necessary. The ministry further implies that main components of the ACMV system should be designed in an easily reached position so that the maintenance team can perform their tasks in a safe manner.

Taking into account of construction and design for ACMV system, ENV provides a comprehensive guideline to allow engineers to check through all aspects of the system's design, as well as ensuring standards are met from the beginning to the end of the construction. However, it is also important to mention other factors occuring during post-construction phase. Certain factors like types of paint used and chemical for household purposes in the building also contribute to the indoor air quality (IAQ) within the building. These factors are still important in today's context, which ENV cannot eliminate when discussing about IAQ.

One area to look into is taking into account the equipment used by tenants in the building. Based on the report back in 1996, ENV only consider design and construction, the time frame they looking into is only until the end of the construction. A building's lifespan is much longer than its construction phase, improving indoor air quality should not be overlooked during occupancy phase. According to McFarland (2017), she states that printer and photocopier are culprits of releasing harmful particle into the surrounding. The author further suggests that the particles released during printing process can cause deterioration to occupant's respiratory and cardiovascular systems. From here, it is obvious that many preventive measures that go beyond just during design and construction phase can be implemented to ensure indoor air quality is maintained.

Another way of regulating IAQ is to consider the types of product used for domestic and professional cleaning to reduce the risk of releasing harmful chemical. The report by ENV in 1996 only mentions that material used for the building should not released any harmful pollutant, but many cleaning and sanitizing products out in the market emit certain amount of Volatile Organic Compounds(VOC), which could affect the IAQ. According to article VOCs in Cleaning/Sanitizing Products and Health, it implies that greater risk of asthma symptoms are found in buildings that require more thorough cleansing. This evidently shows that cleaning solution has the ability to affect the IAQ, and this is one area ENV cannot neglect.

After buildings are constructed, regular IAQ checks by specialists should be done to make sure that IAQ standard within the building is maintained. In the report written in 1996, ENV only talks about designing ACMV system to be accessible for maintenance work but not regular IAQ checks. In the article 6 Benefits of an Indoor Air Quality Check (2015), it suggests that having regular IAQ checks, it lowers the possible allergic reactions. It is a good practice to conduct IAQ checks to ensure good quality of air within the building.

By looking into only design and construction phase, is it definitely not enough to provide occupant a healthy IAQ. Maintaining IAQ should be done also during the occupancy phase through different various measures to achieve a good IAQ within building.


Reference:

Indoor Air Quality. VOCs in Cleaning/Sanitizing Products and Health. Retrieved, October 1, 2018, https://iaqscience.lbl.gov/voc-cleaning

European Commission. (2007). Opinion on risk assessment on indoor air quality. Retrieved, September 27, 2018, http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_risk/committees/04_scher/docs/scher_o_055.pdf


McFarland, E. (2017). Is Your Printer Polluting Your Indoor Air & Affecting Your Respiratory Health?. Retrieved, October 1, 2018, http://myhealthmaven.com/printer-polluting-indoor-air-affecting-respiratory-health/


Roberts Heating and Air-Conditioning, inc. (2015). 6 Benefits of an Indoor Air Quality Check. Retrieved, October 1, 2018, https://robertsheating.com/articles/6-benefits-of-an-indoor-air-quality-check

Singapore Ministry of the Environment. (1996). Guidelines for Good Indoor Air Quality in Office Premises. Retrieved, September 24, 2018, from https://www.bca.gov.sg/greenmark/others/NEA_Office_IAQ_Guidelines.pdf

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2014). Factors Affecting Indoor Air Quality. Retrieved, September 27, 2018, https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-08/documents/sec_2.pdf



Revised: 131018