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