Malaysian Conference to Look at Energy Efficiency for Buildings, Including Multifamily
The green building movement--and that includes making multifamily properties more energy efficient--now has momentum far beyond its roots in North America and Europe
Dees Stribling, Contributing Editor
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia–The green building movement–and that includes making multifamily properties more energy efficient–now has momentum far beyond its roots in North America and Europe, if the upcoming Energy Management for Buildings conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is any indication. The meeting is set for early August and will feature speakers and attendees not only from Southeast Asia, but also from much of the rest of the world, with about 10 percent out of an expected 200 attendees from North America, a conference spokesperson tells MHN.
The conference will discuss energy management best practices in Asia, including the kind of return-on-investment owners might expect while employing energy-efficient equipment for buildings. Attendees will be drawn from the ranks of senior-level property and facilities management, planning and design, architecture, and mechanical and electrical engineering professionals.
An awareness of green building issues and strategies has come to this part of the world. A 2009 study by R. Saidur, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Malaya, “Energy Consumption, Energy Savings, and Emission Analysis in Malaysian Office Buildings,” found that air conditioners consume the highest amount of energy (57 percent) in Malaysian office buildings–perhaps little surprise, considering the nation’s tropical climate.
Other energy uses in offices included lighting (19 percent), elevators and pumps (18 percent) and other equipment (6 percent). The good news is, according to Saidur, is that this kind of equipment can be transformed to be energy efficient.
Multifamily property energy efficiency will also have a place at the conference. One speaker from Malaysia, Sam C.S. Tan, executive director of Ken Holdings Bhd., has been instrumental in undertaking green residential developments. Among other projects, his company developed the Ken Bangsar, a 15-story apartment building in Kuala Lumpur that won a Green Mark GoldPLUS Award in 2009 from the Singapore Building and Construction Authority.
The two-day event at Parkroyal Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, will be officiated by Malaysia’s Secretary-General, Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water, Yang Berbahagia Dato’ Dr Halim Bin Man. The event will also feature K. S. Kannan, head centre of energy studies, Institute Sultan Iskandar, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia; Bill Jolly, design division-head of MEP, KEO International Consultants, UAE; Ahmad Zairin Ismail, COO of Pusat Tenaga Malaysia; Ramon Sumulong, property manager, Ortigas & Co. Ltd Partnership, Philippines; and others.
“During our preliminary research in planning the conference, many practitioners mentioned the cost issues and perceived myths of energy management practices, which is the reason why we are organizing this conference,” says Saundrajulie (Julie) George, project manager of Energy Management For Buildings, in a statement. “The conference is for those who are seriously considering energy management practices.”
