During the 22^nd Energy Efficiency & Conservation Sub-sector Network (EE&C-SSN) Meeting, the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) and Energy Market Authority (EMA) of Singapore co-organised the Evaluation Meetings of the ASEAN Energy Awards (AEA) 2018. The meetings included the 13^th Evaluation Meeting of the Board of Judges (BoJ) for Energy Management (17 April 2018), the 24^th Evaluation Meeting of the BoJ for Energy Efficient Buildings (17 April 2018), and the 5^th Evaluation Meeting of the BoJ for Green Building (18 April 2018).  This year’s meetings were comprised of BoJ representatives from seven (7) ASEAN Member States (AMS), namely Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

The evaluation consists of two (2) phases; the Pre-judging period (4 – 10 April 2018) which involves individual judging per country by respective country focal points; the final judging (17 – 18 April 2018) which was done collectively in Singapore. All the final score sheets were submitted to the ACE representatives who tabulated the scores in the presence of two (2) witnesses appointed by the BoJ.  The BoJ also conceded that the quality of submissions is constantly improving every year.

The Energy Efficient Building Awards

The AEA for Energy Efficient Buildings were launched in 2000 as the Southeast Asia’s highest reward for excellence in the field of energy. Additionally, the award also represents awareness and encouragement to private sector participation in EE&C, specifically in buildings. There are four (4) categories for these Awards:  i) New and Existing Buildings; ii) Retrofitted Buildings; iii) Tropical Buildings; and iv) Special Submissions.

The judges conducted their evaluation of the entries based on the following criteria: i) overall site design; ii) energy saving achieved; iii) passive design; iv) active design; v) maintenance and management; as well as vi) environmental impact.

The Energy Management in Buildings & Industries Awards

The ASEAN Energy Management in Buildings & Industries Awards comprise of six (6) categories: i) Small and Medium Buildings; ii) Large Buildings; iii) Small & Medium Industry; iv) Large Industry; v) Special Submission Buildings; and vi) Special Submission Industry. Assessment includes energy saving achievement, energy saving impact, sustainability and replicability.  Thirty-two (32) eligible entries from five (5) Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand were submitted for this year’s competition to BoJ for evaluation.

Green Building  Awards

The ASEAN Green Building Awards aim to: i) increase the public awareness in green buildings; ii) encourage the efficient utilisation of resources; iii) contribute to global efforts in reducing CO₂ gas emissions and to promote climate change resilience; iv) enhance eco-friendly supply chain and create a market for green building technologies, materials, and products; v) generate the competency of real estate or property developers and other stakeholders in the construction industry in evaluating and interpreting the blueprint of green buildings; and vi) adopt and develop the green building principles in the environment.

The Green Building Awards have two (2) categories:  a) Small and Medium Green Buildings; and b) Large Buildings. The criteria are: i) EE (30%); ii) renewable energy (5%); iii) water efficiency (10%); iv) environmental sustainability (25%); v) indoor environment quality (20%); vi) operation and maintenance & vii) other green features and innovation (10%).  For this year’s ASEAN Green Building Awards, there were thirteen (13) entries Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand submitted to ACE and the BoJ.

All winners will be announced during the gala dinner of the 36^th ASEAN Energy Ministers Meeting and ASEAN Energy Business Forum 2018 on 29 October in Singapore. (RJPS)