In a recent statement, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) in Singapore said there is high-performance glass available in the market which allows more light through windows while reducing th…
In a recent statement, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) in Singapore said there is high-performance glass available in the market which allows more light through windows while reducing the heat gain inside the buildings. Lower heat gain will lessen the load on air-conditioning systems and thus require less energy to cool the building, BCA said. It estimates that electricity consumption could be reduced by as much as 24%. BCA said that the estimate was based on three energy-efficiency standards it revised recently. Lighting and air-conditioning standards were revised last year and implemented in July this year. BCA is also pushing for a new thermal standard for buildings – which measures heat gain of a building through roofs, external walls and windows – to be reduced from 45 to 35 watts per sq m. In a random survey of 16 old and new government buildings, BCA found that 12 of them already met the proposed thermal standard. These buildings include Changi Airport Terminal 2, The Treasury, Tuas Checkpoint and URA Building. BCA said that it hopes to implement this new standard in the middle of next year. In the meantime, it is gathering information on the thermal standards of major private buildings.