Bukit Panjang CC's green revamp pays off

Refurbishment works to Bukit Panjang Community Club (CC) have helped it go green, save money on energy used and achieve a Green Mark Gold Plus certification awarded by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).

This benchmarking scheme is used by BCA to evaluate a building on its environmental design and performance.

The CC collaborated with utilities firm SP Group to reduce energy consumption by installing about 150 solar panels on the roof and more than 50 sensors to monitor energy usage. These form part of a central system that alerts staff to energy wastage, provides analysis of consumption patterns and highlights ways to save energy.

The system has helped the CC shave about 31 per cent in energy consumption. The CC has also replaced its conventional light bulbs with LED lights, and the old air-conditioning units with energy-saving cooling units and fan coil units.

Water fittings have also been changed to introduce new ones with water-saving features such as half-flush buttons for cisterns and sensors for urinals and toilet bowls.

The CC consumes 50 per cent less energy now, from using about 30,000 kilowatts a month to 15,000. The refurbishment started last October and cost about $382,000. The plan is to transform the other 16 CC buildings in the district into eco-friendly ones as well.

Mr Allen Ang, chairman of Eco CC Steering committee, said: "Greening an existing building is very challenging because we cannot build from scratch, but taking into consideration the reduction in electricity and water usage, and the subsequent cost savings in building maintenance, it is cost-viable."

Dr Teo Ho Pin, Mayor of North West District, added: "Habits have to be inculcated both at home and outside. It's not just about the hardware and technology, but also green education so that there can be a culture of conservation."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 27, 2017, with the headline Bukit Panjang CC's green revamp pays off. Subscribe