SINGAPORE - Bukit Panjang Community Club looks like most other community clubs from the outside.

However, refurbishment works to add solar panels and energy usage sensors have given it its status as the first upgraded community club to be certified Green Mark Gold Plus by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).

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

Bukit Panjang CC collaborated with grid retailer SP group to reduce energy consumption through installing about 150 solar panels on the roofs and more than 50 sensors to monitor energy usage.

The sensors connect to a central system that alerts the staff to energy wastage, provides analysis of consumption pattern and highlights ways to save energy.

This system has saved about 31 per cent in energy consumption in the community club.

The community club has also replaced its conventional lightbulbs with LED lightbulbs that are more energy efficient. They also replaced 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.

In total, the community club has saved about 50 per cent on energy consumption, from using about 30,000 kilowatts a month to about 15,000.

Residents will also get the chance to attend hands-on seminars and film screenings that target aspects of sustainability and encourage them to adopt a green lifestyle.

The plan is to transform 16 other community club buildings in the district into energy-efficient ones as well.