Contribution by Andrew Kirton, Sales Director Asia Pacific at NOVENCO Building & Industry, a member of the Green Denmark in Southeast Asia community.
For more information about NOVENCO and their solutions please contact:
Andrew Kirton, Sales Director Asia Pacific
Mob. +65 85548498
In 2020, the 18-storey Keppel Bay Tower in Singapore, owned and operated by Keppel Land, was certified as a Green Mark Platinum (Zero Energy) building by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), which makes it the first commercial building in Singapore to achieve this distinction.
When Keppel Bay Tower achieved the Green Mark Platinum (Zero Energy) certification, it marked a milestone and the end of transformation that started in 2018, when Keppel Land was awarded a grant from BCA to implement new and emerging energy-efficient technologies at Keppel Bay Tower. The tower had already achieved the Singapore Green Mark Platinum status and the aim of the initiative was to reduce the energy consumption by a further ambitious 20%.
High-efficiency air distribution system in test-bed
Out of more than 50 applicants, the five technologies piloted included a high-efficiency air distribution system utilizing a high-efficiency axial fan, an innovative cooling tower water management system, integrated sensor technology to optimize fresh air intake, smart LED lighting and an intelligent building-control system.
NOVENCO Building & Industry’s proposal to retrofit an existing centrifugal fan in an air handling unit with a high efficiency axial fan and was included in the test-bed. This was partly because of the significant energy reduction potential indicated by simple measurements and verification techniques and partly because of the ease and speed of the retrofit work.
Massive energy savings and reduced emissions with EC+ fans
The potential savings for Keppel Bay Tower were based on studies of the installed base and documentation indicating that NOVENCO's solution could deliver at least 20% more energy saving compared to best-in-class EC fans and up to 50% when retrofitting old centrifugal fans.
Fans from NOVENCO are also produced with less use of valuable natural resources and with an impressive 98% recyclability rate making their positive environmental impact clear.
Twice as energy efficient as typical office buildings
In February 2020, Keppel Bay Tower proudly announced that they had reduced the building’s annualized energy consumption by 22.3% exceeding the initial ambitious target with an additional 2.3 percentage points. Together with other improvement works such as installation of solar panels, Keppel Bay Tower’s Energy Use Index (EUI) will reduce to below 115kWh/m2 per year which is almost 50% more energy-efficient compared to typical office buildings in Singapore.
All five technologies test-bedded in the sustainability challenge at Keppel Bay Tower were verified by independent Energy Consultant G-Energy. To ensure compliance with international standards, the Measurement and Verification process followed the IPMVP (International Performance measurement and Verification Protocol) standards.
In addition to a smooth retrofit completed in less than 10 hours, NOVENCO's solution contributed significantly to the overall energy savings. Vincent Low, Vice President at G-Energy says, “The Novenco Zerax fan exceeded expectations and made a significant contribution to the reduction of the annual energy usage of Keppel Bay Tower by 22.3%. We believe that this product can make a major impact in helping Singapore achieve the sustainability targets outlined in the Green Plan 2030.”