environment

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SINGAPORE: One block in Singapore's Punggol Eco-Town may well hold the answer to household energy efficiency in the near future. In the next one to two months, 10 homes at Block 109C Edgedale Plains will be invited to install a new home energy management system, which aims to increase energy efficiency at home. The system includes a smart phone application that indicates a household's monthly electricity consumption. Users will also be able to control their air-conditioners, even when they are not at home. The project is a collaboration between Panasonic and other government agencies, such as the Housing and Development Board, the Energy Market Authority and the Economic Development Board. Planning for the project began in August 2011. Mr Tan Chek Sim, senior principal engineer at the HDB Building Research Institute, said: "By giving the residents their consumption pattern and adding a dollar sign to it, it (the system) actually tells them how much they are paying for the energy consumption. I think if they lower it, and reduce their cost, I think they will definitely change (mindsets of residents towards energy management)." Panasonic says it expects 20 per cent savings for households. "Air-con actually contributes 30 per cent of the household energy consumption," Panasonic's general manager of environment and external affairs group Low Beng Huat said. "We think it's good for us to start off with the air-con, but definitely if we can achieve success of this test bed and be able to commercialise it in the future, we will be able to look into other appliances, such as fridge or lightings in the household." Block 109C Edgedale Plains is a test bed for green energy solutions. Close to 190 solar panels have been installed at the block's rooftop, and lifts and lights in common areas will be powered entirely by solar energy, achieving zero emission. HDB says if the test bed proves successful, it will explore introducing these green solutions to other parts of Singapore. www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1210197/1/.html