@Green July/August 2020 | Page 22

22 BUILDINGS @green | July-August, 2020 Ir Dr Sanjayan Velautham, CEO of SEDA Malaysia, delivered a welcoming remark during the opening ceremony of the ZEB workshop. Brainstorm Zero Energy Building (ZEB) experts share thoughts on energyefficient properties Hajime Moroo, JASE-W/ Head of ZEB Dissemination Working Group, presented on the concept of ZEB Family and Activity for Standardization as ISO/TR during the workshop. Zero Energy Building (ZEB) experts from Japan were in Kuala Lumpur in February 2020 to share their country’s experience on making real estate energy-efficient hence reducing further greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These foreign experts were speakers of a second training programme co-organised by the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) Malaysia and Japanese Business Alliance for Smart Energy Worldwide (JASE-W) on raising the awareness and promoting the ZEB and ZEB family concept. The first of such a programme was held in 2019 Among the experts were Japanese Business Alliance for Smart Energy Worldwide (JASE-W) ZEB Dissemination Working Group Head Hajime Moroo; Energy Conservation Center, Japan (ECCJ) representative Dr Yoshitaka Ushio; Nikken Sekkei representative Sheau-Chyng Wong; Sanken Setsubi Kogyo official Keiichi Saeki; Tokyo Metropolitan University Professor Dr Masayuki Ichinose; and AGC Asia Pacific Pte Ltd Senior Director Mr Eugene Quek. The topics, according to Sustainable Energy Malaysia, that were discussed during the programme include Concept of ZEB Family and Activity for Standardization as ISO/TR (Maroo); Policy and Strategy in Japan towards ZEB realisation including ZEB cooperation in ASEAN (Ushio); Examples of ZEB New Buildings Projects (Wong); Consideration of Local Factor of ZEB in the Tropics Asia (Dr Masayuki); and Introduction of Technology for ZEB/ ZEB Family by Japanese Companies (Quek). The training programme came about following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between SEDA Malaysia and JASE-W on Oct 17, 2018. The MoU enables both parties to exchange information on energy efficiency programme opportunities in Malaysia. Japan is one of the leading countries emphasising on the development of ZEB. Through the MoU, information on energy efficiency knowledge, services and technologies will drive dissemination and promotion of ZEB, and ZEB concept in Malaysia. The parties will also cooperate to facilitate potential business opportunities and partnership-based projects where the Japanese knowledge and services for energy conservation and efficiency will benefit Malaysia’s industries. JASE-W is appointed by the Ministry of Economic, Trade and Investment, Japan (METI) to provide dissemination and promotion of ZEB, and ZEB series concept in Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The very first ZEB training in Malaysia was conducted in February 2019 in Putrajaya, where 100 participants from various backgrounds had attended the training. The high commitment and interest shown by JASE-W is also a catalyst for the proposed implementation of the programme. ZEB development however was not new in Malaysia. It had started since the integrated energy efficient building design programme and the promotion of the use of MS1525 – Code of Practice on Use of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy for Non-residential Buildings, introduced in 2002. Some of the energy efficient public buildings in Malaysia with energy saving of more than 50 per cent are the Low Energy Office; GreenTech Malaysia’s Green Energy Office, and the Energy Commission’s Diamond Building. The private sector’s energy efficient buildings include Panasonic Green Warehouse and the Putrajaya’s Zero Energy Home P14. There is also likely to be a government office building that has reached over 50 per cent energy reduction resulting from retrofitting periodically. The ZEB programme is a global programme involving the development of super energy efficient buildings that are integrated with renewable energy applications, which are actively promoted by the European Union (EU), Japan, Singapore and countries committed to energy and carbon reduction. Most of these countries are targeting new public buildings to achieve ZEB categories by 2020; and new public and private buildings (on average) to achieve ZEB categories by 2030. According to United Nations Environment’s Global Status Report 2019 for Buildings and Construction, the buildings and construction sector accounted for the largest share of both final energy use 36 per cent and energy and process-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions 39 per cent in 2018. In 2018, global emissions from buildings increased two per cent. Growth was driven by strong floor space and population expansions that led to a one per cent increase in energy consumption. Based on this fact, some countries with the Low Carbon City programme choose to implement energy efficient low carbon building programmes to reduce their carbon emissions. The development of the ZEB building is the most suitable for that purpose and to meet this requirement a standard ISO / TC205, relating to ZEB buildings is being developed internationally. The ZEB Programme is a global race targeted to make buildings become super energy efficient with the deployment of on-site renewable energy Group photo: Training for Dissemination and Promotion of Zero Energy Building (ZEB) and ZEB Family Concept which took place on Feb 4-5, 2020.