The buildings sector contributes about 16% of Singapore’s carbon emissions. To reduce the carbon footprint and energy consumption of buildings, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) is helping companies to build new green buildings or upgrade their existing buildings to greener buildings.
The BCA Green Mark Scheme was launched in January 2005 to encourage more green buildings and sustainability in the built environment. The Green Mark is a green building rating system to evaluate a building for its environmental impact and performance based on five key criteria:
Energy Efficiency- Water Efficiency
- Environmental Protection
- Indoor Environmental Quality
- Other Green Features
Under the Green Mark assessment system, buildings are awarded the Platinum, Gold Plus, Gold or Certified rating depending on the points scored.
If your organisation is planning a new building or wishes to make your existing building more energy efficient, you can consider the following funding schemes.
The government recently announced in the Sustainable Singapore blueprint that it has set a target for 80% of the existing building stock to achieve at least Green Mark Certified rating by 2030. A $100 million Green Mark Incentive Scheme for Existing Buildings (GMIS-EB) was set up to encourage private building owners of existing buildings to undertake improvements in energy efficiency. The scheme provides a cash incentive that co-funds up to 35% of the costs for energy efficiency improvement.
For new buildings, there’s also the enhanced $20 million Green Mark Incentive Scheme for New Buildings (GMIS-NB) and the Green Mark Gross Floor Area Incentive Scheme (GM-GFA).
You may also wish to consider clean renewable energy for your building. Under the Solar Capability Scheme (SCS), the Economic Development Board (EDB) provides funding for new private buildings to install solar technologies. The building must be certified with minimum Green Mark Gold rating by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), and the minimum solar system installed should be 10 kWp. The funding provided is between 30% to 40% of the total capital cost and capped at $1 million.
Also check out the Singapore Guide to Government Funding and Incentives for the Environment.
Image credit: BCA.
