Businesses in M'sia turn up thermostats
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Buildings urged to up aircons to save energy
It’s going to get warmer indoors in 2014 as shopping malls, tall buildings and offices in Malaysia raise temperatures to cut electricity costs.
The Malaysian Association for Shopping and Highrise Complex Management is advising its 400-odd members nationwide to set their air-conditioning at 23 or 24 degrees Celsius.
According to the association, air-conditioning takes up the largest share of energy – about 65 per cent – in most commercial buildings.
The association’s president HC Chan said that most malls in the country were too cold, with temperatures ranging from 2 to 23 degrees Celsius.
“We can and should move up a few degrees especially with the mounting energy costs. The reality is that we need to be energy efficient and eliminate waste because electricity is our single, largest expenditure,” he added.
Chan noted that countries like China and Singapore had issued guidelines to regulate temperatures in commercial buildings at between 24 and 26 degrees Celsius.
Building Management Association of Malaysia and International Real Estate Federation of Malaysia committee member Richard Chan said air-conditioning accounts for the bulk of the electricity bill in malls and high-rises.
“The bigger malls or complexes pay anything from 2 million ringgit [about Bt20 million] to 3 million ringgit per month on air-conditioning alone,” he said.
He added that raising the temperature setting of the air conditioner “even by one degree” could significantly reduce bills.
Some buildings feel warm because of poor ventilation, and Chan proposed that the management look into improving air circulation. Buildings with glass domes or glass panelling let in more heat, making it more expensive to maintain a comfortable ambience.
“Buildings where employees wear jackets should adjust the temperature. Operators must ensure that air-conditioners are set at an ideal level, properly maintained and regularly serviced,” he said, adding that faulty timers can cause lights and air-conditioners to run non-stop.
Common facilities at medium-cost apartments like libraries and gyms may also have the air-conditioning on for certain periods or only in certain corners. “The saunas will be turned on only when residents request for it [no longer fixed hours],” Chan said.
Malaysian Employers Federation executive director Shamsuddin Bar-dan said companies must take measures to mitigate the tariff hike.
“Set your air conditioners at optimal temperature and to avoid waste switch everything off when staff are out for lunch,” he said. “The costs of converting to energy-savings devices like LED lights are expensive but effective in the long term.”
Shamsuddin said employers “may be tempted” to cut back on lighting in stairwells and car parks and cautioned them against compromising their employees’ safety.
