Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill Passed to Extend Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards to Water-Cooled Chilled Water Systems in Existing Industrial Facilities

The Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill (“Bill“) was passed on 11 November 2024. The Bill will extend the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (“MEES“) to all water-cooled chilled water systems installed in existing industrial facilities regulated under the Energy Conservation Act 2012 (“ECA“). Currently, under the ECA, MEES applies to water-cooled chilled water systems that are installed in new industrial facilities operational on or after 1 December 2020.

With this Bill, the MEES compliance deadline is 1 December 2025 for existing energy-intensive industrial facilities. All remaining industrial facilities, which are less energy-intensive and not currently regulated under the ECA, will have a longer runway to comply by 1 December 2029.

Where installation and retrofitting works are completed on a prescribed energy-consuming system in a relevant industrial facility before the Bill comes into force, then Section 26B of the ECA will continue to apply. This means that the registered relevant person in operational control of the facility must continuously monitor the as-built energy efficiency of the system and submit regular reports to the Director-General.

For further information, please read the earlier announcement by the National Environment Agency here.

Other amendments to the ECA

The Bill will also require development works that are lodged with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (“URA“) by way of self-declaration under the URA’s Plan Lodgement scheme to undergo an energy efficiency opportunities assessment (“EEOA“). This requirement does not apply to self-declared lodgements prior to 1 December 2025.

The Bill will also lay the groundwork to require certified energy managers to endorse the Energy Management System and EEOA reports, to improve the overall quality of the reports.

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