The Housing and Development Board (HDB) and Energy Market Authority (EMA) on Tuesday (June 3) inked a deal with Japanese technology company Panasonic to explore the feasibility of a smart home energy pilot.
In a joint statement, HDB and EMA said a memorandum of understanding was signed with Panasonic on Tuesday during the World Cities Summit to conduct a year-long study to explore a suite of different energy choices and solutions for HDB households using Panasonic’s technology.
The pilot study will look at the possibility of implementing time-of-use electricity rate packages and integrating features such as a home energy management system and energy aggregation models, according to the statement.
For instance, a time-of-use rate package with lower charges during certain hours, can “incentivise residents to shift their electricity consumption to off-peak periods, and achieve savings in their electricity bills”.
The home energy management system would provide energy usage data to residents, and this information could be delivered via a mobile application for real-time monitoring, they added.
Findings from the study will allow the three parties to assess the feasibility of implementing the smart home energy pilot at the 38 HDB blocks in Yuhua estate, designated by HDB as the Greenprint neighbourhood in Jurong East.
Greenprint is a comprehensive and integrated framework of goals and strategies to guide greener HDB town development and create sustainable homes, according to HDB’s website.
On the same day, Mr Lee Yi Shyan, Senior Minister of State for Ministry of Trade and Industry and Ministry of National Development, highlighted Singapore’s efforts in capitalising on the opportunities on offer in the clean technologies sector. He was speaking at the UK-Singapore Green Growth and Business Forum.
He noted that the country is already experimenting with green technologies in HDB estates such as Punggol Eco-town, where intelligent energy and water management solutions have been deployed to engage residents and reduce consumption. Residents are also encouraged to take up eco-friendly mobility options such as electric bicycles, he added.
Ideas to retrofit mature estates to make them greener are also being explored, with solar panels and sensor-controlled LED lightings among some of the initiatives, Mr Lee said.
Source : Channel NewsAsia – 3 Jun 2014