Competition launched on energy efficiency

The Ministry of Industry and Trade opened two national contests for effective energy management in buildings in HCM City yesterday.

The Energy Management in Buildings and Industries Competition will be judged based on impact, sustainability, replicability and originality of the systems, and presentation of documents as well as the impression they create.

To enter the contest, buildings and industrial facilities must be at least two years old and consume at least 1 million kWh in case of buildings and 3 million in case of industrial facilities.

The first prize in each category is worth VND5 million (US$260), with the first runners-up and second runners-up getting VND4 million($210) and VND3 million($158).

There will also be three prizes in each category for innovative and original energy management worth VND4 million($210), VND3 million($158), and VND2 million($105).

Tropical buildings

The other contest, the Competition for Energy Efficient Buildings, is divided into three categories: new and existing buildings, tropical buildings, and retrofitted buildings.

New and existing buildings should not be more than five years old while tropical buildings are those with less than 50 per cent of total gross floor area having air-conditioning, gross floor area of more than 500sq.m, and that are five years old or less, and exclude religious buildings.

Retrofitted buildings refer to buildings where major changes and improvements were made to improve energy efficiency and are more than five years old.

The scores are based on overall on-site design, passive design, active design, maintenance and management, and environmental impact.

There will be first prizes worth VND5 million($260) in each of the three categories as well as prizes of VND3 million($158) for winning architects.

Entries will be received until the end of August and the awards given away in the fourth quarter.

Winning entries will be chosen to represent the country at the Asean Energy Awards Competition which will be hosted by Viet Nam this year. Thirty-three buildings won prizes in the last three years, with four going on to win at the annual Asean Best Practices for Energy Efficient Building Competition, Nguyen Dinh Hiep, head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Office, said. The competitions, which are held by the ministry, helped promote and disseminate best practices in energy management, he added. — VNS

VN kiln wins global energy award

A Vietnamese private institute’s continuous four-chamber brick and pottery kiln that uses rice husk as fuel last month won the 2009 Energy Global Awards.

The HCM City-based Energy Conservation Research&Development Centre (Enerteam) worked on the project since the beginning of last year at Tan Mai Company’s kiln in Dong Thap Province. The project, funded by the Viet Nam-Sweden Research Cooperation Programme, was aimed at improving fuel burning efficiency and environmental protection. It also aimed to replace traditional brick kilns which cause environmental pollution in the Mekong Delta. The awards ceremony will take place on June 3 in Rwanda.

Tags: Vietnam energy