Kuala Lumpur, 25 October 2024: ERIA, in partnership with ASHRAE Malaysia Chapter (MASHRAE) and Malaysia’s Energy Commission known as Suruhanjaya Tenaga (ST), successfully hosted the ‘International Conference on Built Environment and Sustainability: Decarbonisation with Energy Efficiency’ at the Connexion Conference & Event Centre in Bangsar South, Kuala Lumpur. The conference focused on crucial discussions surrounding policy and legal frameworks as well as technology-based themes related to energy efficiency, decarbonisation, sustainability, zero-emission buildings, and the built environment.  

The conference brought together approximately 200 offline and 50 online participants, ranging from engineers, professionals, policymakers, academics, to researchers.

In his welcome speech, Tee Tone Vei, President of MASHRAE, underlined the critical role of energy efficiency in achieving decarbonisation goals. He highlighted the need for platforms that facilitate the exchange of experiences and best practices, both within Malaysia and across ASEAN countries.

Dr Sanjayan Velautham, Chief Operating Officer of ST, expressed his appreciation towards ERIA and MASHRAE for organising the conference. During his opening remarks, he emphasised Malaysia's commitment to energy efficiency through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act (EECA). He also noted the timeliness of the conference, as next year Malaysia will assume the ASEAN Chairmanship.

Shigeru Kimura, Senior Policy Fellow for Energy Affairs of ERIA, delivered the opening address on behalf of Tetsuya Watanabe, President of ERIA. Kimura highlighted energy efficiency as a key measure towards reaching the decarbonisation goal, especially in ASEAN, where most countries are in the developing stage.

The keynote address was delivered by the Honourable Dato’ Haji Mad Zaidi bin Mohd Karli, Secretary General of Malaysia’s Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation. He congratulated ERIA, MASHRAE, and ST for co-hosting a conference dedicated to this vital topic and reaffirmed Malaysia’s commitment to promoting energy efficiency measures through the EECA.

The conference featured two panel sessions covering policy and legal frameworks as well as zero-emission buildings. In the first session, experts from Japan, Malaysia, and Thailand discussed the practice and impact of the energy efficiency and conservation acts in their respective countries. The second panel invited engineers and experts to exchange views on smart and energy-efficient buildings, and the usage of green technology such as heat pumps.

The closing remarks were delivered by Ts Ng Wen Bin, MASHRAE Conference Organising Chairman, who expressed gratitude towards all panellists and attendees for contributing to the lively discussion throughout the conference.