All government buildings will soon be required to maintain their air-conditioning temperature at no lower than 24 degrees Celsius in the bid to slash energy cost.

peter chinEnergy, Water and Green Technology Minister Peter Chin Fah Kui (right) said this is an immediate measure to kick start the government's long-term energy efficiency masterplan.

"It will cost us an extra four to seven percent in energy use for every degree we bring down in the temperature," he said at a press conference after attending a green technology and climate change council meeting chaired by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today.

Chin said they have yet to come up with exact figures on how much the government could save with the new measure, though he indicated that it would be substantial as cooling accounts for between 40 to 60 percent of total energy costs, depending on the size of a building.

He added that the decision will take effect once the federal chief secretary issues a circular to all ministries and departments.

Chin said another immediate energy-saving move is to replace in stages conventional bulbs with energy-saving bulbs and, where possible, LED lights.

When asked why the government decided to set the air-conditioning temperature limit to 24 degrees, he said that it is a comfortable level that is “not too cold, neither is it too hot”.

“Gone will be the days when ladies will have to bring their shawls to the office,” he said.

Chin noted however that exemptions will be made for special cases where cooler temperatures are needed, such as intensive care units at hospitals.

Energy Efficiency Act mooted

The minister said the government is also working on drafting an Energy Efficiency Act, aimed at compelling the private sector to adopt the government’s energy saving initiatives.

He said that they plan to push for the Act to take effect sometime in 2013, though he could not give a time-frame for when the bill would be tabled in Parliament.

“The government buildings will comply once the circular is issued, but the private sector doesn’t care. They can still go on as they are,” he said.

Chin said the details of the proposed Act have yet to be worked out, but indicated that it would be a comprehensive package that would include incentives for private businesses to go the energy-saving route.

Meanwhile, Natural Resource and Environment Minister Douglas Uggah Embas said Malaysia is well on its way to achieving its pledge to reduce its carbon emissions by 40 percent by the year 2020.

He said to date, the country has managed to cut back on 29.7 million tonnes in its carbon emission intensity over the past year, which is more than half-way to the target of 40 million tonnes by 2020.

“Looking at our progress so far, I don’t think we have any problem in meeting our target. I think we could achieve even more than what we targetted,” he said.

During the Copenhagen climate change summit in 2009, Najib declared an ambitious plan to reduce Malaysia’s carbon footprint by 40 percent as part of the country’s contributions towards the battle against climate change.

Based on United Nations data, Malaysia accounted for 187 million tonnes in carbon emissions in 2006.