SPH production staff lauded for championing energy efficiency initiatives

SINGAPORE - Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) has been recognised for its commitment and achievements in energy conservation at the Energy Efficiency National Partnership (EENP) Awards 2014 held this morning at the Devan Nair Institute for Employment and Employability.

Mr Wong Tat Choon, Assistant Vice-President at SPH's Production Division (Engineering), was named the Outstanding Energy Manager of the Year, under the SME category which he won for energy conservation work carried out at the SPH Print Centre.

This award recognises outstanding Energy Managers (EMs) who have demonstrated leadership in driving energy efficiency improvements and promoting such initiatives within their organisations.

Mr Wong received his award from the event's Guest-of-Honour Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Environment and Water Resources.

This is the first time that SPH has won this award.

First launched in 2011, the EENP Awards is jointly organised by the National Environment Agency, Energy Market Authority and the Economic Development Board. The EENP Awards aims to foster a culture of sustained energy efficiency improvement in industry, especially among the major energy consuming industries. The EENP Awards also aims to encourage companies to adopt a proactive approach towards energy management by identifying and sharing best practices.

In his capacity as EM, Mr Wong has led the Print Centre energy team in conducting energy audits, identifying energy-saving measures and implementing energy conservation projects since 2007.

For example, his projects to streamline the Print Centre's Air Conditioning and Mechanical Ventilation (ACMV) equipment and processes and the introduction of energy-efficient LED lights and industrial fans have cut the centre's overall energy usage by up to 14 per cent between 2007 till the first half of 2014.

This translates to about six GWh per year or close to $1 million annually in utilities savings for the same period.

He also organised a corporate-wide Green Day event to raise staff awareness on the importance of energy conservation through talks, posting of green tips through emails and bulletin boards as well as a quiz and a song-and-skit.

Mr Lim Swee Yeow, Senior Vice-President of Production, SPH and Head of the SPH Print Centre said: "Tat Choon has been a dedicated and enthusiastic energy manager for SPH. With his extensive experience in the newspaper printing processes, he was able to propose effective solutions that can be easily implemented without compromising operational efficiency and workplace health and safety. As a result, the company has enjoyed savings in our utilities bills and over time, we aim to progressively reduce the size of the centre's carbon footprint."