Our buildings account for over 20 percent of Singapore’s carbon emissions, with air-conditioning being a key contributor to building energy consumption. Overcooling not only increases electricity usage but also accelerates climate change and exacerbates the urban heat island effect.
Together with the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, Singapore, the Singapore Green Building Council officially launched this morning the Go 25 movement to encourage sustainable cooling, by setting indoor air-conditioning at (or above) 25°C. Supported by the National Environment Agency and the Building and Construction Authority, Go 25 is part of Go Green SG and encourages a shift towards sustainable cooling, where higher air-conditioning temperature setpoints reduce air-conditioning energy loads without compromising thermal comfort, to maintain liveability in Singapore’s tropical climate in the long run.
As part of the Go 25 movement, there will be a series of initiatives and activities to raise awareness on sustainable cooling best practices, and to support businesses and building owners. These include:
- Go 25 Pledge – a voluntary industry commitment to sustainable cooling
- Go 25 Indoor Comfort Quiz – a fun, interactive online personality quiz that reveals a user’s ideal temperature profile
- Go 25 Industry Guide – designed to help facilities managers and building operators implement higher indoor temperatures on their premises.
“Overcooling our spaces is not just energy-inefficient; it actively undermines the climate resilience we’ve embedded into our green buildings through passive design, smart ventilation, and thermal comfort optimisation,” said Mr. Allen Ang, BBM, President of the SGBC during the launch event. “Go 25 isn’t a compromise — it’s an opportunity. Each degree upwards saves energy, and reduces the urban heat island effect. For building owners, this means lower operational costs. For occupants, it means not compromising thermal comfort. And for Singapore, it’s a tangible step toward our climate ambitions.”
Find out how you can Go 25 here: https://go.gov.sg/go25
