Fourteen companies participated in the Cambodian Energy Efficiency Competition (CEE Comp) to raise awareness, share best practices related to energy efficiency in Cambodia and contribute to climate change impact mitigation.
According to the Ministry of Environment, CEE Comp is an innovative contest between buildings seeking to boost energy efficiency by addressing behavioural change through games and internal challenges.
The competition is inspired by Competition of Energy Savings for Commercial Buildings 2020 (CUBE 2020), which was launched in France five years ago.
Reducing energy consumption in buildings is one of the key measures to mitigating climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions.
“Currently, there are good practices and adequate tools for reducing greenhouse gases, such as reducing energy consumption by using high-energy or renewable energy devices,” the ministry said on April 29.
The aim is to increase awareness and responsibility, foster collaborations and creativity among the teams, while providing accessible and easy solutions according to the needs.
The competition is organised by the Institute of Technology of Cambodia and Sevea Co Ltd with the support of the ministry, the National Council for Sustainable Development, as well as embassies and UN agencies in Cambodia.
Cambodia Climate Change Alliance (CCCA) and the Department of Climate Change under the ministry’s General Department of Policy and Strategy supported the event in collaboration with Schneider Electric.
Companies with buildings can register all types of buildings, both public and private, to participate in the year-long competition featuring a simple and fun programme to reduce their energy consumption.
The programme, which ends in June 2022 with a winner, provides a year-round guidance on energy use with monthly activities and recommendations to reduce energy use.
To win, building owners must participate in finding technical solutions to use energy, cooperate and be creative in energy solutions.
“After five months, the candidates would have saved an average of 3.9 per cent of energy, which corresponds to a trend over the year of about 9.4 per cent of energy savings.
“The next few months will tell us whether energy savings will continue, accelerate or slow down,” the competition’s quarterly report stated.
Energy efficiency means using less energy to provide the same services. For example, LED bulbs are more efficient than previous resistors because they use less electricity to emit the same amount of light.
Similarly, energy-efficient air conditioners consume less energy than less energy-efficient air conditioners to keep your home cooler at the same set temperature, said the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
“The concept of energy conservation refers to the reduction of energy consumption, which may include changing consumer behaviour. Examples of energy conservation are turning off computers and office lights during lunch breaks or using natural air to cool buildings instead of electric air conditioners,” it said.
