Energy

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has plans to upgrade existing buildings to higher energy efficiency. The plans are set out in the USM Low Carbon Campus Blueprint Implementation Document 2019–2025, prepared by the Centre for Global Sustainability Studies (CGSS). Its Energy element has four objectives: to reduce energy consumption without compromising productivity; to ensure that the USM Overall Building Energy Index (OBEI) is MS 1525:2007 compliant; to increase renewable energy generation on campus; and to ensure that university vehicles are hybrid-technology compliant (p. 6). MS 1525:2007 is the Malaysian standard that provides guidance on energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy in non-residential buildings.

The Blueprint translates these objectives into strategies and actions with targets for 2022, 2025 and 2030, assigned responsibilities and a recorded implementation status (p. 15). For existing buildings, Strategy S2 requires that all existing buildings are renovated, retrofitted or altered to comply with MS 1525:2007, with the Department of Development and Asset Management (Jabatan Pembangunan dan Pengurusan Aset, JPPA) responsible. Strategy S1 complements this through the installation of energy efficient equipment and appliances and through changes in the energy consumption behaviour of the university community.

The Blueprint’s tangible targets for the Energy element are a 10% reduction in energy bills by 2030, renewable energy generation on campus increased by 75% by 2030, an OBEI of less than 136 kWh/m²/year, and the attainment of Energy Management Gold Standard (EMGS) certification under the ASEAN Energy Management Scheme (AEMAS); its intangible targets include compliance with MS 1525:2007 in all university buildings (p. 7). Tenaga Nasional Berhad, the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) and Philips Malaysia are listed among the external partners for energy efficiency programmes (p. 12).

The Blueprint also records measures already installed on campus, including LED lighting installed across the USM campus, smart sensor lighting, solar-powered lamp posts and solar photovoltaic (PV) installations (p. 16). Energy monitoring supports the upgrade programme: the Facility Management Policy of JPPA (Dasar Pengurusan Fasiliti, Edition 1/2022, effective 1 January 2023) sets as a key performance indicator that 50% of buildings are equipped with Digital Power Meters integrated with a Building Management System for centralised energy monitoring, and measures the Building Energy Index (BEI) against MS 1525 (PDF p. 15).

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) undertakes energy reviews to identify areas where energy waste is highest. The reviews are carried out under the Efficient Management of Electrical Energy Regulations 2008 (EMEER 2008), made under the Electricity Supply Act 1990, which require the owner of an installation to manage electrical energy efficiently and to report to the Energy Commission of Malaysia at least once every six months. USM’s Report No. 1/2025 for the Minden campus (document EAM/USMPP/AA06/25-1/1, dated 21 August 2025) covers December 2024 to May 2025. It is the tenth report since the first report in December 2013 and was prepared with USM’s registered Electrical Energy Manager, with a copy to the Energy Commission.

Energy use is reviewed against the floor area it serves. The Minden campus is divided into 24 electricity-supply sections (substations, main switchboards and feeder pillars), which the report analyses as 28 significant energy users (SEUs). For each SEU and for the campus as a whole, an Energy Index is calculated as annualised kWh per square metre and annualised maximum demand (kWMD) per square metre. Monthly consumption, maximum demand and cost from the electricity bills are tracked and compared with the previous period and with the baseline period.

Review period

December 2024 to May 2025

Electricity consumption

16,548,311 kWh (2,758,052 kWh a month on average)

Maximum demand

8,617 kW, in April 2025

Change against the previous comparison period (December 2023 to May 2024: 17,568,304 kWh)

5.81% lower

Change against the baseline period (20,117,102 kWh)

17.74% lower

The review identifies where electricity use is concentrated. Over the review period, SEU 6 accounted for the largest share of electricity use at 14.57%, followed by SEU 4 at 10.21% and SEU 13 at 8.47%. The five largest SEUs together account for 46.4% of the electricity used on the campus, which directs attention to the areas where energy waste is most likely to be highest. Consumption was highest in May 2025 (3,105,482 kWh) and lowest in March 2025 (2,414,067 kWh).

The energy management structure supports the review. The Energy Efficiency Management Committee for the Minden campus is chaired by a Deputy Vice-Chancellor, with the Director of the Development Department and the Chief Electrical Engineer as permanent members, and the Directors of the Centre for Education, Training and Research in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CETREE) and of the Centre for Global Sustainability Studies (CGSS), the Registrar and the Bursar as members. The report sets out how the review findings are followed up: an energy saving and efficiency programme that starts with pilot projects at the Chancellery Building and the Development Department Building, applying no-cost, low-cost, medium-cost and high-cost measures with a target of a 3% reduction in electricity use in the first year; training and awareness programmes with CETREE; the integration of the existing Building Automation System as an energy efficiency management tool; and a system for recording and monitoring energy use. The report also records that the campus began using electricity from its own solar generation in January 2025.