The decision follows implementation of a Vietnam Clean Energy Program funded by the United States Agency for International Development organized  in collaboration with the Ministry of Construction. These localities will receive technical support and training to improve data management, collection and analysis capability in construction, encompassing power usage in office buildings, hospitals, hotels, apartment buildings, schools and commercial buildings.
Head of the Department of Science and Technology under the Ministry of Construction, Nguyen Trung Hoa said “If these measures are implemented they will help save about 10-15 percent of the energy loss. Although investment will increased by about five percent, time to recover the capital will be shorter and the most important thing is that the project will bring long-term efficiency.”
Using energy-saving materials in construction is encouraged
In reality, many buildings in Vietnam have invested in modern equipment and materials which have both saved costs and minimized their impact on the environment. For example, the Big C Di An (Binh Duong Province) uses electricity from a solar energy system installed on an area of 1,450sq.m; LED lights; energy-saving T5 bulbs; FAFCO technology that produces and stores ice at night when energy costs are at their lowest tariffs and then discharges cooling air during the day to save electricity costs at the maximum and a system of taps that could limit stream flow rates and could automatically turn off when unused.
Mai Van Huyen Chief Representative of HCMC Energy Efficiency Center in Hanoi said the implementation of energy-saving solutions in the construction sector, still faces difficulties mainly due to financial problems. In addition, investors have not been willing to implement energy-saving programs as there has been no specific policy to encourage investment in this area plus technical barriers like technologies and designs.
According to experts, it is necessary to prioritize developing green urban areas, using clean technologies and materials and reducing emission. As for new construction works, it will be easy to adopt these measures with the new buildings and certainly difficult with the old ones using old designs, materials and equipment if there is no specific support solutions./.