The design of any new building with floor area of more than 2,000 square metres within the boundaries of Phuket Town Municipality will from now on have to meet energy-saving standards set by the Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency (DEDE) of the Ministry of Energy.
Phuket Municipality is the sixth local administration in the country to be chosen as a pilot area to implement the new regulations governing large buildings including condominiums, cinemas, hotels, accommodation buildings and shopping malls.
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed on Wednesday morning at the Metropole Hotel by the Director-General of DEDE Krairit Nilkuha and Phuket City Deputy Mayor Thavorn Jirapatsophon.
The agreement states that Phuket Municipality Public Work will advise applicants for building permits to conform to the new energy-efficient reguirements.
The signing was attended by Provincial Administration Office Chief (Palad) Chaiwat Thepee, representatives of Phuket Municipality Public Works Office and hotel and construction operators.
Mr Krairit said with the energy crisis affecting the country’s economy and global warming leading to many natural disasters, it has become crucial to use energy wisely.
These building regulations have been in place since 2009 but their implementation is only just starting in different administrative areas.
Mr Krairit said local administrations play an important role in promoting energy-efficient designing and so far the DEDE has signed MOUs with five local administrations in the country: Pattaya, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chiang Mai, Bangkok and Hadyai municipalities.
DEDE is acting as consultant in energy-saving design for any construction project free of charge. So far applications for energy-saving assessments for 100 buildings have been submitted, and 80 of them have been approved, he said.
DEDE has also provided training on Building Energy Code to some 950 engineers, architects, lecturers and government officials.
Deputy Mayor Thavorn told The Phuket News that the Public Works Department will forward the designs of any project requiring approval to DEDE which has a special programme to check whether the project meets the new energy benchmark.