{"id":10681,"date":"2026-06-08T12:28:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T04:28:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/icleiseas.org\/?p=10681"},"modified":"2026-06-08T12:28:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T04:28:51","slug":"42-malaysian-local-governments-trained-to-advance-sustainable-public-buildings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/icleiseas.org\/index.php\/2026\/06\/08\/42-malaysian-local-governments-trained-to-advance-sustainable-public-buildings\/","title":{"rendered":"42 Malaysian local governments trained to advance sustainable public buildings"},"content":{"rendered":"

The RENEW-SEA project on 20 May 2026 conducted an online training on Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Feasibility and Business Models for Public Buildings, bringing together 133 participants representing 42 local and regional governments across Malaysia, alongside institutional stakeholders.<\/span><\/p>\n

It served as a platform to strengthen technical knowledge, share practical experiences, and promote positive energy building practices in the country, in the process supporting Malaysia\u2019s energy transition agenda.<\/span><\/p>\n

Specifically, the training highlighted the growing importance of energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE) as key pathways to reducing energy consumption, operational costs, and greenhouse gas emissions in buildings. Participants were introduced to practical approaches in conducting energy audits, improving building performance, integrating renewable energy technologies, and identifying financing mechanisms for EE and RE projects.<\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout the sessions, experts shared common challenges faced by public and private building operators and building owners, including ineffective energy management systems, limited technical expertise, budget constraints, and operational barriers in implementing energy-efficient measures. Discussions also focused on solutions such as lighting controls, efficient air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation systems (ACMV), sub-metering, energy monitoring, and rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) applications for buildings.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to better understanding how local and regional governments can integrate energy efficiency into building asset management and long-term sustainability planning, participants also gained exposure to Malaysia\u2019s latest legal and policy framework, including the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act (EECA) 2024, which introduces new requirements for energy management, energy audits, and building energy performance standards.<\/span><\/p>\n

The programme further emphasized the role of financing and Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) mechanisms in accelerating energy transition projects. Participants explored different financing options, including loan, capital and operating lease, and energy service company-driven (ESCO)-driven shared savings approaches, which can help overcome financial and operational barriers often faced by local governments and building owners.<\/span><\/p>\n

Renewable energy applications for buildings were also extensively discussed, particularly rooftop solar PV systems, building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), and solar thermal technologies. Participants learned how renewable energy integration can contribute to long-term energy savings while supporting Malaysia\u2019s clean energy transition agenda.<\/span><\/p>\n

The training encouraged participants to strengthen collaboration between facility managers, technical teams, policymakers, and building occupants to ensure the successful implementation of EE and RE initiatives. Experts stressed that technology alone is insufficient without strong energy management systems, operational controls, and behavioral change among building users.<\/span><\/p>\n

By the end of the programme, participants expressed a strong interest in applying the knowledge gained to improve energy performance in public buildings within their respective localities. The training reinforced the importance of continuous capacity building and regional collaboration in supporting sustainable urban development and advancing positive energy buildings across Malaysia.<\/span><\/p>\n

The RENEW-Southeast Asia project is currently in its second year of implementation, working to strengthen policy momentum, technical capacity, and advocacy opportunities for subnational governments in Indonesia and Malaysia. This implementation year will see RENEW-SEA placing a strong focus on the concept of positive energy buildings to empower local and regional governments in Indonesia and Malaysia to act with the resources at their disposal to drive the sustainable energy transition in their territories.<\/span><\/p>\n

This article was written by Norazean Mohd Nor, ICLEI Southeast Asia Senior Project Officer.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The RENEW-SEA project on 20 May 2026 conducted an online training on Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Feasibility and Business Models for Public Buildings, bringing together 133 participants representing 42 local and regional governments across Malaysia, alongside institutional stakeholders. It served as a platform to strengthen technical knowledge, share practical experiences, and promote positive energy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":10683,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,51],"tags":[3301,1346,3290,3300,588,3061,368,3294,3292,228,3293,3291,3295,1527,3296,3297,2870,756,1193,327,2730,260,2595,3298,1172,3038,3287,3299,2072,122,3289,2604,288,3302,162,3288,2571],"class_list":["post-10681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-news","category-news","tag-bipv","tag-building-decarbonization","tag-building-energy-performance","tag-building-integrated-photovoltaics","tag-capacity-building","tag-clean-energy-transition","tag-climate-action","tag-eeca-2024","tag-energy-audit","tag-energy-efficiency","tag-energy-efficiency-and-conservation-act-2024","tag-energy-management","tag-energy-performance-contracting","tag-energy-transition","tag-epc","tag-esco","tag-green-buildings","tag-iclei-southeast-asia","tag-local-climate-action","tag-local-governments","tag-low-carbon-cities","tag-malaysia","tag-malaysia-energy-transition","tag-municipal-sustainability","tag-net-zero-buildings","tag-positive-energy-buildings","tag-public-buildings","tag-public-sector-energy-efficiency","tag-renew-sea","tag-renewable-energy","tag-renewable-energy-financing","tag-rooftop-solar","tag-solar-pv","tag-solar-thermal","tag-southeast-asia","tag-sustainable-buildings","tag-sustainable-urban-development"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/icleiseas.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/icleiseas.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/icleiseas.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icleiseas.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icleiseas.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10681"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/icleiseas.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10681\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10682,"href":"https:\/\/icleiseas.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10681\/revisions\/10682"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icleiseas.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/icleiseas.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icleiseas.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icleiseas.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}