Since 2011, UTM energy management initiative has evolved into the Sustainable and Resilient Energy Management Program (SREMP) that considers aspects of policy, managerial, capacity building as well as technical measures. UTM SREMP is driven by the top management under the office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Development. The UTM energy management policy inclusively covers UTM community and leverages its extensive research capacity to develop innovative energy management solutions, disseminate technology and implement energy conservation measures that build resilience through the use of 4IR-driven technology to overcome crises such as COVID-19 and sustain energy efficiency practices as well as cost savings.
Sustainable energy management practices have become a culture within UTM campus. Table 1 shows the reducing trend of UTM electricity from 2015 to 2021. Between the years 2016 and 2017, UTM went through a major retrofit phase where UTM invested in many new energy-efficient equipment (air conditioner retrofit into VRF, WCPU and split unit system) totalling RM3 million, and another RM 2.5 million for energy saving initiatives for 2019 – 2021.
Taking 2015 as the baseline (pre-retrofit), under UTM Smart and Resilient Energy Management Programme (SREMP), several energy-saving initiatives have been implemented and it has successfully reduced the electricity consumption (kWh) by 11% in 2019. During the Covid-19 pandemic crisis, energy bills were expected to be low as compared to 2019. The continuous implementation of energy-saving initiatives and activities has shown further (kWh) reduction by 47% in 2021 when compared to 2015 and a total of 6 million kWh (17%) in 2021 as compared to 2020.
