Shell Malaysia Awarded Green Building Index Certification for Two of its Stations - More Eco-Friendly Solutions for Sustainable Business Practices

Shell Malaysia today was awarded the Green Building Index (GBI) Certification for two of its stations. The Shell Damansara Jaya and Shell Taman Connaught stations are now recognised as ‘green buildings’. This is quite a surprise for me as I usually frequent the Shell Damansara Jaya for my occasional cup of Costa Latte and a slice of Pizza from one of the retailers there (there is a Pezzo Pizza outlet there as well as Boost Juice aside from the usual Shell Select pastries and nasi lemak). Anyway, the station is GBI with solar panels on the roof of the station and the usage of LED lighting, smart urinals and more clever stuff which you don't really see. So never did I realise I have been frequenting such a eco-friendly place.

Since the Malaysian governent has introduced new the Retail Fuel category within the Green Building Index, which is Malaysia’s green rating tool to promote sustainable construction and buildings, Shell Malaysia has taken to initiative to showcase eco-friendly solutions at its stations. They are the first in the country, and maybe the region to do so.

Some of the implemented GBI elements include the installation of a solar Photo Voltaic (PV) or in simple terms, a solar panel system to generate clean electricity through solar supplements. Shell Malaysia also replaced conventional bathroom fittings with waterless urinals and water saving taps, as well as monitoring systems that would alert the station of any consumption inconsistency to avoid unnecessary wastage of water and electricity. 

Right now, the Petaling Jaya station has managed to actually save over 20% of the electricity costs when they had installed the solar panels. While it may take a few years to recoup the panels - which are located at the roof of the station's fuel pumps, they actually offset the consumption by a fair bit. It is the refrigeration system for the drinks sold in the Shell Select store which consumes more than the lights and air-conditioning combined (and they have also tweaked the system and storefront to help the building's cooling efficiency). With these systems in place, they do save a whole on in terms of carbon emissions and they intend to make most of their stations energy efficient up to 50% less in the near future (by 2025).

Shairan Huzani Husain, Managing Director of Shell Malaysia Trading Sdn Bhd and Shell Timur Sdn Bhd said, “We understand the crucial role that energy plays in helping people achieve and maintain a good quality of life. Therefore, we are always striving to look for new ways to provide cleaner energy solutions to make their life’s journeys better.”

“When the new category for the Retail Fuel industry was introduced, we decided to put on our thinking caps to rethink and retrofit smart solutions and design elements into our stations. I am especially proud as we were able to achieve GBI Certification for these two stations within six months,” he added.

The benefits for Shell consumers are almost immediate, as they can feel the comfort of a cooler, well-lit station the moment they step in. “For the environment, these effects allow us as consumers to do the least damage and help us to be bolder in our care for the environment,” continued Shairan.

Shairan also mentioned that Shell Malaysia had borne the cost of all the eco-friendly equipment at both stations. We are looking at over RM300,000 worth of solar panels fitted per station and more for the lighting and water saving measures. They will be looking at equipping most, if not all of their stations here in Malaysia with this setup, but this is subject to cost, the size of the stations and whether on their retail operator partners capability. But Shell Malaysia is not only looking at their stations, but their refineries here in Malaysia too. They operate a few and here is where they can also save more costs down the road. 

The event was officiated by Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution bin Ismail, Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, Malaysia who mentioned that there is a critical need for industry players to get more innovative in doing their part to balance both economics and ecology. He also congratulated Shell Malaysia for achieving this GBI Certification for two stations, showcasing the successful balancing of profit and planet when a company is truly committed.

Green Building Index (GBI) Certification for the Shell Damansara Jaya and Shell Taman Connaught. had implemented GBI elements which include: 

1. A solar Photo Voltaic (PV) / Solar Panel system installed on the canopy of the station to generate electricity during daytime. Clean electricity derived through solar supplements the station’s energy requirements, and subsequently reduces expenditure on energy from the grid. On top of that, it is also environmentally-friendly.

2. Adjustments to reduce energy consumption, such as painting the surfaces of roofs and walls white to reflect solar radiation and improve the indoor environmental quality by reducing overall temperatures during daytime. 

3. Using the Energy Monitoring System (EMS - seen above with the paint they used on the buildings), which empowers these stations to track and monitor consumption of electricity and water. Quality data, coupled with in-built analytics provides greater visibility on usage, thereby allowing Shell to respond quicker and more effectively to consumption inconsistencies to avoid unnecessary wastage of resources.

4. Waterless urinals and water saving taps to replace the conventional bathroom fittings to drive water efficiency. Water usage was reduced by up to 60%, when compared to conventional fittings, translating to water savings of up to 310 m3/year for each station.

5. The installation of LED lighting with lower energy consumption and longer lifespans, coupled with sensors to enable better monitoring of internal and external factors that affect energy use to further optimize energy use.

6. Additional features intended to encourage a positive behaviour change amongst our customers. For example, a carpool bay to encourage co-sharing, and a green vehicle bay to cater to electric cars, were established at both stations.

7. Strategically positioned electronic display boards at the shops’ entrance to provided detailed information on the stations’ energy and water consumption, temperature and carbon intensity reduction to socialize our green initiatives in hopes of highlighting the importance of energy and water efficiency and reducing carbon emissions.

Personally, it is hoped that in the near future, we shall see more eco-friendly initiatives in fuel stations nationwide, I would like to see rainwater collection systems for the toilets and urinals as this would use less processed tap water. Maybe we shall see the usage of double glazing storefront windows (since the front is mostly glass) to keep the heat out and the air-conditioned air inside. This should work well with double doors too. 

Now these additions should make the stations even more green....and oh, more shrubs and trees surrounding the station would be good too. This would be extremely good too but heck, this is a fantastic start actually. Kudos to Shell Malaysia.