15 September 2011 – From Eco-Business.com: Singapore’s building authority has launched a pilot green financing scheme that enables building owners to get bank loans of up to S$5 million to retrofit their building to a greener standard.
The government will also be amending its building laws to legally require building owners who do such retrofits to comply with a minimum certification.
Minister of State for National Development Tan Chuan-Jin announced these initiatives on Wednesday at the opening of the International Green Building Conference (IGBC).
Singapore is “one of the first few countries in the world which mandates energy efficiency standards for existing buildings,” he told the conference. While the upfront cost of meeting higher standards may be higher, the energy savings after the retrofit will eventually pay for the cost, he said. Read the whole story