Singapore has made massive strides in encouraging sustainability and combating climate change. Our country’s key strategy is to reduce carbon dioxide – the most significant greenhouse gas in Singapore – that is produced when we burn fossil fuels for our essential energy needs, from powering our homes to propelling vehicles on the road.
In 2009, the Government pledged to cut emissions by 16% by 2020. In 2015, they went a step further to set an even higher target to slash our Emissions Intensity (which is the amount of greenhouse gases emitted per dollar GDP) by 36% from 2005 levels by 2030.
These may seem ambitious goals, but they’re backed by an eco-conscious nation willing to support it. A 2019 public perception survey by the National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS) found that over 90% of people in Singapore were aware of climate change and almost 80% were prepared to do more to make a difference. About 9 in 10 said they support Singapore shifting to become a low carbon economy, with 8 in 10 saying they would not mind bearing additional costs and inconvenience if needed.
When asked in our Consumer Sentiment Study H1 2021 about what property features have become increasingly important to them, 38% of Singaporeans cited smart cooling and energy-saving systems, and 52% indicated ‘proximity to greenery’ as a top consideration.
Why is Sustainability Important to PropertyGuru?
As market leaders in the property space, we believe that we too have a huge part to play in protecting the environment. This is a role we take seriously: We have introduced small transformational measures in our lives, our offices and in the community. From green travel to sustainable office practices, we hope to make the world around us a better place.
We are happy to share the release of our newest feature, the PropertyGuru Green Score, which assigns a sustainability rating to properties listed on our portal. Through this, we hope to empower consumers to choose sustainable homes that align with their eco-conscious values and continue raising awareness around green living.
What Does the PropertyGuru Green Score Mean?
With the new PropertyGuru Green Score, you can check and compare how sustainable each listing is to identify eco-friendly residences. This makes it easier than ever to ensure that your next home doesn’t impact the environment more than it needs to.
Partnering with Reomnify*, we have devised the PropertyGuru Green Score based on:
- Number of MRT stations and bus stops within 400m
- Number of sustainability awards won
With a rating of one to five, properties are rated from Average to Good and Excellent.
Public Transportation Accessibility
Cars, buses, and trains are one of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, responsible for one quarter of direct CO2 emissions globally. Hence, it is clear that our daily transport habits very directly affect the environment. Choosing public transport over a private vehicle is the first and easiest step to lower our carbon footprint.
But we shouldn’t stop there. In Singapore, about 5% of our nation’s electricity consumption comes from the transport sector, especially our islandwide MRT network. This is why the Government has been taking active steps towards having a greener public transport system – from 2010, MRT lines and stations have been graded and scored based on their eco-friendliness as well.
So, we should strive to reduce our reliance on public transport as much as possible too, for example, by living near a bus interchange and/or MRT station. Not only will you be more encouraged to use the bus and/or train to get around, but you can also walk to the transport node to begin your commute (instead of taking a feeder bus).
Sustainability Awards Won
Buildings and construction account for over one-third of the world’s energy consumption and nearly 40% of the total CO2 emissions, which is why many developers are making conscious efforts to improve efficiency in their buildings’ design and infrastructure.
Environmental awards like BCA’s Green Mark and PropertyGuru’s Asia Property Awards recognise such efforts. By shining the spotlight on these accolades, we hope to raise awareness about sustainability efforts in Singapore and encourage more property seekers to take such attributes into account in the home buying process.
What’s Next?
Sustainability is one of the core pillars we place front and center in our work, and the PropertyGuru Green Score is one of our many initiatives towards enabling a conversation and enhancing awareness around green living.
By displaying the PropertyGuru Green Score prominently on our property listings, we hope that impact on the environment will become a major consideration when it comes to property seeking. This, in turn, will encourage developers and others in the sector to prioritise sustainability in the way they research, develop and innovate new products.
Together, let’s do part and look after our shared home – planet earth.
Enjoyed this article? Read more of our green living guides:
- 5 Eco-Friendly Home Improvement Ideas For Your New Home
- Run An Eco-Friendly Household? Here Are 6 Electricity Retailers for Green Electricity
- HDB Eco-Towns: Punggol and the Upcoming Tampines, Choa Chu Kang and Nee Soon
- How to Go Green with Secondhand Furniture at Home
Ready to shop for an eco-friendly home? Browse properties for sale on PropertyGuru.
Already found a new home? Let PropertyGuru Finance’s home finance advisors help you with financing it
* Reomnify is a location data intelligence platform that strives to enable better decision-making in sectors such as real estate, insurance and retail. Read more about Reomnify and what they do here.
