The Competition for Energy Efficient Buildings is divided into three categories — new and existing buildings, tropical buildings, and retrofitted buildings.

Tropical buildings refer to those with only 50 per cent or less of its gross floor area having air-conditioning, gross floor area of more than 500 square metres and that are 15 years old or less.

The first prize is worth VND5 million in each of them, while the second and third prizes are worth VND4 million and VND3 million.

The Energy Management in Buildings and Industries Competition is open to all buildings and industrial facilities that have operated for at least two years and consume at least 1 million kWh of power a year in case of buildings and 2 million kWh in case of industrial facilities.

The first prize in each of the two categories is worth VND3 million while there will also be a prize worth VND3 million for innovative energy management.

Buildings and industries account for half of the country’s total energy consumption, Phuong Hoang Kim, deputy head of the ministry’s Science and Technology Department, said.

Effective energy management in buildings and industries, which could save 20-35 per cent of power, helps them cut costs and aids the nation’s energy security, he added.

Journalists can participate in the media award for energy efficiency by sending in written, pictorial, audio, and other electronic entries related to energy and energy efficiency.

The annual competitions are organised by the ministry’s Energy Conservation Office along with the Ho Chi Minh City Energy Conservation Centre and Hanoi Energy Conservation Centre to promote energy efficiency.