When the Green Building Index (GBI) certification introduced its new Retail Fuel category, Shell was the first to react, and yesterday the company introduced the Shell Damansara Jaya and Shell Taman Connaught stations as the first in Asia Pacific to officially be certified as ‘green buildings’.

GBI is Malaysia’s green rating tool to promote sustainable construction and buildings, and this new category allows for a building associated with fossil fuels to also be more eco-friendly.

Shairan Huzani Husain, managing director of Shell Malaysia Trading Sdn. Bhd. and Shell Timur Sdn. Bhd. shared, “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,”

Among the steps taken include:

• Installing solar photo voltaic (PV) system on the station’s canopy to generate electricity during the day. Electricity generated supplements the station’s energy requirement.
• Painting the roof and walls white to reflect solar radiation which helps in reducing overall indoor temperatures during daytime.
• Using the Energy Monitoring System (EMS), which empowers these stations to track and monitor consumption of electricity and water. Quality data, coupled with inbuilt analytics provides greater visibility on usage, thereby allowing Shell to respond quicker and more effectively to consumption inconsistencies to avoid unnecessary wastage of resources.
• Using waterless urinals and watersaving taps which has reduced water usage by up to 60 per cent. This translates to water savings of up to 310 m 3 /year for each station.
• Installing LED lights with sensors to optimise energy use.

Installing electronic display boards at the shop’s entrance that provide detailed information of the station’s energy and water consumption, temperature, and carbon intensity reduction.

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,” added Shairan.

Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution bin Ismail, minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, who was also there during the event commented, ”With the production and usage of energy so intrinsically tied to the planet’s well-being, we are looking at increased pressure on our resources. Therefore, there is a critical need for industry players to get more innovative in doing their part to balance both economics and ecology. Congratulations to Shell for achieving this GBI Certification for two stations, showcasing the successful balancing of profit and planet when a company is truly committed.”