Five schools in Singapore install smart plug system that trims electricity use by up to 20%

SINGAPORE – Five schools in Singapore have installed a new smart plug system that tracks and optimises energy use across school equipment, helping them achieve between 8 per cent and 20 per cent energy savings.

The schools – Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), St Andrew’s School (Secondary) (SASS), Nanyang Junior College (NYJC), St Hilda’s Secondary and Rosyth School – are currently undergoing a six-month trial with Ecovolt, an artificial intelligence-enabled building management system with smart plug load capabilities.

Using it is simple: the smart plug is inserted into a wall socket, and the appliance is then plugged into it. Once connected to the Wi-Fi network, real-time data on electricity use and cost appears on the monitoring platform.

The platform also allows schools to remotely manage individual appliances such as printers, water dispensers and audiovisual equipment, automatically switching off idle devices to cut energy wastage.

The number of plugs currently in each school ranges from 30 to 120, depending on specific needs.

This follows a Straits Times report in October stating that by 2031,

overseen by the Ministry of Education (MOE).

This new system will allow lighting and air-conditioning to be automatically or remotely adjusted based on occupancy, and will use energy and water meters to track and reduce consumption, said MOE, with the aim of improving productivity, efficiency and environmental sustainability.

Ecovolt Technologies co-founder Eugene Chia said the system typically delivers 8 per cent to 20 per cent energy savings. Each plug connects to the local Wi-Fi network and collects baseline data on power consumption and carbon emissions before optimisation begins.

The system then identifies usage patterns – such as when appliances are typically active or idle – and cuts unnecessary power draw. Currently, the plugs work with devices that have individual power points, and as such, do not control central systems like air-conditioning or lighting.

At SASS, vice-principal of administration Danny Teo said that the school began installing some 30 Ecovolt plugs in July. These have been set up on photocopiers, printers, coffee machines and certain vending machines.

The goal in installing Ecovolt was to reduce energy expenses, particularly since the school has a larger campus, more non-standard rooms like lecture theatres, air-conditioned rooms, and a heritage building, explained Mr Teo.

He said that implementing this solution seemed like an obvious step because they had been facing consistently high electricity bills for a long time.

Mr Teo also noted that the utility bill does not provide specific information on which appliances consume the most energy.

Currently, the school’s energy bill per annum is a low six figures, Mr Teo said, without going into details. “With Ecovolt, once we get the data, it will be very eye-opening for us to see how much we are saving.”

Similarly, St Hilda’s Secondary School operations manager Wong Huat Leng said the school installed the plugs to save costs and support sustainability efforts.

Forty plugs are now in the school’s computer lab, where the IT department frequently needs to charge laptops overnight, particularly during exam periods or when teachers have early lessons.

With the new technology, charging does not have to be done overnight, but only when needed, Mr Wong said.

“The timing can be configured to begin charging at 6am before lessons start at 8.15am,” he said, and this helps to save energy costs.

He added that the monitoring platform displays the status and energy consumption of each appliance, and the IT department has seen improved efficiency.

“The team no longer has to arrive early in the morning to ensure the laptops are fully charged and ready for student use,” Mr Wong said, adding that set-up time has also been reduced. 

The school hopes to continue using the smart plugs after the trial, taking into consideration maintenance costs, and plans to install these plugs in more computer labs, staff rooms and offices, and appliances such as water coolers, printers and projectors. 

Mr Wong hopes the initiative will also raise students’ awareness of sustainability and energy conservation.

Over in the North-East, at SIT’s new Punggol campus, 120 plugs were installed in October across various labs – including chemistry, food technology, computer and engineering labs – as well as on photocopiers and vending machines.

The tie-up with Ecovolt is currently on trial until April 2026, said senior manager of estates at SIT’s Punggol campus Pek Hai Lin. The aim is to assess how the plugs can best be used and contribute to the efficacy of overall data collection.

SIT completed its move to its Punggol campus in May, and Ecovolt’s introduction is part of their journey to collect baseline energy usage, she said.

“Ecovolt came in at a good time, when we were looking at how to track our data in a more granular way,” said Ms Pek, who leads sustainability-related efforts at SIT.

“We are thinking about how to gather data effectively to identify opportunities or areas to reduce energy usage.”

Ecovolt’s Mr Chia, who is part of a three-man company, said that working together with schools is more than just optimising buildings. “It is also to engage the community and embed sustainability learning into the classroom.”

Once all smart plugs in the five schools have been connected, the start-up plans to run educational programmes using real-time data from the schools to teach students how electricity, energy use and carbon emissions are linked.

“Through our workshops, students deepen their understanding of Singapore’s sustainability initiatives and learn how they can each play a meaningful part in reducing their carbon footprint,” Mr Chia said, adding that the first trial run for this programme was for NYJC, on Oct 14.

“We hope to inspire more schools to take this up as a two-way strategy to reduce energy expenditure.”