Five schools in Singapore have installed a new smart plug system that tracks and optimises energy use across school equipment, helping them achieve 8 per cent to 20 per cent energy savings.<\/p>\n
The schools \u2013 Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), St Andrew\u2019s School (Secondary) (SASS), Nanyang Junior College (NYJC), St Hilda\u2019s Secondary School and Rosyth School \u2013 are currently undergoing a six-month trial with Ecovolt, an artificial intelligence-enabled building management system with smart plug load capabilities.<\/p>\n
Using it is simple: The smart plug is inserted into a wall socket, and the appliance is then plugged into it. Once the plug connects to the Wi-Fi network, real-time data on electricity use and cost appears on the monitoring platform.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The number of plugs currently in each school ranges from 30 to 120, depending on specific needs.<\/p>\n
This follows a Straits Times report in October stating that by 2031,\u00a0all schools here will move from managing their own facilities to a central system overseen by the Ministry of Education (MOE).<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n Ecovolt can be installed by inserting into a wall socket, plugging an appliance into it, and connecting to the Wi-Fi network.\u00a0<\/p>\n Photo: Kua Chee Song<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n 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.<\/p>\n The system then identifies usage patterns \u2013 such as when appliances are typically active or idle \u2013 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Ecovolt dashboard can be opened on computers to observe real-time energy usage.<\/p>\n Photo: Chong Jun Liang<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n 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.<\/p>\n He said that implementing this solution seemed like an obvious step because they had been facing consistently high electricity bills for a long time.<\/p>\n Mr Teo also noted that the utility bill does not provide specific information on which appliances consume the most energy.<\/p>\n Currently, the school\u2019s energy bill per annum is a low six-figure sum, Mr Teo said, without going into details. \u201cWith Ecovolt, once we get the data, it will be very eye-opening for us to see how much we are saving.\u201d<\/p>\n Similarly, St Hilda\u2019s Secondary School operations manager Wong Huat Leng said the school installed the plugs to cut costs and support sustainability efforts.<\/p>\n Forty plugs are now in the school\u2019s computer lab, where the information technology (IT) department frequently needs to charge laptops overnight, particularly during exam periods or when teachers have early lessons.<\/p>\n St Hilda\u2019s Secondary School installed the plugs to reduce energy expenses and support sustainability efforts.<\/p>\n Photo: Kua Chee Siong<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n With the new technology, charging does not have to be done overnight, but only when needed, Mr Wong said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe timing can be configured to begin charging at 6am before lessons start at 8.15am,\u201d he said, and this helps to lower energy costs.<\/p>\n He added that the monitoring platform displays the status and energy consumption of each appliance, and the IT department has seen improved efficiency.<\/p>\n \u201cThe team no longer has to arrive early in the morning to ensure the laptops are fully charged and ready for student use,\u201d Mr Wong said, adding that set-up time has also been reduced.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dashboard used to track real-time energy usage of equipment using Ecovolt\u2019s smart plug.<\/p>\n Photo: Kua Chee Siong<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mr Wong hopes the initiative will also raise students\u2019 awareness of sustainability and energy conservation.<\/p>\n Over in the north-east, at SIT\u2019s new Punggol campus, 120 plugs were installed in October across various labs \u2013 including chemistry, food technology, computer and engineering labs \u2013 as well as on photocopiers and vending machines.<\/p>\n The tie-up with Ecovolt is currently on trial until April 2026, said senior manager of estates at SIT\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n SIT completed its move to its Punggol campus in May, and Ecovolt\u2019s introduction is part of their journey to collect baseline energy usage, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cEcovolt came in at a good time, when we were looking at how to track our data in a more granular way,\u201d said Ms Pek, who leads sustainability-related efforts at SIT.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are thinking about how to gather data effectively to identify opportunities or areas to reduce energy usage.\u201d<\/p>\n (From left) Eugene Chia, co-founder of Ecovolt Technologies, Andrade Alvin Matthew, Manager, Estates at SIT, Pek Hai Lin, Senior Manager, Estates at SIT with the eco plug from Ecovolt Technologies.<\/p>\n Photo: Chong Jun Liang<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Ecovolt\u2019s Mr Chia, who is part of a three-man company, said that working together with schools is more than just optimising buildings. \u201cIt is also to engage the community and embed sustainability learning into the classroom.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Working together with schools is more than just optimising buildings, said Ecovolt\u2019s Mr Eugene Chia.<\/p>\n Photo: Ecovolt Technologies<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \u201cThrough our workshops, students deepen their understanding of Singapore\u2019s sustainability initiatives and learn how they can each play a meaningful part in reducing their carbon footprint,\u201d Mr Chia said, adding that the first trial run for this programme was for NYJC, on Oct 14.<\/p>\n \u201cWe hope to inspire more schools to take this up as a two-way strategy to reduce energy expenditure.\u201d<\/p>\n Graph of how Ecovolt can help reduce energy use<\/p>\n Source: Ecovolt, Straits Times Graphics<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Note: <\/i><\/b>This article was written by Gabrielle Chan and first appeared in The Straits Times on 16 November 2025.<\/i><\/p>\n Source: The Straits Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n