THE NEW SHAPE OF SUSTAINABLE LIVING
The New Shape of Sustainable Living: Identifying Smart Spaces for Smart Energy
by Jeremy Ong, Senior Manager, LHN Energy
30 Sep 2025
30 Sep 2025
When it comes to sustainability, technology and renewables often dominate the conversation. But Singapore-based LHN Energy is proving that smarter use of everyday spaces can be just as transformative in reducing energy consumption and shaping greener communities.
When conversations about sustainability and energy innovation arise, we often picture solar panels, green roofs, and cutting-edge building materials. While these remain essential, one critical sustainability asset is still vastly underappreciated – the smart use of space. The spaces we live, work, and move through every day present enormous potential to transform how energy is consumed – if we rethink them smartly.
Jeremy Ong, Senior Manager, LHN Energy
- SPACE: THE OVERLOOKED SUSTAINABILITY ASSET
- TURNING UNDERUTILISED SPACES IN OUR DAILY LIFE INTO SMART ENERGY HUBS
- RETROFITTING WITH A PURPOSE
- IDENTIFYING SMART SPACES AND USES THROUGH COLLABORATION
Energy efficiency initiatives traditionally focus on equipment upgrades or renewable energy generation. Yet, the physical spaces in and around properties often remain overlooked, despite their immense impact. In Singapore, commercial buildings alone account for 74% of total energy use, demonstrating the immense potential and need for smarter spatial energy strategies.
LHN Energy’s core philosophy aligns precisely with this insight – we believe energy savings must be factored into the design, retrofitting, and daily operation of every property. The goal is to convert spaces from mere liveable or usable areas into purposeful assets that actively contribute to sustainability.
- SPACE: THE OVERLOOKED SUSTAINABILITY ASSET
- TURNING UNDERUTILISED SPACES IN OUR DAILY LIFE INTO SMART ENERGY HUBS
- RETROFITTING WITH A PURPOSE
- IDENTIFYING SMART SPACES AND USES THROUGH COLLABORATION
Turning Underutilised Spaces in Our Daily Life into Smart Energy Hubs
Photo courtesy of LHN Energy
For consumers, these innovations translate into tangible benefits: Lower utility bills, enhanced comfort, and seamless integration of sustainable practices into everyday routines. Smart energy carparks, for instance, provide EV owners greater charging options while reducing the building’s overall carbon footprint. Smart shared spaces offer better lighting and climate control customized to actual usage, enhancing user experience and minimising waste.
By weaving smart energy solutions into the fabric of daily life, LHN Energy helps make sustainability accessible and actionable — transforming awareness into consistent practice.
Many buildings, whether commercial offices, residential complexes, or mixed-use developments, hold pockets of space that consume energy inefficiently – parking lots, shared common areas, hallways, and lobbies.
Carparks, for instance, have been traditionally viewed as passive spaces simply just to park our cars, but these areas are now being reimagined as active energy contributors through LHN Energy’s innovative solutions. Our recent carport project at Goldhill Plaza is a perfect example of how smart spaces can make a difference in people’s everyday routines. A single 4.8m x 2.4m parking space can yield approximately 360kWh/month, about 50% of a typical HDB household’s monthly electricity usage.
For EV owners, this means having convenient charging stations right where they park without extra trips or waiting for chargers. Going beyond convenience, pairing these chargers with intelligent energy management systems means that the carpark becomes part of a larger energy network that uses power more efficiently, tapping into off-peak hours to reduce strain on the grid. In turn, this helps keep energy costs more stable for the whole building community.
The same thinking applies to shared areas in strata-titled buildings – places we walk through or use daily without giving much thought to their energy footprint. Retrofitting these spaces with sensors, smart lighting, and efficient controls means lights and cooling only run when they’re needed, not 24/7, especially as more buildings are mandated to reduce their energy consumption by 10% by 2025, according to the Mandatory Energy Improvement (MEI) regime.
Residents enjoy well-lit, comfortable common areas without paying for wasted energy – making sustainability something they can feel in lower maintenance fees and a smaller carbon footprint, unassumingly weaved into their daily lives.
(Related: Making electric the everyday choice)
- SPACE: THE OVERLOOKED SUSTAINABILITY ASSET
- TURNING UNDERUTILISED SPACES IN OUR DAILY LIFE INTO SMART ENERGY HUBS
- RETROFITTING WITH A PURPOSE
- IDENTIFYING SMART SPACES AND USES THROUGH COLLABORATION
Retrofitting with a Purpose
The question then arises: How can existing properties be retrofitted effectively to reduce energy usage without massive disruption or cost? A pragmatic, data-driven approach is needed, deploying advanced energy analytics to identify ‘smart spaces’ where interventions yield the highest impact. This can be achieved through integrated solutions leveraging IoT sensors, AI-driven building management systems, and renewable energy integration to optimise energy flows in real time.
This comprehensive approach ensures that retrofits are not just about adding new tech, but creating intelligent environments where every square meter contributes to energy efficiency. From demand response strategies to energy storage and EV infrastructure, LHN Energy proactively tailors its solutions to meet each building’s unique profile and user needs.
- SPACE: THE OVERLOOKED SUSTAINABILITY ASSET
- TURNING UNDERUTILISED SPACES IN OUR DAILY LIFE INTO SMART ENERGY HUBS
- RETROFITTING WITH A PURPOSE
- IDENTIFYING SMART SPACES AND USES THROUGH COLLABORATION
Identifying Smart Spaces and Uses Through Collaboration
Photo courtesy of LHN Energy
The future of energy-efficient spaces depends on collaboration among developers, building owners, property managers, and technology providers. LHN Energy acts as a strategic partner, helping industry players uncover hidden inefficiencies and unlock the value of their spaces through sustainable innovation.
Developers will need to integrate space-based energy optimisation early in the design phase, ensuring new projects start with a sustainability advantage. Building owners and strata managers can retrofit existing assets with scalable solutions that improve operational performance while meeting evolving regulations and consumer expectations.
Consumers also have a role to play by adopting new technologies and participating in community energy programs, helping to maximise the impact and return of investment of these smart spaces.
Space today is more than a physical footprint; it is an underutilised resource with the potential to reshape how we think about sustainability in the built environment. Moving beyond the conventional lens of energy innovation, the real opportunity lies in reimagining how everyday spaces – from carparks to shared corridors – can actively contribute to efficiency and carbon reduction through our everyday activities.
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