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Cambodia Energy Efficiency Competition Awards Ceremony Celebrates Impactful Achievements In Energy Savings

on Nov, 06 2024

The Cambodia Energy Efficiency Competition (CEE Comp) held its 2nd Edition Awarding Ceremony on November 4, 2024, recognising the innovative efforts of businesses and institutions in contributing to Cambodia’s energy efficiency and sustainability goals.

The event, hosted at the Ministry of Environment, brought together private sector leaders, policymakers, and sustainability advocates to honour participants who have successfully reduced their energy consumption and environmental impact.

CEE Comp was launched to accelerate the country’s progress towards the National Energy Efficiency Policy, a key initiative supporting Cambodia's commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Over the course of one year, 21 building participants from a variety of sectors demonstrated their ability to implement energy-saving measures, resulting in significant reductions, with an average annual cumulative energy savings of around 5.2 per cent.

“The private sector has a key role to play with regards to clean energy transition,” remarked Frantz Vaganay, Co-Founder of CEE Comp, during an interview with B2B Cambodia. “I know that energy efficiency is not really easy to implement, and I was aware for many years that the Ministry of Energy was trying to implement an energy efficiency policy, so ahead of this policy, we wanted to provide evidence that energy efficiency works."

When you implement the right model, it works, and I find the model of this competition very innovative. It has already been deployed in Europe, and in other countries… so I thought that it would be a good idea to bring it to a country like Cambodia, to show that energy efficiency works. Now, thanks to the good results that we have received, we can demonstrate to policymakers that energy efficiency works.

Frantz Vaganay, Co-Founder of CEE Comp./B2B Cambodia.

Significant Energy And Cost Savings In Cambodia

According to a press release issued by CEE Comp organisers, the first edition of the competition yielded impressive results, with participating companies achieving almost 9.2 per cent in cumulative annual energy savings, which represents a significant reduction of 199 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent from entering the atmosphere and a collective savings of USD 35,000 in operational costs.

The second edition built on this success, with participants from across Cambodia once again delivering impactful results. In total, this year’s participants achieved an average annual cumulative energy savings of around 5.2 per cent, equal to approximately 266 megawatt-hours of energy saved. This reduction prevented 149 tonnes of CO₂ emissions and resulted in USD 43,200 in savings.

The Cambodia Energy Efficiency Competition 2024 Awards Ceremony

During the November 4 awards ceremony, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Environment, H.E. Vann Monyneath, highlighted Cambodia’s vulnerability to climate change, emphasising the need for resilience.

“To safeguard the country’s health, infrastructure and agriculture, prioritising resilience and adaptation efforts is essential. These efforts require cooperation and sustained global partnerships," noted Monyneath.

He added that he believes the CEE Comp not only offers significant economic advantages but also reflects a commitment to environmental sustainability:

By increasing energy efficiency, participants have reduced costs and contributed to lowering greenhouse gas emissions through more sustainable building practices.

Michael Renfrew, Operations and Program Lead at Energy Lab, emphasised that CEE Comp represents a shared ambition to promote energy-saving practices across Cambodian workplaces and ensure their effective implementation. According to Renfrew, the competition has inspired participants to take actions that align with Cambodia’s energy policy goals.

“This initiative supports the Kingdom’s energy-saving target of 19 per cent by 2030, as outlined in the National Energy Efficiency Policy, highlighting the synergy between policy and practical measures,” he added.

This effort also aligns closely with EnergyLab’s mission to advance Cambodia’s clean energy transition.

“EnergyLab is dedicated to building an environment that both celebrates and supports sustainable energy practices, with the CEE Comp standing as a testament to this commitment and to Cambodia’s potential as a leader in clean energy,” Renfrew said.

H.E. Vann Monyneath, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Environment, speaking at the CEE Comp awards ceremony./B2B Cambodia.

Laura Pretto, Climate Change Technical Specialist at UNDP/CCCA3, described the CEE Comp as a pioneering initiative with strong support from numerous partners. CCCA3 provided backing for the first edition, recognising the competition’s innovative approach and its alignment with essential climate change goals.

CCCA3 has supported 22 grants, including 11 with pioneering projects that work alongside NGOs, academia, and the private sector to pilot climate mitigation and adaptation initiatives that align with Cambodia’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

“These projects have delivered impressive results in areas such as climate-smart agriculture, electric mobility, air quality management, and forest management, as well as energy efficiency, education and access to safe drinking water,” she explained.

Winners Of CEE Comp 2024

The ceremony honoured the following outstanding participants who achieved the best results during the competition:

1st Place Winner: École d'Hôtellerie et de Tourisme Paul Dubrule
2nd Place Winner: Lotus Green Team
3rd Place Winner: Confluences
Top 1 – Category 1 - Building : COVA
Top 1 – Category 2 - Building: Lotus Green Team
Top 1 – Category 3 - Building: Zuellig Pharma
Top 1 – Category 1 - Hotel: École d'Hôtellerie et de Tourisme Paul Dubrule
Top 1 – Category 2 - Hotel: Sun and Moon Urban Hotel
Best Communication: Confluences
Best Green Team: École d'Hôtellerie et de Tourisme Paul Dubrule

Energy-Saving Behaviour Change

Throughout the competition, participants utilised a variety of energy-saving techniques, but the main success was driven by the behaviour changes of employees and the strong communication efforts from the green teams. This approach reduced energy use and also acted as a mechanism to integrate a culture of energy efficiency.

“It’s about the lasting impact these changes will have on our environment, our community, and our industry’s future," said Khut Sokhay, Director of Operations at École d'Hôtellerie et de Tourisme Paul Dubrule. "As a school, not a business, energy efficiency naturally became a key part of our curriculum. We believe it will have a long-lasting impact on the lives of our students and the future businesses they lead.”

École d'Hôtellerie et de Tourisme Paul Dubrule accepting the 1st place CEE Comp award in 2024./B2B Cambodia.

While speaking to B2B Cambodia, François Schnoebelen, Director of École d'Hôtellerie et de Tourisme Paul Dubrule, added that he believes the gamified nature of the competition further helps in the behaviour change process.

“I have followed a lot of trainings that we forget after one week, but when you do a game and you are into it every day, for one whole year… you follow the results regularly, so it is really a key component of the behaviour change that we want to achieve,” said Schnoebelen. “I believe this game is a good tool, but joining the game means they should definitely raise awareness as well, not only by sharing videos and conducting meetings, but by making people do something.

He added:

We can only change behaviours by doing. I'm well aware of that because we are a TVET school… we learn by doing. I strongly believe that this is not only true for TVET schools, but for everybody else too. If we want to change behaviours, we need to try the new behaviours by ourselves.

Third Edition Of CEE Comp To Take Place in 2025

With the second edition successfully concluded, CEE Comp is poised to continue driving innovation and sustainability in its third edition, set to launch in early 2025. Companies, institutions, and individuals across the country are invited to participate, helping Cambodia move closer to its goal of carbon neutrality by adopting energy-efficient solutions.

The second edition of the CEE Comp was made possible thanks to the endorsement of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the Ministry of Environment, and the support of WWF-Cambodia, SOMA Group, Schneider Electric, Cambodia Climate Change Alliance - Phase III (CCCA3), and all CEE Comp partners. To learn more, visit the competition's website: https://ceecomp.org/.

This article was adapted from a supplied press release.