The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) of Japan and the Sustainable Energy Development Authority Malaysia (SEDA) have launched a demonstration project to transform SEDA’s headquarters building in Cyberjaya into a Nearly Zero Energy Building (Nearly ZEB). The initiative represents Malaysia’s first retrofit project aimed at achieving Nearly ZEB status through the renovation of an existing building and is intended to serve as a model for wider deployment across Malaysia and the ASEAN region.
The project will retrofit SEDA’s 21-year-old headquarters building, which has a total floor area of approximately 5,000 square metres, by integrating advanced Japanese energy-efficiency technologies and building management systems. The development is being implemented in collaboration with four Japanese companies – Pacific Consultants Co., Ltd., AGC Inc., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and Azbil Corporation – and aims to reduce the building’s primary energy consumption by at least 75 per cent in line with international ISO/TS 23764 standards for non-residential ZEBs.
Key measures include upgrading the building envelope with improved insulation and airtightness, installing high-performance low-emissivity glass, deploying energy-efficient LED lighting and air-conditioning systems, introducing automated blinds and advanced building energy management systems (BEMS), and integrating renewable energy technologies such as rooftop solar photovoltaic panels and building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems. The project will also utilise energy monitoring and optimisation tools to improve operational efficiency and maximise energy savings.
The demonstration project forms part of NEDO’s International Demonstration Project on Japanese Technologies for Decarbonisation and Energy Transition and will be implemented during fiscal years 2025–2028. Throughout the project period, operational data will be collected and analysed to evaluate the effectiveness of the technologies and methodologies deployed.
NEDO and SEDA intend to use the Cyberjaya project as a reference model for accelerating the retrofitting of existing buildings and promoting decarbonisation in the building sector across Malaysia and other ASEAN countries. The initiative is expected to support regional climate goals while creating opportunities for the wider adoption of advanced energy-efficiency and renewable energy technologies.
