Seventeen buildings are entered in the Building Energy Awards of Thailand (BEAT 2010) contest.
"This competition is designed to raise public awareness of energy efficiency and conservation," Energy Minister Wannarat Charnnukul said yesterday.
From last month to next August, these buildings will be allocated Bt10 million to Bt15 million each for renovation. Then experts will brief them on energy consumption and oversee a campaign to educate their tenants in energy efficiency.
The contestants will have to demonstrate their best efforts in cutting energy consumption. Public votes are welcomed at www.beat2010.net.
The ministry will finance the campaign with Bt420 million from the Energy Conservation Fund.
Viraphol Jirapraditkul, director-general of the Energy Policy and Planning Office, the organiser of the programme, said it would evaluate the project a year from now. If it wins a warm response from the public, it will be continued.
The buildings are grouped in six categories - shopping centres CentralWorld and Siam Paragon; university buildings belonging to Chulalongkorn, Kasetsart, Thammasat and Assumption; hospital buildings belonging to Bangkok, Ban Phaew and Ramathibodi; buildings of entertainment companies GMM Grammy, JSL Global Media and Workpoint Entertainment; TV stations run by Modernine and another operator; and school buildings of Triamudom Suksa, Suan Kulab Wittayalai and Satri Withaya.