Cagamas pushes for affordable green homes

In response to climate change and the call for a more sustainable world, national mortgage corporation Cagamas Bhd is urging property developers to build more green or energy-efficient homes for the market, particularly for the affordable segment.

“Today, green-certified houses are expensive. Most of them are high-end houses and their owners can afford them, but [Cagamas] is looking into making affordable housing “green” as well,” says Cagamas executive director Datuk Chung Chee Leong.

“Installing a solar panel in a terraced house may cost RM50,000 to RM60,000, which is impossible for the owner of a RM100,000 house. However, getting a house green-certified does not have to be about solar panels — its structural design and the materials used would also result in energy efficiency.

“Some houses are built in a manner where it is always dark or warm, requiring inhabitants to keep the lights and air conditioning on all day long. These increase utility costs.”

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