IMPROVEMENT OF BUILDING ENERGY PERFORMANCE AND HUMAN OCCUPANT COMFORT THROUGH ENERGY EFFICIENCY MEASURES

HUMAN OCCUPANT COMFORT THROUGH ENERGY EFFICIENCY MEASURES

Abstract

The reduction of energy consumption in buildings through the adoption and implementation of energy efficiency and conservation measures has been identified to reduce energy cost, mitigate climate change, increase energy accessibility, improve occupancy comfort and achieve sustainable development. This paper reports the savings made when compact fluorescent lamps are deployed within the functions room of University of Lagos Guest Houses and Conference Centre. The total cooling load of the functions room before the installation was 27.63 kW, requiring four units of 7 kW free blow stand-alone air-conditioners to cool. On a 4 to 5 ratio; for each 100W incandescent lamp, 5 CFLs of 8 W were replaced. 100 W incandescent lamps were each replaced with 8 W compact fluorescent lamps. After the replacement, the cooling load reduced to 18.77 kW and the number of air conditioners required reduced to two (2) units of 7 kW free blow stand-alone air conditioners, which translates to a saving of 18%. A proposal to totally replace all the incandescent lamps with the required quantity of energy efficient lamps is also made. When the proposal is implemented, 32% saving can be realised from the total initial load; and this load will require three 7 kW free blow stand-alone air conditioners of any brand. The study recommends that energy-efficient technologies are necessary for new, existing buildings and refurbishment projects, since this will help reduce energy consumption, improve building energy performance and human occupant comfort.