Energy Audit and Management in Commercial Buildings - A Case Study
Energy Audit and Management in Commercial Buildings - A Case Study
Energy Audit and Management in Commercial Buildings - A Case Study
Energy is one of the important inputs that determine the economic stability of a country. As
Pakistan is in the list of the developing countries, the energy sector adopts an important role in
the development as the energy sector requires huge investments to fulfill the demand of energy.
It has become clear over a long period of time that increasing the production of energy cannot
solely solve the crisis of energy Pakistan is facing in these days. Other methods like Energy
Conservation will have to be applied for the solution of this energy crisis as the huge
investments on power plants cannot be afforded. To reduce these costs and increase the
efficiency we will employ the approach of identifying the specific areas that can be improved
to obtain the most efficient use of energy. This process of identifying potential areas of
improvements and then reporting these facts is the process known as the Energy Audit. In
Commercial Buildings it can serve as a very important tool to implement strong energy
efficiency measures and achieve energy conservation. Commercial buildings are an important
part of the development of the country and have a major share in the total share of the energy
usage of a country. Energy Audit will be performed to fulfill the objective of first identifying
and then implementing to achieve energy usage with maximized efficiency, all through the
building to achieve the target of reduction in the wastage of energy as well as its cost without
any influence on productivity and quality. Energy Audit and management will also serve to
reduce the environmental effect. Energy Audit serves as the most important part that helps in
decision making in Energy Management. A method called Life Cycle Cost Analysis will be
used to perform the energy audit. In this method, different options for any equipment or an
improvement will be compared on the basis of different types of costs in different phases of
the life cycle like initial investment, cost of replacement, energy cost etc. in order to determine
the best option. A tool called GaBi will be used to perform the LCCA calculation.
Introduction
It is one of the most commonly known information that Pakistan being a developing country
has need for a continuous and well managed supply of energy, but here the problem is that
Pakistan is currently facing a huge deficit in the energy sector. The sustainable solution to this
problem is applying a combined approach of management of energy by conservation as well
as an increase in the energy production capability.
In Pakistan the usage of energy in commercial buildings is 40% with the increase of 2.5%
annually. The commercial use of energy is 25% to 30% in china and 40% in UK.[2] With this
much share of the commercial use of energy in Pakistan it becomes crucial that an approach
for management of energy is employed to manage the huge shortfall the country is facing. 70%
of the whole country remains in hot weather throughout the year. This means that the major
share of the energy share goes toward managing the cooling in the buildings. The cooling
systems are the systems that use the most energy. This goes on to strengthen the argument that
managing the energy usage is most important in commercial buildings.
Pakistan is a country where Energy Management is very much undermined since here people
follow the conventional values and remain unaware of the fact that this practice will help them
greatly too by reducing the energy bills for the buildings as well as reducing the consumption
and helping reduce the deficit the country faces.
This practice will also help environment since Pakistan produces most of its energy using
thermal resources and decreasing consumption will mean less load on these plants and thus
reducing the environmental effect. So, it is a need of the hour making people aware of this
threefold benefit of employing Energy Management approach.
In the analysis of current energy consumption parameters like building type, principle use, floor
area, Annual energy utilization index (kBTU/ft2), Annual Energy Cost Index ($/ft2) will be
determined, space will be broken down based on function, use and area. Problems in
maintenance and practices effecting energy efficiency will be determined. Benchmarking will
be conducted to compare energy and cost indices with similar facilities.
In the description and analysis of existing energy usage systems some on site observations and
calculations will be made which include Envelop Area (Walls, roof, floor, windows, skylights),
lighting, HVAC systems, Hot water and other systems.
The next step will be the presentation of the analysis which will be done using engineering and
economic analysis. In this we will develop reports showing breakdown of components based
on yearly energy usage and cost, suggested measures of energy preservation with projected
savings and investment required to make these changes, explanation and forecast of funds
required for any necessary repairs required for the energy conservation measures to be affected.
The last thing is the energy analysis report that will show the present and target energy usage
and its cost and savings expected from suggested measures and its comparison to the target.
The audit that will be the most straightforward is the stage 1 audit. Simple consultations will
be conducted with the personnel on site and a brief assessment of the energy bills to review
energy usage followed by a walkthrough of the building all geared toward to identify the areas
where energy is being wasted or inefficient processes. The data compiled will then be converted
into a preliminary report which shows the low/no cost measures to increase the efficiency of
energy usage.
The Level 2 Audit will be focused on more detailed analysis. It will contain the analysis of the
stage 1 audit, but more explanatory calculations of energy will be made as well as breakdown
of investments required for the suggested improvements. The more detailed analysis known as
life cycle cost analysis will go a long way in helping the owner/management understand what
benefits the owner can acquire by making the suggested improvements to improve the way
energy is being used. All the improvements that can be made to improve the way the energy is
used and managed according to how the building is being used are recognized in this stage of
audit. Every improvement opportunity that has been recognized is explained thoroughly
according to how much cost is required to implement it, how much money can be saved by
implementing it and how much money the customer can spend.
The Level 3 Audit or analysis will be focused upon implementation of the cost intensive
measures of energy efficiency increase explained in the stage 2 report and the data will be
collected in more detail in the field and more rigorous engineering analysis. Stage 3 audit is
also known as wide-ranging audit, explained audit, or technical analysis audit. In this stage the
work done in the stage 2 audit will be expanded and energy usage will be compared of both the
existing systems and with the suggested improvements. To calibrate the model of the building
we will use the actual data of energy bills to make a baseline by which we will compare the
energy usage after applying the suggested improvements to calculate how much energy we can
save.
• Lighting system.
• Heating, Ventilation and Air conditioning.
• Appliances.
• Hot Water Systems.
The location of Pakistan is located between latitudes 24 N and 35 N, which means that 70% of
the area of the country has hot weather throughout the year which makes the cooling system
the most important and in turn most energy intensive system. In US the most energy using
commercial buildings are Offices and retails buildings which account for about 50% of the
total commercial energy use. The most energy using systems are heating and ventilation
systems which account for about 50% energy use in a commercial building in US and more for
hot weather countries like Pakistan. This is a parameter that becomes very important while
developing HVAC systems for a building. The system that comes in second in term of energy
consumption is the lightning system. It accounts for about 22% in US.
These are some systems that are important while doing an Energy Audit. The Auditor must
carefully consider the HVAC and lighting systems most importantly. These are the systems
that can be modified to make the energy usage most efficient.
Objectives
Methodology:
This study will be focused mainly upon finding out how effective energy audit can be in
commercial buildings and determining what is the importance of green buildings in Pakistan.
Process of Energy Audit:
Before we begin the process of Energy Audit, we will need to determine what exactly is what
we aim to achieve through Energy Audit. The Goal of Energy Audit will be to
Basically, the process of energy audit will be a four-step process. The four phases that will
constitute the process are:
1. Preplanning.
2. Conducting the Audit.
3. Implementing Changes.
4. Verifying and Sustaining Results.
5. Completing an energy audit is much more than just taking measurement.
Preplanning:
The process will begin with making a pledge to conserve energy. This process should involve
multiple levels of the business and they should be devoted to make the entire audit procedure
a precedence. The aims in the preplanning stage are to identify the team members of the audit
team, deciding of the scope of the audit process, a timeline is made to complete the tasks and
in the last the team members are assigned their responsibilities accordingly. The time taken by
the preplanning phase depends upon the size of the building and the scope of the audit to be
completed. It can vary from few weeks to a few months.
Audit Teams: Personnel from different departments will be taken to form an audit team. Most
of the work that is to be done will be usually assigned to a small group and the other personnel
will perform supporting tasks. The group that will perform most of the work will comprise of
the maintenance staff that is most familiar with the systems and layout of the building.
Scope of Audit: The team doing the audit will decide as to what scope audit will be done. The
team will decide that what systems need to be investigated and to which depth they will be
investigated. The building maintenance personnel may already suspect as to what systems are
not functioning properly and wasting energy and what tests to perform to quantify how much.
This information is useful in deciding the scope of audit. The extent of the audit can always be
increased if the situation changes.
Baseline Data Gathering: The comparison between expected energy use and the actual energy
use is the most important thing the energy audit will rely on. Actual energy use will be taken
as a baseline and data will be measured. The data that will be used as a normal operating
condition and point of reference for the future will be called as baseline data. Most measured
data will be collected/measured later in the process, but the baseline data is the data that will
be collected in initial stage from the existing documents. Most common baseline data is the
utility bills for a period of one to two years.
Building Profile: The preliminary data that is available will be used to make a profile of the
building. The data includes building plans, energy expenditures, significant loads and other
basic info.
This will be the main phase of the audit process and will comprise of two phases. First the core
members of the team will conduct the investigation and then in the second phase, they will help
in reporting the investigation. The subordinate associates of the team will also be involved in
making the report. If required help may be taken from outside contractors according to their
expertise.
Audit Investigation: This is the step in which the team members will carry out the
investigation while remaining confined within the scope of the audit. Sources or resources of
energy will be traced to their point of usage. During this process a variety of test instruments
will be used to identify the areas where energy is being wasted or there are abnormal conditions.
The team will assess and report the efficiency and life cycle of the systems. Time frame of this
process will depend on the factors like size of the building and if the extent of the data collected
needs to be increased. It can vary from several days to weeks.
Audit Reporting: This will be the second phase of the main energy audit process. The
investigation will be reported in this phase and the complete summary of inquiry will be
provided as well as the results of this inquiry will be reported in an ordered and arranged
manner. In each instance of wastage, the financial implication will be calculated based on the
measurements taken. For each area the energy is being wasted any solutions that are possible
will be suggested as well as the investment that will be required for it. The total investment
required will contain the money required for the complete work including the investment on
buying new parts or complete system, money required for installing these or repairing and to
train any personnel as well as any losses due to stopping of work. In the report every scheme
will be arranged based on how much Return on Investment (ROI) is expected on it as long as
there is no other factor that can cause an effect on the order. By arranging the implements this
way we will provide an easy way for the people who must decide to determine how much cost-
effective a suggestion is.
Implementation Of Suggestions.
In this stage of the process the decision makers will evaluate recommended changes to make
against the budget and other constraints. It will be decided whether to implement some or all
the recommended changes and accordingly an action plan will be established to implement
these changes. The team members will be assigned their responsibilities to initiate and
complete the assigned and make sure the changes get implemented according to the
recommendations. If any changes in the recommended changes become necessary, the audit
team will be consulted to obtain the best course of work. The planning of the project will also
include the plan on how the success of the project will be measured.
After the project has been completed the results obtained will be compared and analyzed to
confirm whether the expected results were achieved successfully. After everything has been
completed projects like Energy Audit should be conducted again to make sure that during the
process there were no undesirable effects. It is a very endorsed practice to install some
measuring instruments that continuously measure the consumption of the high load systems.
The programs of maintenance will be adjusted to maintain the achieved energy savings. This
naturally includes refining precautionary and analytical preservation activities as well as quick
maintenance in case of a problem. It is necessary that audits are kept being conducted after
some time to verify that same energy is being used as was predicted and identify if there is any
trend that goes towards inefficient systems. The level one audits can be conducted easily even
weekly and the more explained audits can be conducted after a longer period.
The systems that are expected to have a high return on investment should always be included
within the scope of audit which means that we can save a significant amount of energy while
using a relatively small amount of investment. Following is a table of systems that can be
changed or modified categorized according to their Return on Investment (ROI).
Systems like Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning units and lighting have high return on
investments. Medium return on investment can be gained by managing quality of electrical
power, repairing and maintaining or replacing electric motors or drives, managing compressed
air. Things like managing building envelop, plug-in loads, systems of water and waste or
recycling systems.
The method that will be used to perform the energy audit in commercial buildings is known as
Life Cycle Cost Analysis method. In this approach to energy audit, data is gathered for a
specific life span of a component or a system and cost is calculated for that time span relating
to initial investment, operating cost and the cost of disposing off the system properly after the
system has served its life. The calculation can be done for a system following the equation.
C = Cost of investment
R = Cost of replacing
M = non-annually recurring operating, maintenance and repair cost (except energy costs)
E = Cost of Energy Use.
There are various types of data that is required for calculation of Life Cycle Cost. The types
are given below.
• Occupancy Data.
• Physical Data.
• Cost Data.
• Performance Data.
• Quality Data.
A tool called GaBi will be used to perform the calculations for the Life Cycle Cost Analysis
(LCCA).
Electrical Instruments:
Instrument Parameter
Voltmeter Voltage
Ammeter Current
Ohmmeter Resistance
Multi-meter V, I & R
Instrument Parameter
Digital thermometer Temp. inside air duct (thermocouple probe for high
with temp. probe T)
Instrument Parameter
Vane type anemometer Air velocity through a coil, air intake & exhaust,
etc.
Instrument Parameter
Steam leak detector Detect steam leakage (usually for steam trap)
• DC.
• AC.
• Alternating Current Voltage.
• Direct Current Voltage.
• Apparent Power.
• Effective Power.
Electrical motors
Electrical motors can often account for a huge fraction of the whole energy use. The reason to
this can be often that the motor is mismatched, of more size as compared to the load to be
handled or often they have undergone numerous spells of re-wounding.
If needed to find a motor that will be suitable to replace the already installed motor and to find
which is more cost-efficient following parameters are measured:
1. Hours of Operation.
2. Values of Efficiency Improving.
3. Handled Load.
𝑃𝑖
Load = 𝑥100% (i)
𝑃𝑖𝑟
Where:
𝑉 𝑥 𝐼 𝑥 𝑃.𝐹 𝑥 √3
Pi = (ii)
1000
Where:
V = Voltage of 3 Phases
To Calculate Efficiency,
0.7457 𝑥 ℎ𝑝 𝑥 𝐿𝑜𝑎𝑑
η= (iv)
Pt
Where:
hp = Horsepower
Building Envelop Thermal Insulation: One method to reduce the heating and cooling loads
of a building is to install thermal insulation in the walls. Many materials are used in thermal
insulation of buildings. Thermal insulator is a system that prevents the heat to flow across itself.
The materials of insulation prevent the heat transfer across the physiques having different
temperatures. The less the thermal conductivity of the material the better is the performance of
insulation. That is, the rate at which a fixed amount of energy transfers across a known
thickness of the material.
U = 1/Rtotal
Where:
Where:
R=D/λ
Where:
Lighting systems:
In commercial buildings lighting is the second most energy consuming system. So, it is
important that a most economical system is designed.
The calculation parameters for designing of an efficient lighting system are explained below.
Room Index depends upon the shape and size of the room and explains the ratio between the
three dimensions of the room.
𝑙𝑥𝑏
R.I =
ℎ𝑤𝑐 (𝑙+𝑏)
The above given formula is applicable only in the condition if the length of the room is smaller
than width of the room multiplied by 4.
When we calculate the ratio of the lumen output of the lamp after a certain period has passed
to the lumen output the same brand-new lamp, we give this ratio the name of Maintenance
Factor.
The ratio of center to center distance between in line luminaries to the height of them above
the plane of working is called as Space to Height Ratio.
1 𝐴
𝑆𝐻𝑅 = √
𝐻𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑁
Where,
N = Amount of Lights
This ratio should not exceed the max SHR of the luminaire which is provided by the
manufacturing company.
HVAC Installations.
In commercial building the systems that are the most energy demanding are the HVAC
installations. The HVAC installations control the temperature, humidity and air flow in a
building. Significant amount of energy can be saved by installing HVAC systems with high
COPs in conjunction with the design of the building. Normally we can save about 30% of
energy if the payback time is kept to three to five years. And if we increase the period of
payback to about 7 years, the savings can be increased to about 40%.
Heat Load Calculations for designing of a HVAC system are made in the following way.
Heat Gain Due to Shaded Wall Conductance:
Q = U.A.ΔT
A= Surface Area.
ΔT= Difference of Temperature.
Heat Gain Due to Sunlit Surfaces Conductance:
Q = U x A x CTLD
The term CTLD is taken to consider in the additional heat transfers due to the shining of the
sun on the windows, wall surface and the ability of the boundary to store energy.
Heat Gain Through Windows:
Q = U x A x CTLD
The term CTLD is taken to consider in the additional heat transfers due to the shining of the
sun on the windows, wall surface and the ability of the boundary to store energy.
Heat Gain Through Glass (Skylight etc.)
Q = A x SC x SCL
SC = Shading Coefficient
SCL = Solar Cooling Load Factor
SCL: A factor used to estimate the rate at which solar heat energy radiates directly into the
space, heats up the surface and furnishings, and is later released into the space as a sensible
heat gain.
SC: It is an expression used to define how much of the radiant heat energy, that strikes the
outer surface of the glass, is transmitted through the glass and into the space.
Heat Gain from People
Qs = No. Of People x Sensible Heat Gain Per Person x CLF
QL = No. Of People x Latent Heat Gain Per Person
Level Of Activity Sensible Heat Gain Latent Heat Gain
Moderately active work 250 BTU/hr (75W) 200 BTU/hr (55W)
(Office)
Standing, light work, 250 BTU/hr (75W) 200 BTU/hr (55W)
walking (Store)
Light bench work (Factory) 275 BTU/hr (80W) 475BTU/hr (140W)
Heavy work (Factory) 580BTU/hr(170W) 870BTU/hr (255W)
Exercise (Gymnasium) 710BTU/hr (210W) 1090BTU/hr (315W)
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