DefinePK

Abstract

In order to reduce CO2 greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel power plants the reduction of energy consumption through energy efficiency is a promising avenue. The cooling energy demand of a building in a hot and humid climate like Malaysia contributes a lot to the total energy consumption with air conditioners consuming a reported 57 % of the electrical energy in Malaysian office buildings. A UniKL-MICET laboratory was chosen to test the effect of acrylics sheet as a second layer of a single-glazed window and rock mineral wool as a ceiling insulation on the specific electricity consumption (SEC) of the air conditioner before and after retrofitting. The temperature set-point of the air conditioner throughout the study was 16°C. The SEC was reduced by 3.8 % when upgrading the windows from single glazing unit (SGU) to double glazed units (DGU), while the SEC was reduced a further 2.4 % when insulating the ceiling too (DGU+CI). In addition, the temperature of the air conditioned lab decreased after retrofitting (DGU+CI) by 2°C to 4.2°C depending on location within the lab. Thus, further electricity savings can be expected if the set-point is raised to match the original temperature of the lab. The cost of electricity can reduce to 3.75% per year after retrofitting, with ROI estimated approximately 12 years’ time.