ENERGY EFFICIENCY TECHNOLOGY IN OFFICE AND COMMERCIAL

BUILDINGS

FREDERICK THEN

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the

Requirement for the award of the degree of

Master of Science in Land Administration and Development

Faculty of Geoinformation & Real Estate

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

June 2013

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thanks all those who have help me and I would like to express

my sincere gratitude and heartfelt appreciation to the following people whose

assistance and contribution to the accomplishment of my study In the course of

preparing this dissertation:

I am deeply grateful and indebted to Professor Dr. Megat Mohd Ghazali for

his support, guidance and valuable advice throughout this academic exercise as my

supervisor.

I would like to express my appreciation to the various groups and

organization, Companies and professional bodies namely, Building Sector Energy

Efficiency Program (BSEEP), JKR, KJ Engineering, Dalkia Technical Services Sdn.

Bhd., and Mid Valley Megamall Sdn. Bhd., for sharing with me their knowledge and

experience during the various meeting, site visits and group discussion, especially for

their continuous support and warm help.

Last but not least, I am very thankful to my beloved wife and family members

and parents and all my friends whom I have been working with for their support,

encouragement mentally and physically and patience throughout the period of my

study in UTM.

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ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to investigate on how the designs of the energy

efficiency technology used in the Green building technology for building can be

replicated in terms of its performance and application. The energy efficiency

technology can be translated to the possible gains in playing the role of reducing the

carbon footprint and also the cost savings derived from transferring the EE

technology to existing building can encourage all new and future development to

actively engage in the Green Building Technology. The saving derived from the

implementation of green technology systems implemented in some commercial and

office building in Malaysia can be shared to help other developers, Engineers,

Architect, and building owners to establish that the building energy systems’

particularly the air-conditioning system and its subsystems’ is able to play a major

role in the possibility of creating awareness of Energy Efficiency technology and

eventually cost saving for both commercial and office building in Malaysia. The

investigate conducted and data quantify from the 2 scenario; firstly by retrofitting of

the existing building and , secondly data from EE designed office buildings’, the

observation is clear that the energy efficient technology can be replicated and will

yield a potential saving s even for existing building owners who have retrofitted their

building. Whereas for building that is designed to be energy efficient has

demonstrated that there are great possibility of cost saving and at the same time play

its part in helping in promoting Green technology as part of their corporate social

responsibility’s role to provide a clear perspective to Developers to actively utilize

Energy Efficient technology in future developments . The simulation results further

verify the correctness of the energy saving potential.

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ABSTRAK

Tujuan kajian ini adalah untuk menyiasat bagaimana reka bentuk teknologi

kecekapan tenaga yang digunakan dalam teknologi Bangunan Hijau untuk bangunan

boleh ditiru dari segi prestasi dan penggunaannya. Teknologi kecekapan tenaga

boleh diterjemahkan kepada keuntungan mungkin memainkan peranan untuk

mengurangkan kesan karbon dan juga penjimatan kos yang diperolehi dari

pemindahan teknologi EE untuk bangunan yang sedia ada boleh menggalakkan

semua pembangunan baru dan masa depan untuk melibatkan diri secara aktif di

Bangunan Teknologi Hijau. Penjimatan yang diperolehi daripada pelaksanaan

sistem teknologi hijau dilaksanakan di beberapa bangunan komersil dan pejabat di

Malaysia boleh dikongsi bersama bagi membantu permaju lain, Jurutera, Arkitek,

dan pemilik bangunan untuk membuktikan bahawa terutamanya sistem dan

penghawa dingin sistem tenaga bangunan 'yang subsistem ' dapat memainkan

peranan utama dalam kemungkinan mewujudkan kesedaran Tenaga teknologi

Kecekapan dan akhirnya menjimatkan kos untuk kedua-dua bangunan komersil dan

pejabat di Malaysia. Menyiasat dijalankan dan data kuantiti dari 2 senario; pertama

oleh retrofitting bangunan yang sedia ada dan, kedua data dari EE bangunan pejabat

direka ', pemerhatian adalah jelas bahawa teknologi tenaga yang cekap boleh ditiru

dan akan menghasilkan potensi penjimatan walaupun untuk pemilik bangunan yang

sedia ada yang telah dipasang bangunan mereka. Manakala bagi bangunan yang

direka untuk menjadi cekap tenaga telah menunjukkan bahawa terdapat

kemungkinan besar penjimatan kos dan pada masa yang sama memainkan peranan

dalam membantu dalam mempromosikan teknologi hijau sebagai sebahagian

daripada peranan tanggungjawab sosial korporat mereka untuk memberikan

perspektif yang jelas kepada Pemaju untuk aktif menggunakan teknologi Cekap

Tenaga dalam pembangunan masa depan. Simulasi keputusan lagi mengesahkan

kebenaran penjimatan tenaga potensi.

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TABLE OF CONTENT

CHAPTER TITLE PAGE

DECLARATION ii

DEDICATION iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv

ABSTRACT v

ABSTRAK vi

TABLE OF CONTENT vii

LIST OF FIGURE x

LIST OF TABLE xi

LIST OF CHART xii

LIST OF APPENDIX xiii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xiv

1 INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background 1

1.2 Problem statement 3

1.3 Aims and objectives of the study 3

1.4 Methodology 4

1.5 Limitations of Dissertation 5

1.6 Organization of the dissertation 6

2 GREEN DEVELOPMENT 8

2.1 Introduction 8

2.2 Green Building 9

2.3 Demonstration Buildings 10

2.4 Green Building Index (GBI) 11

2.5 Component of GBI 13

2.6 Energy Efficiency in Industrial Existing Building 17

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2.7 Types and nature of building’s energy consumption 19

2.8 Consumption analysis of building energy consuming systems 20

2.9 Description and its classification of “Office Building” 21

2.10 Office building energy performance benchmark 21

2.10.1 Breakdown of Chiller Energy 22

2.11 Energy efficiency application in office building 24

2.12 Approaches use to measure building energy saving potential 26

2.12.1 Basic method 26

2.12.2 Benchmarking 27

2.12.3 Whole building metered approach 27

2.12.4 Retrofit isolation approach 28

2.13 Computer simulation 29

2.14 Estimation by experts’ through experience approach 30

2.15 Summary 31

3 DATA GETHERING 33

3.1 Introduction 33

3.2 Data gathering 34

3.3 Physical characteristics of the selected buildings 35

3.3.1 Functions of the surveyed buildings 35

3.3.2 Age of the surveyed buildings 36

3.3.3 Height distribution of the surveyed buildings 37

3.3.4 Floor Area distribution (GFA) of surveyed buildings 37

3.3.5 Building Space Usage 38

3.3.6 Building Occupancy 39

3.3.7 Building Functioning Time 39

3.3.8 Building Indoor Environment 40

3.3.9 Central plant air conditioning systems 40

3.4 Identification of energy consuming equipment and systems 41

3.5 Summary 44

4 DATA ANALYSIS 45

4.1 Introduction 45

4.2 Total building HVAC system energy consumption 46

4.2.1 To derive the peak load requirement: 47

4.2.2 To derive the yearly cooling load required for each of the building: 47

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4.2.3 Operating cost based on calculated RT 48

4.2.4 To derive the possible cost saving of the surveyed buildings: 48

4.3 EE technology implemented in surveyed Buildings 50

4.3.1 Lighting Power Density 53

4.3.2 Lighting Control 54

4.3.3 HVAC Sizing Design Practices 55

4.3.4 AHU Efficiency 56

4.3.5 Chiller Efficiency 57

4.3.6 Multiple Chillers 57

4.4 Auditing and Retrofitting Existing Buildings into Energy Efficient

Buildings 58

4.5 Summary 58

5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 60

5.1 Introduction 60

5.2 Review and achievement of research objectives 61

5.3 Physical properties of build in relation to EE 63

5.4 Recommendation and Contribution of this study 64

5.5 Significance of the research 65

5.6 Limitations of study 65

5.7 Further studies 66

5.8 Summary 67

Bibliography 69

Appendix A 71

Appendix B 77

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LIST OF FIGURE

FIGURE NO. TITLE PAGE

2.1 Energy Index Breakdown ...................................................................... 22

3.1 GFA, Age & height of surveyed buildings ........................................... 38

4.1 Samples of LED light & Tech data ....................................................... 53

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LIST OF TABLE

TABLE NO. TITLE PAGE

2.1 GBI Point allocation (non residential) 14

2.2 Green Building Index classification 15

2.3 Assessment Criteria for industrial existing Building 15

2.4 IEB Assessment criteria score card 16

2.5 EE score breakdown 18

3.1 Configuration of surveyed buildings 36

3.2 Distribution of GFA and usage space 38

3.3 Occupancy rate and operating hours of surveyed buildings 39

3.4 General data for GFA, Age, Height, and operating hours 40

3.5 Number of Buildings and Electric Energy Use per Square Foot of

Floor Area by Census Division 42

3.6 Type of Building Installation for the Buildings 43

4.1 Peak load for the yearly cooling load required 47

4.2 Performance of the chiller plant cost of production, in RM/ year. 48

4.3 Energy consumption of the retrofitted building 49

4.4 Energy consumption of the various Energy Efficient designed

building 50

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LIST OF CHART

CHART NO. TITLE PAGE

2.1 Distribution of energy consumption of central air conditioning 20

4.1 Samples of controllable LED lights 55

xiii

LIST OF APPENDIX

APPENDIX TITLE PAGE

A Survey form for a conventional AND Energy

Efficient designed building

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B Survey form for retrofitted building 77

xiv

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

AC Air conditioning

ACA Air-conditioning area (m2)

AHU Air handling unit

ASEAN Association of south-east Asian nations

BSP Building simulation program

CA Common area

CAC EC Central air-conditioning energy consumption (kWh/year)

CAC EE Central air-conditioning energy efficiency (kWh/m2/year)

CBECS Commercial buildings energy consumption survey

CH EC Chiller system energy consumption (kWh/year)

CH EE Chiller energy efficiency (kWh/m2/year)

CHWP EC Chilled water pump energy consumption (kWh/year)

CHWP EE Chilled water pump energy efficiency (kWh/m2/year)

CPA Car park Area

CT EC Cooling tower energy consumption (kWh/year)

CT EE Cooling tower energy efficiency (kWh/m2/year)

CWP EE condensing water pump energy efficiency (kWh/m2/year)

DSP Detailed simulation program

ECM Energy conservation measurement

EC Energy consumption

EE Energy efficiency

EMCS Energy management and control system

EPA Environmental protection agency

ESCO Energy Services Company

EUI Energy use intensity

FCU Fan coil unit

GFA Gross floor area (m2/FT2)

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GFA ex cpa Gross floor area excluding car park area (m2/FT2)

GLA Gross lettable area (m2/ft2)

HBLC Heat balance loads calculator

HVAC Heating, ventilating and air conditioning

LSAC Standalone air-con of the landlord

M&E Mechanical and electrical

MEPR M&E plant room area

M&V Measurement and verification

OHF Operating hours factor

OR Occupancy rate (%)

PC Personal computer

RCU Remote control unit

SE Savings estimate

SP Saving potential

TSAC standalone air-con of the tenant

1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

Buildings are responsible for a significant share of the world’s environmental

footprint. In the United States, buildings were responsible for 38.9% of total energy

consumption and 72% of electricity consumption in 2006. Heating, ventilation, and

air conditioning (HVAC) make up the largest portion of commercial building energy

use (52%). The second largest use of energy in commercial buildings is lighting,

which accounts for 20% of a building’s energy consumption on average. Lighting

and HVAC improvements therefore represent a significant opportunity for energy

efficiency in buildings.1

In addition to energy use, building occupants in the U.S. use

3.4 billion gallons of water each day, and are responsible for the majority of waste

generation. Building-related construction and demolition debris amounts to 169

million tons per year, or approximately 26% of total nonindustrial waste generated.

Combined with waste disposed of during operation and renovations, building-related

waste constitutes two-thirds of all solid waste generation in the United States.2

(JIMOH, 2011)

1 World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Transforming the Market, Energy Efficiency in

Buildings, http://www.wbcsd.org/DocRoot/rVDgBRKvPngUrqivMHNM/91719_EEBReport_WEB.pdf

2 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Buildings and the Environment: A Statistical Summary,

http://www.epa.gov/greenbuilding/pubs/gbstats.pdf

2

Typical energy breakdown in Malaysian office buildings is 50% for

air‐conditioning, 25% for lighting and 25% for small power (equipment). In addition,

air conditioning energy is not only due to heat from solar gain in building but also

due to heat from electrical lighting, electrical equipment, conduction (through

building fabric), provision of fresh air in building and people occupancy. Each of

these items contributes a significant part to the air‐conditioning energy used. Unless

air-conditioning is not used at all, it is not possible to reduce energy consumption in

building by 50% or more by addressing one item alone.

Due to the rapid technological change in Malaysia on electrical lighting,

air‐conditioning and availability of cheap energy from the mid‐20th century onwards,

unhealthy design practices in energy efficiency has crept into building design and

operation. Today, one can easily identify hundreds, if not thousands, of items in

building design and construction that can be made better to improve energy

efficiency in buildings. In fact, many building product suppliers are aggressively

marketing building material with claims of energy efficiency for the building.

With so many options available from the market place, it has become quite

confusing for building designers. Are all the claims made by suppliers 100%

truthful? Is it really possible to save the amount of energy claimed? In addition, due

to the complexities of energy efficiency in buildings, it is easy to mislead the market

by providing and/or withholding information. One simple example that is often heard

in the industry is the ‘oversell’ of reducing solar gain in building. While it is true that

reduction of solar gain in building is a very important part of an energy efficient

building but claims of 50% reduction of solar gain in building is not the same as 50%

energy reduction in building.

In this document, I will attempt to correct the misinformation in the building

industry by providing simple and clear advice on the energy efficiency impact of

typical design options already practiced by many architects and engineers in

Malaysia. These design options provided are not new to architects and engineers. An

attempt is made in this document to provide a general guide on the real and

3

quantifiable benefit of these design options. With the provision of quantifiable

benefits, it is hope that decision by architects and engineers for energy efficiency in

building can be made quickly if not instantly on a majority of energy efficient design

issues.

1.2 Problem statement

More often than not, that a negative connotation or respond is receive on the

acceptability and on the implementation of Green Building technology and Energy

Efficient technologies in future development. That is still in the minds of most

developers, building owners and investors. Too those their main concern is why do

they need to invest larger capitol for the benefit and use of their tenant if they were to

implement GBI or Green certification?

Looking beyond the mere benefit of the prestige in the name of the building

which is certified as Green Building, there are other financial gains to the developers

or investors and building owner which they might have over sighted.

This study will look at the possibilities of potential savings in both new Green

building and also Energy Efficient technologies installed in older existing build could

be a saving for the owners of the building.

1.3 Aims and objectives of the study

The aim and objective of this dissertation are described as follows:

(i) To examine the concept of Green commercial and office building and to

identify the main Energy consuming component and systems found in

all commercial and office building in Malaysia;

(ii) To identify various Energy saving potential through the installation of

Energy Efficient technology adaptable in commercial and office office

4

building and to quantify the amount of potential saving benefited

through the installation of EE technologies.

Results of this work should help to demonstrate the effects of some efficiency

measures and provide a clear understanding of energy efficiency in buildings and

specifically in commercial and office buildings outlining what would be the most

feasible renewable technique to be adopted in commercial and office buildings,

although there is a large amount of information and products available about energy

efficiency in commercial buildings of which some are contradictory. This

dissertation aims to provide a clear and quantifiable perspective to Developers,

building management companies and professionals to actively utilize Energy

Efficient technology in future developments

1.4 Methodology

The comparative study on the prescriptive and performance of each building

will vary as there are no two building alike, of which each has its own specific data,

requirements, and function and look and feel. Generally, the physical attributes of

the building and the M&E installations are not unique to any one building so to

follow the same methodology to obtain the necessary data for the study, namely:

(i) Collect data on the attributes of the building and the M&E installation

which consumes energy to develop the energy-efficiency indicator(s)

and conduct the benchmarking exercise; it is used as the dependent

variable;

(ii) Collect data of the building physical and system parameters as the

independent variable(s); these variables are selected based on two

criteria: First, they were considered as the more influential parameters

affecting electricity use, and secondly, they were the “must have” for

most buildings;

5

(iii) Estimate the potential saving roughly and determine whether the

building systems path or the whole building performance path is to be

adopted;

(iv) Determine the significant indicators among the variables according to

the analysis;

(v) Calculate the difference of the saving between retrofit or to design

new commercial and office building.

1.5 Limitations of Dissertation

This study faces certain limitations which are given as follows:

(i) Constraints of time;

(ii) Constraints of measurements, resources and access to office

buildings have led to a small sample size selected and limited

number of buildings. In this study, only 9 buildings were surveyed

and investigated. However, this sample size is still adequate for

building system benchmarking and energy saving modelling

process.

(iii) The average annual office building energy consumption in the last

one year of the investigation is assumed as the building baseline

energy consumption. This may bring some errors in the saving

estimation. But since this dissertation is just a study of energy

saving potential, the difference is neglected between the average

annual electricity bill of one year and the accurate baseline value.

Information obtained from office buildings managers may not be

absolutely accurate. In addition, information such as area,

equipment operation schedule is calculated manually and it is

inevitably subjected to a degree of human error.

6

1.6 Organization of the dissertation

Chapter 1 presents the background of the study, research aims & objectives,

scope and limitations of the study.

Chapter 2 introduces what Green building is about, its system components

installed in commercial and office buildings and energy performance in Malaysia.

The issues highlighted in this chapter include the definition and classification of

commercial and office buildings, types and nature of office building systems’ energy

consumption, office building energy performance; the benchmarking and energy

consumption estimation is also described here. An outline provided for the research

methodology to be used in this dissertation. It also describes the selection process of

office and commercial buildings.

Chapter 3 describes on the data gathering and mode to obtain the data from

various sources. The details data collate on the various parameter is analysis for the

commercial and office building’s Energy performance with reference the building’s

energy consuming systems partially for the central air conditioning systems and

other related sub-systems. The basis of the sampling and the type of sampling is

considered.

Chapter 4, outline the analyses of the data obtain from the field and presented

it in a comparative analysis on the energy saving potential of each category of

buildings. The basis of the surveyed Buildings and the type of sampling is

considered to effectively gauge the effectiveness of energy consumed verses the

energy efficiency technology employed in building.

The potential saving is demonstrated in this chapter with references to the

various calculated methods and through the benchmark method to quantify the

potential cost saving in implementing energy efficient technology either through

retrofitting of older and existing buildings or to design build that are meant to be

Green building with the EE installations in the building.

Chapter 5, in the chapter the conclusion and recommendation is draw

conclusively that the study objectives are met and that the potential saving is possible

7

with a summary of the main findings, contributions and recommendations for future

studies and the limitation of the current study.

69

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