Energy efficiency policy for existing typical campus buildings in the university of malaya

Abstract

A very large component of the maintenance cost of any real estate property is the electricity consumption cost. The electricity consumption cost of a 700-acre university campus in Malaysia would reach an overall yearly operating expenditure of nearly RM 1 billion. Knowing this fact, the University of Malaya's (UM) top management has conducted many projects at various scales to address energy efficiency (EE), including the replacement of old and inefficient mechanical and electrical (M&E) equipment and the installation of new EE technologies around the campus. In enhancing the overall EE effort, an energy management system is required to ensure that a calculated EE plan can be implemented and audited after it is completed to improve the overall sustainability of UM. Therefore, this study presents the formulation of an Energy Management System (EMS) for UM based on the ASEAN Energy Management Scheme (AEMAS) methodology. Results show that with the full support of the top management of the university, the EMS can be implemented with at least a 5% electricity consumption reduction per year. The formalization of the EMS is the most important step in ensuring any marked reduction in electricity consumption campus-wide.