An Assessment of Energy Performance Index of the Nigerian Universities' Senate Building

Abstract

Apparently, Nigeria is struggling with the developmental issues of the incessant power outage and lack of energy services. The primary sources of energy for office building are from national grid and gasoline generators. However, the former is not reliable and the latter is unsustainable; hence, the need to explore energy efficiency strategies to cut down the energy demand for cooling office building in Nigeria is unavoidable. The article aimed to assess the energy efficiency or performance index of the Nigerian Universities' senate buildings in the north-eastern region (dry sub-humid climate). The research employed a case study approach, construction of baseline model with the Revit architecture software and applied DesignBuilder building analysis software to evaluate the energy performance of the senate building as built. The research findings showed that energy efficiency indexes for both universities' senate buildings (57% and 63%) which were relatively below the recommended standard checklist. Also, the simulation results further showed that both case studies require 141.4wh/m2 and 127.3wh/m2 heating/cooling per annum compared to the stipulated LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standard of 15wh/m2. Therefore, research implication is that it is essential for the architects and engineers to incorporate more proactive energy efficiency strategies in the design of office buildings in Nigeria.