Detailed Energy Audit and Energy Conservation Measures for a Goverment Primary Schools

Abstract

Energy efficiency in government primary schools is significantly important in supporting national sustainable development and reducing energy consumption. This paper presents a detailed energy audit conducted at Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Binjai, Tongkang Pechah, Johor aims to evaluate energy performance, analysis the load apportioning and identify inefficiency .This study began with a preliminary audit assessment to assess energy usage and possibilities for the Energy Conservation Measures (ECM) in the school building. Next, a detailed energy audit that involved several processes was carried out in the school building, including collecting desktop and field data, analyzing energy performance, and identifying the breakdown of the energy usage and inefficiency within the school building. The finding reveals that Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Binjai had varied energy utilization throughout 2024, which indicates that the school's academic calendar significantly influences school energy consumption. Moreover, the Building Energy Index (BEI) for Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Binjai is 5.83 kWh/m²/year, indicating a lower level of energy performance compared to the MS5215:2019 standard. This finding also revealed that mechanical ventilation systems, particularly fans, are the biggest contributors to energy usage in the school building, followed by the lighting system, accounting for between 57% and 43% of total energy consumption in the school. Therefore, several Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) are proposed that include LED retrofitting, optimization of fan operation, and energy awareness practices. This study has demonstrated that a detailed energy audit can effectively identify inefficiencies, optimizing the energy usage and supporting sustainable energy management in primary school buildings.