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Towards Energy Efficient Buildings for a Sustainable Mauritius

Mr Y K Ramgolam Lecturer, Faculty of Engineering, University of Mauritius y.ramgolam@uom.ac.mu B. Cunniah Manager, Electrical and Electronic Engineering Laboratory, Mauritius Standards Bureau bcunniah@msb.intnet.mu D. Dhondee Head of Unit, Engineering Division, Mauritius Standards Bureau dldhondee@msb.intnet.mu

Abstract
The Government of Mauritius has placed much emphasis on sustainable development through the use of renewable sources of energy and adopting concepts of green buildings. It is not enough just to have sufficient amounts of energy available. But the way it is used must reflect increased environmental awareness. Challenges in the areas of energy and the environment can be met not by doing without technology but rather by continuing to develop it to save energy and protect the environment. One way for us to save energy is to use it more intelligently and therefore more efficiently.This paper provides a holistic approach to develop and retrofit to energy efficient buildings. It provides an overview of energy audits and the steps towards the implementation of an energy management system. Important standards related to energy efficiency in buildings and energy audits are discussed. Key words: Energy audit, energy efficiency standards, sustainability, energy efficient buildings.

It is often assumed that a green building will be energy efficient. Unfortunately this is not always the case because a building can gain green certification based on environmental factors other than energy efficiency. A building certified as green may actually not be any more energy efficient than a typical, non-green building. One of the major aspects that must be considered to make a building sustainable is the energy efficiency of a building. The most important indicator for the energy efficiency is the electrical energy of the building. Therefore, monitoring and controlling the electrical energy is the best way to enhance the performance of the building as a whole.

Current Energy Status of Mauritius

During the last decade, the rate of urbanisation has been increasing in Mauritius. The coastal regions have been flocked with hotels and commercial centres. For the decentralisation of the capital city, a lot of buildings are being constructed, which has seen prime-lands converted into urban and business zones. There is no questioning on the enormous impact that buildings have on the environment. Along with physical destruction of nature and consumption of a major share of the local energy, buildings also generate an extensive amount of greenhouse gases, waste and other by-products that harm the larger environment. The side effects of the environmental impact have already been felt globally with unpredictable climatic changes. Mauritius acceded to the Kyoto Protocol on 9 May 2001. However the Kyoto Protocol became operational only as from 16 February 2005. A Clean Development Mechanism which is one of the flexible mechanisms put in place under the Kyoto Protocol to enable industrialised countries to meet their Green House Gas (GHG) emission reduction targets by

Introduction: Green and Energy Efficient Buildings

The term green arouse a wide range of sentiments among different people. Words like green, environmental and even sustainability are rapidly becoming buzzwords in Mauritius taking on whatever meaning a persons political philosophy might see fit to assign. Generally the concept of Green Building is based on an economic development and urbanisation which does not go against the flow of nature. Green Building principles should reflect through the complete building life cycle and are aimed at reducing their direct and indirect impacts upon the environment. The essential element of green building is to make the most efficient use of resources such as energy, water and material, and to ensure that the building maintenance activities do not burden the environment.

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funding projects in developing countries with the aim of achieving sustainable development is being implemented in Mauritius [1]. In line with the above, the Ministry of Environment and NDU (now Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development) in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), has developed a National Programme on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) for Mauritius. One of the key priority areas which has been identified is the need for an action plan on Sustainable Buildings. It is also a fact that buildings consume as much as 40% of the global energy. Over the past decade, electricity demand and price in Mauritius has been increasing. The Central Electricity Board (CEB) forecasts that energy generation requirements will increase by approximately 60% over the next 10 years, from 1492 GWh in 2002 to 2,436 GWh in 2012 [2]. In addition to that, a recent energy audit has shown that the price of KWh of electricity for the commercial tariff has increased by almost twice during the interval 2006 to 2009. It is expected that the price of unit consumption will continue to rise in the coming years. The latter is mainly due to the dependence on heavy oil and fossil fuels for the energy production. Currently, 40% of the total energy is produced from coal, 40% from heavy oil and 16% from bagasse. The remaining 4% is hydro electricity. This shows a national dependence on heavy oil and coal. The price per barrel of heavy oil is not stable and is always increasing. Consequently the price of energy produced from such sources will be ever growing. However there is still room for optimism. Two ways of going towards sustainable buildings are firstly to derive the required energy from renewable sources and secondly to use energy in an intelligent way. For the latter a proper energy management system needs to be implemented in an organization. The Ministry of Renewable Energy & Public Utilities (now the Ministry of Energy and Public Utilities) has developed a long term energy strategy for Mauritius to achieve improvement of efficiency in the use of energy and reduction in the use of fossil fuels and in the emission of green house gases arising from energy use. Government recognises the potential for energy efficiency in all sectors of the economy. As for energy efficient buildings, the Government is emphasizing in the adoption of sustainable energy and energy efficiency principles in all public infrastructures. In order to implement energy efficiency in the country, Government strategy is to remove all current barriers and introduce an energy policy to promote long term sustainable development in line with the Maurice Ile Durable project [3].The energy policy will certainly be the driving force which will compel all organisations to adopt an energy management system such that they use the energy efficiently. The major objectives of the energy policy are security

of supply, affordable energy, competitiveness and energy independence in the long term.To achieve these objectives, Government will implement measures to promote energy efficiency at all levels, including standards for electrical appliances and energy management in buildings. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with the Global Environment Facility (GEF), initiated a project titled Removal of Barriers to Energy Efficiency and Energy Conservation in Buildings for Mauritius. An important part of this project is a cooperative effort with the Ministry of Renewable Energy and Public Utilities (now the Ministry of Energy and Public Utilities) to establish energy standards and labelling for domestic appliances in Mauritius.

Moving Towards Energy Efficient Buildings

Energy use in buildings has been on the rise during the previous decades. Sheer increases in numbers underlie much of this growth. Increased demand for energyintensive services such as air-conditioning, ventilation, heating, computers and electric machinery has further increased commercial buildings energy use. In order to save energy we must learn to use it more intelligently and therefore more efficiently. One practical approach to achieve energy efficiency is through the conduction of energy audits in organisations and consequent implementation of recommendations. For the promotion of energy efficiency and driving Mauritius into a sustainable island, the Mauritius Standards Bureau (MSB) has performed preliminary energy audits on a pilot basis at its own premises and for two manufacturing sites namely Consolidated Fabrics Ltd and Tamak Textiles Ltd. This will help these organisations in the implementation of good energy practices. The objective of an energy audit is to support an organisation by specifying pre- and post-audit activities for the energy user organization and to contribute to the quality of existing energy and other management systems. The following main standards are used as a guide to perform energy audits: AS/NZS 3598 Energy audits, BS 8207 Energy efficiency in buildings and BS 8211.1 Energy efficiency in housing among other standards. The reason behind the choice of the mentioned standards is the strategic approach defined for a well organised audit leading to the adoption of an energy management system like the BS EN 16001:2009 Energy management systems, the structure of which is similar to ISO 14001- Environmental management systems. BS EN 16001 specifies the requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining and improving an energy management system. Therefore the adoption of this standard will contribute to the setting up of a continuous improvement process that will lead to more efficient energy use. It will encourage

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organisations to implement an energy monitoring plan as well as energy analysis. The standard, AS/NZS 3598:2000 Energy audit, provides the minimum requirements for commissioning and conducting energy audits which identify opportunities for cost effective investments to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the use of energy [4]. The British standard, BS 8207 Energy efficiency in buildings, outlines the recommendations for the main procedures to be followed to obtain the efficient use of energy in the design and management of buildings and to attain desirable environmental objectives [5]. Finally the standard, BS 8211-1: Energy efficiency in housing is a guide for achieving energy efficient design in the renovation or improvement of existing housing [6]. These standards along with the ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 standards have improved efficiency within organisations, but an energy management system standard helps achieve long term energy efficiency. Attention must also be drawn to the forthcoming ISO 50001 Energy Management Systems which will guide organisations in managing all aspects of energy, including procurement and use. The standard will provide organizations and companies with technical and management strategies to increase energy efficiency, reduce costs, and improve environmental performance. The energy audit forms part of the tools that may be used within an energy management system to optimize on energy use. Energy management is a technical and management function the remit of which is to monitor, record, analyse and critically examine, alter and control energy flows through a system so that energy is utilized with maximum efficiency. The basis of the approach for the implementation of an energy management system like BS EN 16001 is shown in figure 1. Such a management system is a continuous process and will be effective only if it is reviewed periodically and revised as necessary. It must be noted that a properly applied energy management program will lead to improvement of the quality of services in addition to savings that can be
Figure 1 Energy management system model [7].

made through efficient use of energy. But the success of the program utterly depends on regulations which will necessitate energy users to adopt an energy management strategy. At the same time it requires full commitment from all staff in the organisation ranging from senior management down and an effective awareness program and efficient energy use training.

Energy Efficiency Audit

An energy audit is a fundamental part of an energy management program of any organisation that wishes to control its energy costs. The construction of a complete and detailed energy audit is an intricate, tedious but necessary procedure so that major energy use activities can be identified. The most important indicator for the energy efficiency of a site is its electrical efficiency. Efficiency refers to the ratio of output in the form of electric power to the amount of primary energy that was input. The higher the efficiency, the less primary energy is needed to generate the same electricity output and the lower is the greenhouse emissions from the plant. The direct benefits of conducting energy audits in an organisation include financial, operational and environmental benefits. Independent on the amount of investment measures, application of an energy efficiency program leads to reduced expenditure on energy and savings through the elimination of wastage of energy. This also implies a reduction of CO2 emissions from the site itself and the power plant that can be harmful to the environment. Energy audits may also provide recommendations for the implementation of new technologies which allow for efficient control, consumption and generation of energy. Implementation of such measures might result in improved energy reliability of the organisation as whole. There is a direct relationship in the type of audit to be conducted, cost implications, the amount of data that will be collected and analyzed, and the number of conservation opportunities that can be identified. Thus, a first distinction is made between costs of the audit which determines the level of audit to be performed. In general, standards define three levels of audit which are level 1, level 2 and level 3. The level one is mostly known as a walk through audit or an overview. It is a tour of the facility to visually inspect each of the energy using systems and allows the overall energy consumption to be evaluated, hence determining whether the energy use is excessive or reasonable. It also provides rough orders of savings that can be made through improvements in operational and maintenance practices and as well as an initial benchmark of the site so that the effect of energy measures can be tracked and evaluated. For organisations which are keen to implement an energy management system and have not evaluated their

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energy usage it is more appropriate to start with a level 1 as it gives an opportunity to collect information for a more detailed audit later on if the preliminary savings potential appears to warrant an expanded scope of auditing activity. The level 2 audit is also known as an energy use audit. It is often performed after the level 1 audit. It goes on to quantify energy input, uses and losses through an on-site investigation and analysis of equipment, systems, and operational characteristics. Standard energy engineering calculations are used to analyze efficiencies and calculate energy and costs savings based on improvements and changes to each system. Such evaluation provides a detailed recommendation, including costs and savings, and aligns the recommendations with the energy program in effect in the organisation. The accuracy of figures for costs and savings provided in an energy use survey is within 20%. The level 3 audit is known as the analysis audit. As the name suggests, it provides a detailed analysis of energy usage, the savings that can be made and the cost of achieving those savings. It may cover the whole site or may concentrate only on an individual aspect such as lighting or air-conditioning in a building. Intricate metering and process investigations are performed which allows the auditor to come up with elaborated recommendations including costs and savings with an accuracy of figures within 10%. Also an investment analysis can be proposed along with refinements to the energy policy and energy program adopted by the organisation [4, 8].

efficiency. Energy efficiency improvements can be applied to existing buildings as well. Many older buildings were built with little regard for energy efficiency. Retrofitting such buildings could save considerable energy; however, the cost-effectiveness of these retrofits depends on the specific design of a building, the climate, energy costs, and other factors. Estimating the cost- effectiveness of a retrofit with simple engineering calculations is not as straightforward as it may seem; buildings are surprisingly complex, and engineering estimates of energy savings are often inaccurate. Emphasis must be placed on the fact that there must be a growing body of legal obligations on organisations that directly relate to buildings energy efficiency. Such directives should cover: Appliance labelling for a wide range of products; Appliance efficiency standards; Measures to limit carbon dioxide emissions by improving energy efficiency and Energy performance of buildings. Appliance efficiency standards and labelling are implemented to inform consumers about energy efficiency characteristics of electrical appliances and therefore help the consumer to make decisions to purchase more efficient and cost-effective appliances. The first three categories mentioned above are already part of the long-term energy strategy but the last one is as important as the rest. The energy performance rating of a building forms part of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification scheme for green buildings. As the process for going green is much more convoluted than implementation of energy efficiency measures, it will be an intelligent act if the energy efficiency measures are implemented at first, then move towards green building concepts. Methods for expressing energy performance and for energy certifications of buildings have been outlined in the British standard BS EN 15217 [9]. This standard provides overall indicators to express energy performance of whole buildings and ways to express energy requirements for the design of new buildings or renovation of existing buildings. It also specifies ways to design a procedure for building energy certification.

Post Audit: Rating Systems and Energy Certificates

After performing an energy audit a report is submitted to the organisation which outlines by priority the tasks and costs in implementing each measure depending on the level of audit performed. This part of the report is known as an implementation plan and the latter must be endorsed by the management. Through the energy audits it was noticed that this is the most critical part of the energy management program. When it comes to implementation not all management are likely to make cost effective investments for the improvement in energy efficiency. One way to alter this situation is submission of energy certificates to existing and new buildings based on the findings of energy audits. The energy certificates should form part of the energy efficiency act which the government intends to implement in the near future. The certificates must be applicable not only to appliances but also to buildings. They will also be a benchmark on how energy efficient is the organisation relative to organisations of similar size and will force the later to implement necessary measures in order to achieve a certain level of energy

Way forward Towards Energy Efficient Technologies in Buildings for Mauritius

In general, energy efficiency improvements can be achieved through effective implementation of suggested recommendations from energy audits. There are several smart strategies that can be considered, for instance: Improving the efficiency of the energy-using device,

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whereby the device energy performance must be taken into consideration. Improving the design of the overall system by implementation of electrical wiring systems and installations according to code of practice for electrical installation such as the Mauritius Standard MS 63: 2007 (BS 7671:2001). Switching to renewable sources of energy such as wind energy and photovoltaic systems to power the building. Financial incentives may be developed by the Government of Mauritius for improved access to capital in order to motivate consumers to take energy efficiency actions and the implementation of innovative energy-efficient technologies. Improving maintenance and reducing power demand for the services provided by the system. Implementation of smart grid for a better control of appliances to save energy as well as providing incentives to independent power producers. Continual professional development of employees to stay up to date with regulations and standards as well as innovative technologies for improvement of energy efficiency of the organisation as a whole. If these measures live up to their expectations, they will make a major contribution to the objectives and commitments to climate change obligations. Good future results depend on a major commitment by the top management of organisations and regulations to implement these initiatives far more effectively than they have been up to now.

References
1. Clean Development Mechanism (Mauritius) Website. [Online]. Available: http://www.gov.mu/portal/sites/cdmmauritius/kyoto.htm [Accessed: 20 March. 2010]. 2. National Programme on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) for Mauritius (2008-2013) Achieving More with Less, VOLUME II APPENDICES, Ministry of Environment and National Development Unit in collaboration with UNEP, August 2008. [Online] Available: www.unep.org/roa/docs/pdf/SCPProgrammeMauritius.pdf [Accessed: 30 March. 2010]. 3. Long-Term Energy Strategy 2009 2025, Ministry of Renewable Energy & Public Utilities, October 2009, [Online]. Available: http://www.gov.mu/portal/goc/mpu/file/finalLTES.pdf [Accessed: 30 March. 2010]. 4. Energy audit, Australian/New Zealand Standard, AS/NZS 3598:2000. 5. Energy efficiency in buildings, British Standard, BS 8207:1985. 6. Energy efficiency in housing, British Standard, BS 82111:1988. 7. Energy Management Systems, British Standard, BS EN 16001:2009. 8. W. C. Turner and S. Doty, Energy management handbook, 6 Edition, The Fairmont Press 2007. 9. Energy performance of buildings Methods for expressing energy performance and for energy certification of buildings, British Standard, BS EN 15217:2007.
th

Acknowledgements
The authors would wish to avail of this opportunity to express their sincere thanks to the Ministry of Environment and National Development Unit, Ministry of Renewable Energy and Public Utilities and the Mauritius Standards Bureau for their kind permission to allow the use of materials and data for the publication of this paper.

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