Energy Audit, Retrofitting and Solarization in Educational Institutes of Pakistan: An Effective Approach Towards Energy Conservation

Educational institutions form a considerable portion of the energy demand and are often ignored as a contributor to this demanding hike. With the increased emphasis on energy conservation in buildings, educational institutions have started Energy management programs to reduce the energy demand in order to cut the energy expenses. This paper presents a critical analysis on the base of Energy Audit conducted in University of Engineering and Technology Taxila aimed to analyze the demand pattern and the prospects of improvements in the current electrical system. The paper present the details regarding the saving potential possible through retrofitting of energy-guzzling loads with improved and efficient ones. The data collected is analyzed using DIALux for the lighting loads and Hourly Analysis Program (HAP) for heating and cooling systems. An estimated load reduction of 63.02% can be achieved per day by retrofitting old lighting load with a newer one. This energy consumption saving accounts up to 2907 kWh per day including utilization factor. An estimated reduction of 25.01% is achieved per day by the replacement of old Air-Cooling and Air-conditioning appliances with the new ones with the energy consumption saving up to 2336.48 kWh per day including utilization factor. The net payback period for retrofitting is calculated to be 1.95 years for lighting and 6.30 years for air-cooling and air-conditioning load. In order to take one step forward towards a sustainable campus, the solar potential and feasibility of the campus are calculated. The peak rooftop solar potential is calculated to be 2.81 MW with expected annual generation around 4,434,000 kWh. PV System software is used to carry out the solar potential results. Energy Audit methodology alongside cost estimation for the suggested improvements in appliances, payback periods, and solar harvesting potential is calculated in the paper. The recommended improvements will help us in energy conservation and achievement of a sustainable campus.