Walk-through Energy Audit and Savings Opportunities: Case of Water Heaters at CUT Residential Buildings

In this work, a walk-through survey for the geysers and boilers used in the residences at the Central University of Technology has been conducted. The survey was conducted based on the rated power, storage tank sizes and period of operation in a day. The aim of the project is to review the energy efficiency and energy consumption of the geysers and boilers. From the survey, it shows that these water heating systems are operated 24 hours without any other control or energy management activities. Which means that power is supplied 24 hours a day and the thermostats automatically switch on to heat water whenever the water temperature decreases, even when there is no hot water demand. Also, seeing that load shifting can be a challenge mainly for the morning peak period due to the high hot water demand during that time because the majority of students' classes starts in the mornings. The energy consumption during peak periods is charged more than during normal or off-peak periods. Energy management activities can be applied to water heating processes in order to reduce the energy consumption and can therefore reduce the institution's energy costs. However, the hot water consumption and human behaviour profiles of the occupants are the most important precondition to a potential energy saving.