Use of electrical energy in university buildings: a Hong Kong case study

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to address the issue of electrical energy consumption through case studies of a small sample of buildings on a university campus in Hong Kong. Design/methodology/approach - Data were used to produce deterministic time-series models and so aid analysis of the climatic effects on energy consumption. Semi-structured interviews were employed to supplement the data. Both technical factors impacting on energy consumption and behavioural considerations are addressed. Findings - Conclusions demonstrate the impact of functions housed in the buildings, their intensity of occupation, and that the increased consumption to combat high temperatures and relative humidity during the summer can be mitigated by improved control systems and increased awareness of users to induce less energy consuming behaviour. Research limitations/implications - Limitations of the empirical study are due to the rather short run of data which were available for the case study buildings and the particular functions of the buildings studied. More detailed data of energy consumption is desirable. Complimentary studies should concern different building functional types and other locations, involving varying climatic conditions. Practical implications - The findings demonstrate the value of time series models of, and the impacts of the main variables on energy consumption and so, should inform design decisions regarding life cycle costing of buildings and foster energy conservation. Originality/value - This paper has provided empirical modelling of energy uses in the case study buildings and thereby demonstrated the impacts on energy uses of certain major variables to inform design for energy conservation.