Analyzing factors necessitating conservation of energy in residential buildings of Indian subcontinent: A DEMATEL approach

Abstract

India is experiencing challenges in meeting the national energy demand due to various reasons. The demand from Residential Buildings is one among the highest due to various factors. These buildings are one of the, major consumers of electricity in India. Rapid urbanization and development has led the way for construction of new buildings in urban and rural India. The building energy demand is also on rise and cause burden on the present energy generation system. These residential Buildings are consuming energy at a faster rate than it is generated. This consumption trend is continuously growing every day. Therefore, to conserve energy in residential buildings the factors responsible should be analyzed. This research is one such attempt to analyze the factors that necessitate the conservation of energy in residential buildings. The results show that, among the fifteen factors, Population explosion and industrialization are top two major factors that necessitate the cause for conservation of energy in residential buildings. Among the most effected factors are Government regulation and utility bills. For better analysis and to study interrelation of factors, Multiple Criteria Decision Making MCDM based DEMATEL methodology is applied to arrive at results. The results of this research could be applied in designing energy systems for residential buildings and can serve as a guide to energy managers and facility administrators in residential towers.