Assessment of Energy Use Performance of the St. James Parish Council (STJPC) and the Montego Bay Inland Revenue Department in Jamaica

Abstract

Two office buildings in Montego Bay Jamaica were investigated in order to assess indoor environment and visualize building energy usage. The field survey was performed to obtain first hand data of occupant perception of their actual working environment. In this paper, the energy break and historical energy usage for the years 2010 and 2011 are presented. A questionnaire which was developed at the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air- conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) was modified and randomly issued to 210 building workers at both buildings. On examining the equipment currently being used in these buildings a building Energy Index (BEI) was used to identify and quantify inefficient of energy consumptions in both buildings. The results showed that the energy performance of the Internal revenue Department (IRD) is not in an efficient condition. However, the St. James Parish Council (St.JPC) is within the targeted BEI .The research also revealed that HVAC was the most energy consumptive in both buildings, followed by lighting, office equipment and Miscellaneous. We suggested that a comprehensive program of efficiency, improvement and energy diversification is required in Jamaica to provide high quality, affordable, environmentally-friendly energy and reduce the country’s dependence on high cost imported oil.