Practice of Demand-Side Management for Commercial Buildings: A Case Study at a Female Residency

Abstract

The demand-side management (DSM) objective is to adjust the consumer demand for energy via possible various methods. The statistics from the Suruhanjaya Tenaga (ST) shows the demand for energy which is increasing rapidly hence the hike in price of energy. Commercial buildings are one of the examples that require high usage of electricity. This study recommends an alternative solution for commercial buildings for energy saving that is shown via a deduction in the monthly electricity bill. The case study takes place at a female residency of the Universiti Kuala Lumpur British Malaysian Institute (UniKL BMI). The alternative solution that is recommended from this study is to replace the existing fluorescent lamps to light-emitting diode (LED) lamps for the locations with 24-h operating hours. This shall be taken as the first phase toward a better energy efficiency considering that the LED lamps are expensive. In general, the LED tube lights can save up the energy up to 50% and that feature makes the LED suitable for 24-h electricity consumption at the location. With these replacements, the electricity consumption and electricity bill are reduced at a significant amount. Although, at the beginning, the investment made toward replacing the existing tube lights to LED is high, the saving gained from this solution can be seen in the second year of usage that is proven from the simulation of calculation done in this study. Nevertheless, what more important is, in the long run, this practice is able to benefit not only the consumers but also the environment.