Window design selection and energy consumption implications for residential buildings in Ghana: A behavior-change analysis of Ga East and Awutu Senya East Municipalities

Abstract

The challenge of reducing carbon emissions for the purpose of climate change mitigation requires both supply-side and demand-side energy efficiency measures. On the demand side, buildings worldwide account for about 30-40% of the total energy demand, thereby forming the largest sectoral consumer of electricity. Hence, the building sector offers a great opportunity for energy conservation and efficiency drives if certain behavioural patterns were to change. An important element of the building, which often influences energy consumption, is the design of the window. This paper investigates the economic, energy efficiency and sociological dimensions of the shift from traditional window designs to alternative ones in Ghana. Through quantitative and qualitative analyses of the data gathered for the 2014 Energy Surveys in the Ga East and Awutu Senya East Municipalities in Ghana, most homeowners use new window designs predominantly for aesthetic reasons. While more wooden and louvre blades windows users depend heavily on natural ventilation systems, glazed windows users depend mostly on fans and air conditioners. Consequently, glazed windows users spend more money on electricity compared to users of other window types. These findings manifest the energy inefficiency of most recent architectural designs in Ghana and, therefore call for appropriate policy interventions.