Academic Building Equipment Standardization for Sustainability

Abstract

The University of the Philippines is the Philippines’ national university. It is mandated to be the leader in innovation and research. The electricity consumption of the flagship campus, the University of the Philippines Diliman, rose from 13.97 GWh in 2006 to 15.26 GWh by 2015 [1]. The electricity consumption must be managed as the university desires more students to graduate, do progressive research and creative works, and produce quality extension services. An appropriate energy policy incorporating minimum equipment standards in procuring energy consuming devices is wanting. Standardization controls the varying energy demand of equipment without compromising the quality of services delivered. The objective is to establish minimum equipment specification standards for university procurement. A framework for determining equipment standardization was developed, end-users’ need assessments and energy audits were conducted, equipment specifications were formulated, stakeholders were consulted, and equipment policy to ensure energy efficiency and sustainability were suggested. The electricity consumption was primarily due to air-conditioning (55.3%) and lighting (26.3%). Electricity savings is attained by adopting a higher standards of air conditioning energy efficiency ratio (45%), and changing to light emitting diode for lights (31%) and for monitors (5%). It is recommended that usage profiling be conducted for all the buildings.