Development of performance benchmark for electricity consumption in high-rise apartment buildings in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Globally, buildings are consuming over 40% of the total global energy consumption and locally buildings are consuming over 60% of energy from the total energy consumption in Sri Lanka. Apartment buildings have become popular as residential buildings all over the world due to urbanization, increased population density and land scarcity. There are a lot of apartment buildings which are currently in operation and also there are a significant number of apartment building construction projects are currently under way in Colombo and suburban areas. The local regulatory body, Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (SLSEA) develops energy benchmark systems for different sectors in Sri Lanka. SLSEA has already published benchmarking schemes for tea, apparel, hotel sectors, commercial buildings and other industrial sectors (porcelain, tire, food, cement and concrete etc.). However, there exists a notable gap as neither residential sectors nor specifically apartment buildings have been developed with energy benchmarking standards. This gap is significant considering the rapid rise in popularity of apartment buildings throughout Colombo and its suburban areas due to urbanization, population density and land scarcity. The construction of high-rise apartment buildings has surged, driven by their popularity and commercial viability. Given these circumstances, the objective of this research study is to develop an electricity consumption benchmarking scheme specifically for high-rise apartment buildings in Sri Lanka. During the research study, the electricity consumption data for the years 2022 & 2023 were collected from 34 apartment buildings. Subsequently, the monthly electricity consumption was analyzed with respective total floor area and net floor area. Accordingly, the electricity consumption benchmarks for high-rise apartment buildings in Sri Lanka were proposed as 29.28 kWh/year/m2 per total floor area and 39.8 kWh/year/m2 per net floor area.