Improving the performance of existing commercial buildings according to the green building guidelines in Sri Lanka

Abstract

In recent years, there was a notable rise in global energy consumption due to rapid development. The significant energy usage was closely tied to a nation's economy and had detrimental impacts on the environment. Today, the entire world is facing an energy crisis due to the inability to supply energy according to future power and demand. It is worth noting that huge amounts of energy are wasted due to inappropriate consumption practices. Energy consumption of buildings is increasing every year due to the increasing demand for human comfort and services. Hence, prioritizing energy conservation has become imperative to mitigate energy expenses and environmental repercussions. In this respect, the necessity of increased environmental awareness in the process of sustainable development was realized by governments, corporations, organizations, and individuals alike. A component of the idea of increasing sustainability is the design of green buildings. The health, comfort, and productivity of employees all increased because of green buildings' more efficient use of vital resources like electricity, water, and land. It is also clear that green construction has a favorable effect on the building structures' long-term financial gains. A movement known as 'green building' gained momentum as the environmental impact of construction activities became more evident. This approach, rooted in sustainable construction principles, emphasized the need for environmentally friendly building practices. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program identifies six core principles of green building: sustainable siting, water efficiency, energy efficiency, use of materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and efficient commissioning, operation and maintenance. The objective of this study is to investigate the opportunities to improve the performance of existing commercial buildings in Sri Lanka by complying with green building standards. Implementing a building energy management system is a sophisticated way to monitor and optimize building energy consumption. By implementing such a system, valuable benefits could be achieved. Considering all the objectives, the main goal is to reduce the energy demand of buildings as much as possible and then adopt sustainable energy practices while improving the performance of all existing commercial buildings in line with Sri Lanka Green Building Guidelines. This study describes the key procedures for creating an energy baseline and conducting an energy audit on a commercial building to improve its energy efficiency. A building evaluation tool is also available to help increase building energy efficiency and fulfill the Green Building Council's basic energy standards.