According to U.S Energy Information Administration, buildings are the single largest contributor to global warming. We cannot deny the fact that energy usage in buildings has grown in the last 20 years due to the growing demand for building, its services and comfort levels. The increase of time spent in buildings and a larger population too contributes to higher energy consumption. These underlying factors are definitely not showing any signs of slowing down. For these reasons, energy efficiency in buildings is today, a prime objective for energy policy at regional, national and international levels.
Studies have also indicated that although people are often aware of the benefits of using energy more efficiently, a variety of social, cultural, and economic factors often prevent them from doing so. Even when high efficiency technologies have been installed, 30 percent or more of the energy savings that could potentially be realized through such technologies is lost, according to the American Council for an Energy- Efficient Economy (ACEEE). Associate Professor R Saidur in "Energy Consumption, Energy Savings, and Emission Analysis in Malaysian Office Buildings", in 2009, noted that if building equipments are transformed to be energy efficient; there are significant amount of savings that can be achieved. Energy Management for Buildings aims to unearth the reality of employing energy efficient equipments for buildings and its actual return on investment while capitalizing on the best practices of energy management system in Asia....more
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