Assessing the knowledge and utilization of energy efficiency assessment tools for office buildings in Ghana :a case study of the Kumasi Metropolis

Abstract

Conducting an energy efficiency assessment helps construction firms and management team understand how and where energy is used, where to improve usage and equipment, and how to reduce costs. This dissertation was conducted with the main aim of assessing the level of knowledge and utilization of energy efficiency assessment tool for office buildings in Ghana. The study adopted descriptive survey as the research design with a population of owners and tenants of office buildings as well as construction managers, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, quantity surveyors, civil engineers, architects who worked in some public office buildings in the Kumasi Metropolis. The study used simple random sampling technique to select twenty (20) building owners and tenants and purposive sampling technique was used to select seventy (70) building professionals. In all, ninety (90) respondents were used for data collection through questionnaires. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel (MS Excel) were used to analyze the data and the results were presented in charts and tables showing their frequencies and percentages. The study found that, the Pearl Rating System (ESTIDAMA), the Green Building Assessment (GBA), Comprehensive Assessment System for Building Environmental Efficiency (CASBEE) among others are the major energy efficiency assessment tools that building professionals in Kumasi metropolis are aware of. The study concluded that, even though building professionals are aware of energy efficiency assessment tools, its cost was identified as a barrier to the adoption and application to improve energy consumption in office buildings. The study also concluded that, inculcating energy efficiency factors in both new and existing office building stock can substantially reduce energy consumption and most of the environmental impacts. The study recommended that, building professionals must make it a point to abreast themselves with more sustainable energy efficiency assessment tools that are less costly to encourage client’s acceptance and adoption in their designs.