Introduction
The Energy Management industry is one that has amassed great potential worldwide because of the ever-growing need to conserve energy and optimise its usage. While power generation, a focus area in Nigeria’s economy, is necessary to achieve uninterrupted power supply, energy management policies and programs provide extra support to achieve our power goals. The Nigerian government created the Nigerian Building Energy Efficiency Code (BEEC) as it recognises that “conservation, waste reduction, and efficient energy use are critical contributors to increasing, stabilising and ensuring unfailing energy supply.” Policies, such as the BEEC, create guidelines to follow; however, programs have a more direct impact in executing energy efficiency strategies. From the previous issue in the series, energy-efficient policies and programs were highlighted as potential opportunities the Nigerian government can explore to support the power sector. Of these, the most feasible set of programmes the government should consider for implementation are the energy-efficient financial incentive programmes.
The What and Why Behind Financial Incentive Programs
Energy Efficient Financial incentive programs are initiatives operated by electrical distribution companies (DisCos) or administrators hired by DisCos to minimise energy usage while operating equipment or producing a good/service. These programs typically run on a state and local level to cater to the unique qualities these areas possess, and the government provides adequate funding to ensure electrical customers are compensated for becoming energy efficient. Financial incentive programs would be feasible for the Nigerian government because some of these upgrades can be capital intensive. Residential, commercial and industrial businesses will hardly embark on these upgrades if the capital is not available, which is all the more reason to create programs that support these businesses.
It is important to note that these programs will not be a one-sided effort where the Nigerian government is giving away money. The electrical customers are also tasked with providing sufficient evidence to show that their energy reductions plan can yield energy savings in their facilities. In cases where customers are not knowledgeable or have no plan in place for energy reduction, appropriate Nigerian governmental organisations can intervene to provide the necessary support to quantify energy savings.
This scenario creates an environment where people are constantly educated in the energy management sector with the added benefit of government crediting its people for taking that step forward to sustain the economy. The financial incentive programs allow the customers to engage more with the government on steps taken to become more energy efficient. Funding for such programs are typically embedded as part of the government budget at the initial phase and can be translated into a ratepayer-funded program as the program matures. One of the major benefits of the government implementing the financial incentive programs is that optimising building energy usage reduces grid stress. Benefits to the customer include the reduced utility cost and improved building performance. Before upgrades are executed, a major program requirement is knowledge of categories that factor into energy consumption in a building. This understanding is necessary to determine the areas that need an energy efficiency upgrade.
Read Also: The Role of Energy Management (Part 1)
Practical Steps to Energy Efficiency for Nigeria
Analysing a building’s energy consumption requires an in-depth analysis of the different categories that factor into the building’s energy use. It is important, in financial incentive programs, that the electrical customers understand the equipment/processes that consume energy in their buildings. Such understanding helps to determine the baseline energy consumption for buildings.
Energy consumption categories in buildings include lighting, heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, water heating, refrigeration, food service, etc. Efforts can be made in optimising equipment or processes in these categories to reduce building energy usage. Lighting and HVAC systems typically account for a significant portion of energy usage, so individuals in the energy management profession usually target these categories first.
There are categories, like ‘building envelope’, that indirectly affect the building energy consumption if poorly developed during the design and construction of a building. Energy-efficient measures in some of these categories include:
Building Envelope
Insulation: This spans different categories (wall insulation, ceiling insulation, floor insulation etc.) and the main goal is keeping warm/cool air trapped within a space, thereby reducing the need to constantly heat/cool that space. Building envelope insulation reduces the operation time for air-conditioning units, thereby saving energy.
Air Infiltration: Air infiltrates a building through holes and cracks in the walls, floors, windows, roof etc. Buildings are not intentionally developed have holes, but they appear with time due to depreciation. Similar to insulation, closing the holes to reduce air infiltration will confine the cool air within said space, thereby decreasing the run-time of the air-conditioning unit and saving energy.
Lighting
Installing LED Bulbs: Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs are one of the biggest energy savers currently trending in the industry. These bulbs use far less energy than regular fluorescent and incandescent bulbs, and still produce the same power output and have a longer life span. For example, A 60 watt (W) Incandescent bulb will be equivalent to a 6-8W LED. Strategically analysing buildings, this is a common upgrade that yields decent energy savings.
Occupancy and Daylighting Sensors: Occupancy sensors are sensors triggered by movement to control lights by switching on or off. Daylight sensors are triggered by natural illumination in a space to control lights by dimming or completely switching off lights. Such technology allows businesses to optimise their energy usage by ensuring that at moments of zero occupancy or moments of sufficient daylighting, light fixtures are switched off.
Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning
Energy Efficient HVAC Equipment: Purchasing equipment that operates more efficiently than existing equipment in any facility will yield energy savings. There are organisations (for example, ENERGY STAR and Design Lights Consortium), who specialise in creating databases for energy-efficient equipment that they verify through rigorous testing procedures.
Building Automation Systems (BAS): These systems have a central control unit responsible for managing HVAC system operations in a building. Integration of lighting, security and fire alarms is possible with BAS systems. Energy is saved from the functionality of the BAS, which could range from automatic schedules of equipment to adjusting temperatures to create more thermal comfort in spaces. It is mostly applicable to commercial buildings.
Smart Thermostats: These are thermostats located inside residential homes that control the lighting and HVAC systems. Similar to the BAS, they can be integrated with other autonomous systems and provides an avenue to optimise the major energy consumers in a home effectively.
The examples above highlight common energy-efficient measures in the building envelope, lighting and HVAC categories. Measures implemented in Water Heating could include total replacement of the water heater to a more efficient one or insulating water heater pipes to reduce heat loss in the pipe and save energy. For refrigeration, developing electronically communicated motors to replace standard motors will help refrigerators and freezers run more efficiently. Foodservice industry focuses on developing kitchen equipment that runs efficiently but still incorporates technological concepts, for example, demand control ventilation to reduce ventilation fan energy use.
Apart from the above measures, which are mostly capital intensive, the most cost-effective step an individual can take in partake in to save energy is turn to off devices that are not in use when leaving a space.
Conclusion
Energy efficiency programs are a path to harnessing the least expensive energy source, typically called energy management. The collective reduction induced by Nigerians managing their energy usage will shift our mindset towards creating a more energy-efficient and sustainable economy. To explore what energy management can offer Nigeria, the government must work with energy engineering professionals to develop a robust energy reduction plan, with supporting policies that benefit all relevant stakeholders. The plan developed must be executed efficiently and individualised to the conditions of each state and local government area.
