Question

context:

Mookodi Enterprise is a business consultancy with 543 employees. They are based in the north of Johannesburg on a 10Ha campus. Mookodi connects to the national grid at 11kV and pays a seasonal industrial low voltage (LV) tariff of 141.67 cents in summer and 165.94 cents in winter. Thirty percent of Mookodi’s employees are based at their clients’ offices and are not permanently based on the campus.

The campus has the following buildings:

• Canteen (Purple)
• Welcome Centre, Gym and Conference Centre (Green)
• Guardhouse (Light blue)
• Main Office Building 1 (Maroon)
• Main Office Building 2 (Dark blue)

Below is the campus’ electricity consumption over the last year:

MONTH	TOTAL KWH	ACTUAL BILL	DIFFERENCE
January	218980	220000	0%
February	220721	242000	-9%
March	227258	223000	2%
April	241226	245000	-2%
May	236821	245000	0%
June	262960	267078	-2%
July	300857	298047	1%
August	246849	245399	1%
September	222451	225476	-1%
October	208031	209000	0%
November	215118	219000	-2%
December	219604	215000	2%

QUESTION 1

in 4000 words discus what energy efficiency and demand side measures can be implemented and why?

Answer 1

Answer:-

What is energy efficiency,

Energy efficiency, means using less energy to provide the same level of energy. It is therefore one method to reduce human greenhouse gas emissions.

For example if a house is insulated, less energy is used in heating and cooling to achieve a satisfactory temperature. Another example is installing fluorescent lights or skylights, instead of incandescent lights, to attain the same level of illumination.

Efficient energy use is achieved primarily by means of a more efficient technology or process. Energy efficient buildings, industrial processes and transportation could reduce the world's energy needs in 2050 by one third, and help controlling global emissions of greenhouse gases.

Making homes, vehicles, and businesses more energy efficient is seen as a largely untapped solution to addressing global warming, energy security, and fossil fuel depletion. The 1973 oil crisis, where oil prices were very high, focussed attention on energy efficiency. For example, the state of California began implementing energy-efficiency laws in the mid-1970s, including building code and appliance standards with strict efficiency requirements.

in other words, using less energy to perform the same task – that is, eliminating energy waste. Energy efficiency brings a variety of benefits: reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing demand for energy imports, and lowering our costs on a household and economy-wide level. While renewable energy technologies also help accomplish these objectives, improving energy efficiency is the cheapest – and often the most immediate – way to reduce the use of fossil fuels. There are enormous opportunities for efficiency improvements in every sector of the economy, whether it is buildings, transportation, industry, or energy generation.

Buildings, designers are looking to optimize building efficiency and then incorporate renewable energy technologies, leading to the creation of zero-energy buildings. Changes in existing buildings can also be made to reduce energy usage and costs. These may include small steps, such as choosing LED light bulbs and energy efficient appliances, or larger efforts such as upgrading insulation and weatherization.

Energy Generation and Distribution,Combined heat and power systems capture the "waste" heat from power plants and use it to provide heating, cooling, and/or hot water to nearby buildings and facilities. This increases the energy efficiency of power generation from approximately 33 percent to up to 80 percent. The smart grid is another system that will improve the efficiency of electric generation, distribution, and consumption.

Vehicles, More energy efficient vehicles require less fuel to cover a given distance. This generates fewer emissions, and makes them significantly less expensive to operate. Plug-in hybrids and fully electric vehicles are particularly fuel efficient.

Human Behavior,The four strategies above improve energy efficiency primarily through technology and design. However, the way people use these technologies will significantly impact their effectiveness. What impact can a highly efficient technology have if households and businesses are not motivated to buy, install, and/or activate it? How does driving behavior and unnecessary idling impact gas mileage? How many people will use public transportation if there is a cultural stigma against it? Research has shown that 30 percent of the potential energy savings of high efficiency technologies is lost due to a variety of social, cultural, and economic factors. Addressing these factors is also an important component of making our economy more energy efficient.

energy efficiency implementations:-

The Energy efficiency implementation industry branch comprises firms which retrofit or replace inefficient equipment with more efficient parts or equipment, with the goal of reducing energy consumption. Retrofitting enhances existing equipment by making it expend less energy, complete replacement of equipment may be more costly, but can reduce the implementation complexity. The common goal is to save kilowatts (kW) and kilowatt hours (kWh). The difference between these two measurements is that one is a power rating (kW) and the other is a measurement of energy actually consumed (kWh).

Public Utility Commissions in many states mandate that their utilities design and implement energy efficiency programs. The funding for these can be reflected in their rates or are collected through a surcharge in monthly customer bills. Some utilities design their own programs and implement them using a rebate form or other application, and administer the programs using their own staff. Most major utilities hire implementation contractors who are responsible for the design and implementation, and some implement programs already designed and approved by their PUC. Some programs require a co-pay by the customer, some are installed at no-cost.

Utilities invest in energy efficiency for the following reasons:

1. Social interests: environmental issues and resource conservation
2. Economic interests: to prevent costly construction of power plants or the purchase of more energy

The end result is that utility companies have more energy to sell, or in other words, they are able to sell their excess capacity to more customers in the area without increasing their production capacity

Effects:-

The results of energy efficiency implementation are all beneficial for the energy consumer. It reduces operational costs, reduces carbon footprint, and it can even improve quality of life. Energy efficiency implementation can also play a role in increased revenue when consumers choose a “greener” product over another that is not.^[1] Energy efficiency implementation can be extremely beneficial to large market segments like small businesses, schools, cement processing plants; basically any area that uses large amounts of energy. Small changes here add up to large savings.

Implementing energy efficiency measures in a home or business can also lead to behavioral changes. When an energy efficiency change has been made and the energy consumer sees the benefits, more changes are often wanted to further their savings. These small changes create awareness and can be as simple as turning of lights when a room is not in use, or as complex as adding window glazing or installing demand-control ventilation.

Role of regulators,

Energy sector regulators might have wide discretion in the implementation and/or monitoring energy efficiency (EE) initiatives. The most likely roles involve giving technical advice to the agency developing EE initiatives, since changes in demand patterns will have implications for the operations and investment plans of utilities (and for costs, security of supply and quality of service) . Particularly when the EE outlays are by the utility, the energy sector regulator needs to monitor outcomes to ensure that the resources are being utilized in ways that are consistent with overarching public policies. Furthermore, interactions of utility initiatives with other EE policies need to be taken into account when evaluating whether the scale and scope of existing utility-based demand-side management programs. Utilities are in a position to analyze bills and conduct on-premises energy audits to identify areas of saving. Regulators could require utilities to undertake costly audit programs. A high tech approach to improving operations and the customer interface involves smart meters and information systems that enable the utility to track system performance in real time.

The costs of implementing such systems need to be balanced against the benefits, including the possibility that outlays on other projects might be more cost effective. Thus, the role of regulators primarily involves providing technical input into the development of EE policies initiated by other agencies or via legislated tax programs. In addition, the Regulator must determine (unless specified in law) which benefit-cost test is appropriate for evaluating utility-based EE programs. The regulatory tests include the participant cost test (will participants benefit over the measure's life?), the program administrator cost test (will utility bills increase?), the ratepayer impact measure (will utility prices increase?), the total resource cost test (will the total costs of energy decrease?) and the societal cost test (is the utility, state or nation better off, including environmental impacts?). The IEA Energy Efficiency Governance Handbook goes into much more detail on the importance of having a coherent system for developing, incentivizing, and evaluating energy efficiency programs.

why is improving the energy efficiency of these buildings important?

• Financial savings – buildings that operate more efficiently have a reduced energy demand. That means lower operating costs.
• Reduced carbon footprint – by generating less energy, the buildings emit fewer greenhouse gases. That means improved environmental performance.
• Environmental legislation – organisations operating in energy-efficient buildings will find it easier to comply with the tightening environmental regulations. That means improved productivity.
• Sustainable credentials – environmentally-responsible organisations gain a reputation for ethical operation. That means enhanced profitability.
• Increased security - reducing energy demand helps protect UK energy security. That means more resources for future generations.