Economic Feasibility of Energy Saving by Incorporating Daylight: A Case Study of College Building in Multan-Pakistan

Abstract

Artificial lighting accounts for a substantial part of electrical energy consumption in any building. For a country like Pakistan where the demand and supply gap regarding electrical energy is augmenting in the last few years so there is a dire need to design an appropriate lighting scenario that can help in reducing electrical energy consumption without compromising its thermal comfort. This study investigates the daylight and thermal scenario of an educational building in Multan-Pakistan to derive insights for building energy consumption patterns and cost. In this context, basic daylighting strategies that potentially reduce the need for artificial lighting have been applied at base case building. Building physics concerning the Sun path was also examined through Heliodon. Furthermore, the comparative climate-based analysis of the base case was carried out by using ECOTECT software. The results show the possibility of electrical energy savings up to 28% with not only improved natural lighting conditions of working areas but sun glare near south-faced windows was also improved to a great extent.