Energy audit and prospective energy conservation: Studies at residential college buildings in a tropical region

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the efficiency of electricity use and potential of electricity reduction at 12 residential colleges located at University of Malaya Campus, Kuala Lumpur. Design/methodology/approach The work presented applies an energy audit when energy consumption data were collected and analysed for a five‐year period. The total savings of electricity used at residential colleges were identified through the difference between average total energy use in a year (kWh) and minimum electricity usage. Findings The study finds that residential colleges with special features of building layout and arrangement performed better with regard to electricity consumption due to the prior group's superior utilisation of day lighting and natural ventilation. The floor area of the rooms, volume, density, enclosure and facade design, including window design, window area, and window‐to‐wall ratio also influenced the total electricity usage of the residential college buildings. Also, through adaptation of the corridor area to include more natural ventilation and daylight, approximately 40 to 90 percent of average electricity usage could be conserved in a year. Research limitations/implications The methodology is limited to energy audit for a five‐year period of metered data and walk‐through analysis. Practical implications The findings raised some issues related to thermal comfort of the residents. Originality/value The study can be used as baseline data for a tropical region particularly on current electricity usage and potential of energy conservation in residential building