STRATEGIC GUIDELINES FOR SELECTION OF BEST ENERGY EFFICIENT AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM/EQUIPMENT FOR COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS IN SRI LANKA

Air conditioning was considered a luxury in earlier days and now it becomes a general requirement due to urbanization, new constructions, modern architecture, regulations and standards etc. In early days there were no limitations on space and also there were lot of greenery which supports concepts such as natural ventilation. Therefore importance of establishing proper procedure for AC system development is great and this study aims at developing a systematic procedure for selection of efficient AC system/equipment for different type of commercial buildings. Literature review discuss broadly on technologies, standards and regulations, energy efficiency, Calculation techniques and tools, Building envelope improvements which is the flat form for development of a methodology to achieve research objective. Methodology developed consist of three phases namely Design, Testing and Commissioning, Operation and Maintenance. In Sri Lanka focus is mainly given for design phase and neglect T & C, O & M phases which is so critical for success of the project. Once methodology established guidelines have been developed for easy reference so that even layman can understand approach required for development of efficient AC system for his new building. Real time case study presented for better understanding of proposed methodology and further improvement on the study can be done by monitoring applications. Finally recommendations were given based on research study outcome for real time applications