CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Creating an energy efficient building starts with the right design approach, considering the

specific microclimate conditions of the site, orientation and shaping the building form, a

conscious selection of building materials and envelope systems aiming to minimise building heat

gains. Following this, any active systems should be selected on the basis of high efficiency (e.g.

highly efficient lighting systems) or to enable a reduction of cooling loads appropriate to the

climate.(Mujtaba et al., 2012; Blackhurst et al., 2011 (Gustavsson 2011).

Joelsson, 2010, Iddon and Firth, 2013) opined that the Currently Nigeria is aiming to meet the

target set by the EU of reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs) by 20 per cent by 2020 as well as

targeting a reduction of energy consumption in the public sector of 33 per cent by 2020.

Reducing energy use in the construction sector can help Nigeria to meet these targets as well as

contributing to sustainable development and a reduction of carbon emissions. This research

paper outlines the energy reduction initiatives which were implemented on a case study site,

which consisted of the construction of four educational buildings in the West of Ireland. The

study used an action research (AR) approach to explore the energy reduction opportunities on

site. Shortcomings were identified with the contractor’s current on-site energy management

procedures and quick win low cost/ no cost solutions were then suggested so that only a small

investment was required.Iddon and Firth, 2013

In Nigeria, energy consumed by the buildings targeted in this guideline (medium-high cost

residential and commercial) is mainly due to cooling systems (e.g. air conditioning) and lighting.

Energy consumed by residential buildings accounts for more than 50% of the total energy

consumed in the country (Energy Commission of Nigeria, 2014). By using bioclimatic

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design techniques with highly efficient active systems, it is possible to greatly reduce the energy

required to cool and light a building, or even in some cases eliminate the need for cooling

entirely. This in turn reduces dependency on the grid electricity supply and helps improve energy

security in the country. Improving energy efficiency requires a different approach to the design

and operation of buildings. It starts from the design methodology and goes through to the

implementation of regulatory frameworks to allow and enforce EE targets. Education,

dissemination and validation of the achievements of EE buildings could be provided by energy

efficiency and sustainability certification schemes in conjunction with the Green Building

Council of Nigeria (GBCN) and other relevant bodies. The resulting buildings will not only

benefit from reduced energy consumption but will also provide a more comfortable internal

environment for occupants, reduce the negative environmental impact, and be more

economically sustainable and resilient.

This guideline analyses the current energy efficiency practices in the building sector and presents

a design methodology and appropriate solutions for achieving more energy efficient residential

and office buildings in Nigeria. Special attention must be given to the fact that the switch to

energy efficiency is strongly dependent on a shift in user behaviour to avoid profligate usage and

wastage of energy. Users must understand that limiting the growth of electricity consumption

will result not only in environmental and economic benefits, but also support energy security,

reduce black outs, improve the accessibility to electricity for all, and boost the economic

development of the country. This Building Energy Efficiency Guideline is part of efforts that the

FMPWH and NESP are taking to promote this shift by providing awareness and guidance to

building design practitioners and users.Iddon and Firth, 2013.

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1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Energy consumption (performance) and CO2 emissions are often taken into consideration during

a building’s operating phase. For example in Ireland there are Building Energy Regulations

(BER), based on the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), and the Building

Regulations Technical Guidance Document Part L which set out regulations in relation to energy

efficiency during a buildings operational phase. However regulations, and research, dedicated to

improving energy usage during the construction phase is lacking. The economic condition of the

Irish construction industry will likely take many more years to fully recover from the economic

downturn and the inefficient practices and the wastage of energy on site can no longer be

accepted. Saving money on energy costs is money that can be added to the profit made on a

building project and can also help to increase a contractor’s competitiveness. The aim of this

paper is to benchmark site energy use, outline the energy reduction initiatives which a

construction company in Ireland can use to successfully reduce their energy usage and evaluate

how effective these initiatives are on the case study site. To achieve these aims, a number of

objectives were set out: (1) Carry out a review of legislation in Ireland and Europe to assess

current legislation and policies related to energy usage during construction (secondary research),

(2) Test the methods and initiatives set out in a construction phase energy reduction plan by

evaluating their implementation and their potential contribution towards reducing energy usage

and reducing CO2 emissions (primary research), and (3) Produce a lessons learned document at

the end of the study outlining each initiatives financial assessment and impact on energy usage

and CO2

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1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research question were put forth in order to achieve specific objectives of the

study

 What are the Impact of Energy Management Initiative?

 What are the challenges facing Energy Management Initiative?

 In what way can these challenges be mitigated?

1.4 AIM AND OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study is to investigate the Assessment of Building Energy Management Initiative

in the Nigeria Construction Industry

The specific objectives are:

1. To Investigate the Building Energy Management Initiative in the Nigeria Construction

Industry

2. To evaluate the importance of Building Energy Management Initiative in the Nigeria

Construction Industry

3. To suggest ways by which these of Building Energy Management Initiative in the Nigeria

Construction Industry can be adopted

1.2.1 MAIN PROBLEM

The main problems of this research work is to evaluate the Building Energy Management

Initiative in the Nigeria Construction Industry can be adopted

1.2.2 SUB PROBLEM

Factors limiting Building Energy Management Initiative in the Nigeria Construction

Industry
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 Some of the obstacles identified include:-

Nigeria is faced with many challenges with regard to realising improvements in energy

efficiency in buildings. Some of the major barriers are:

 lack of awareness and information on the benefits of EE measures in buildings

 inadequate policy, legal and regulatory frameworks

 lack of technical expertise

 lack of showcased energy efficient buildings to draw experience and inspiration

from

 Poor understanding and awareness

 Lack of education and training among construction professionals

 New technology and innovation

 Inadequate committed trainers.

1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research question were put forth in order to achieve specific objectives of the

study

1. What is Building Energy Management Initiative in the Nigeria Construction Industry can

be adopted

2. Ways I which Building Energy Management Initiative in the Nigeria Construction

Industry can be adopted

1.5 JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY

In 2013 GIZ commissioned a study on energy consumption in seven office buildings in Nigeria

(NESP, 2013). The study suggested that office air-conditioning (VAC) accounted for 4068% of

electrical consumption, with the other important uses being lighting (13-37%) and office
5
equipment (12-25%). This is probably fairly typical for an air conditioned office in Nigeria,

although office equipment consumption will depend heavily on the number and type of

computers and other equipment in the building.

1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This research work is limited within Nigeria

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Knowledge:- is an essential factor of production after other production factors to survive the

level of competition in the construction industry including capital, land, and labour

Management: is the process of planning, controlling, directing, staffing, leading the resources of

an organisation

Knowledge management (KM): is the Organizational strategic communication tool for

enhancing an organization's performance and remaining above its competitors

Quantity Surveyor: is a construction industry professional with expert knowledge on

construction costs and contracts

Construction: is the process of making something, the occupation of building or the way that

something is put together.

Building: Buildings serve several societal needs – primarily as shelter from weather, security,

living space, privacy, to store belongings, and to comfortably live and work.

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 CHAPTER TWO

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 INTRODUCTION

Literature about energy reduction initiatives in other sectors such as the manufacturing industry

is extensive (Woroniak and Piotrowska, 2014; Mujtaba et al., 2012; Blackhurst et al., 2011) but

the literature in relation to energy usage on construction sites, during the construction phase, is

lacking. Various previous studies have focused on improving operational energy efficiency by

examining discrepancies between design and actual operational energy performance within

buildings (de Wilde, 2014,Firth et al., 2008, Gill et al., 2011, Menezes et al., 2011). However at

present the concept of addressing energy usage during construction is not as advanced within the

industry (Davies et al., 2015) and construction phase impacts are commonly assumed or ignored

by practitioners as their impact is viewed as insignificant (Gustavsson and

Joelsson, 2010, Iddon and Firth, 2013). Therefore this study will analyse the construction phase

energy use and investigate the impact of reduction measures which can be undertaken during the

construction phase of a project. In order to improve

2.2 Energy Sources in Nigeria

Nigeria is Africa’s largest oil producer and in 2012 was the world’s fourth largest exporter of

liquid natural gas (NESP, 2014). However, this production is currently exported, with only a

fraction re-imported in refined form for use in Nigeria. In 2011, 159Mtoe of oil and gas were

produced but only 20.5Mtoe consumed in Nigeria, accounting for 17.4% of Nigeria’s raw energy

consumption

2.3 Impact of Energy Management Initiatives

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Energy efficient buildings are those which consume less energy while maintaining or even

improving the comfort conditions for their occupants compared to standard buildings. Energy

efficient buildings result not only in less environmental impact but are also economically

sustainable and resilient.

The building sector accounts for the majority of electricity consumption in Nigeria and will

inevitably increase significantly in absolute terms in the coming years driven by a rapidly

increasing population, migration from low energy consuming rural dwellings to urban centres,

and improvements in living standards. Set against a chronic shortage of electrical generation and

transmission capacity, energy efficiency measures represent the cheapest way of improving the

state of energy supply in Nigeria now and in the future as the grid plays catch-up with demand.

Nigeria is Africa’s largest oil producer and in 2012 was the world’s fourth largest exporter of

liquid natural gas (NESP, 2014). However, this production is currently exported, with only a

fraction re imported in refined form for use in Nigeria. In 2011, 159Mtoe of oil and gas were

produced but only 20.5Mtoe consumed in Nigeria, accounting for 17.4% of Nigeria’s raw energy

consumption. Hydroelectric generation accounts for around 0.5Mtoe (0.4% of raw energy

consumption). There are also reserves of coal although these have not yet been exploited on a

large scale.

The remainder and large majority of energy used in Nigeria (82% in 2011) is biofuel and waste,

mostly in the form of firewood burnt for cooking and heating water. As can be seen in Figure 2

above, over the last twenty years the amount of biofuel used has risen steadily while use of fossil

fuels is relatively stable, presumably due to costs and poor infrastructure to deliver oil and gas to

domestic users. This rate of firewood consumption far exceeds the 1.4 Carbon Emissions from

Energy Production in Nigeria.

It has now been formally recognized that many sources of energy generation are contributing to

global warming via the release of pollutants. Carbon dioxide is the predominant Green House
8
Gas (GHG) and thus, it is common to report on climate change inducing emissions in terms of

carbon dioxide equivalent, which may be composed of other GHGs such as nitrous oxide and

methane. Given the threat of climate change, the challenge of energy efficiency is not just to

reduce the number of kWh generated, but also to make sure that those kWh of energy have been

generated at lowest cost to the environment.

2.4 Energy Use per Sector

Of the electricity generated in Nigeria, it is estimated that households account for the largest

share of consumption (about 78%)3. This is a significant contrast with countries such as South

Africa and Brazil where the majority is used in industry, and suggests that lack of power is

hampering industrial growth in Nigeria.

An estimate of total energy consumption in Nigeria is challenging because a large percentage of

the electricity consumed is Energy Consumption in the Nigerian Building Sector

There is a shortage of reliable data on energy consumption in buildings, partly due to poor

metering of mains electricity and also due to the fact that most buildings also generate electricity

using petrol and diesel generators which complicates assessments.

The most common way of comparing building energy use is done by using the Energy Use

Intensity (EUI) measured in kWh/m²/year. This can be calculated by collecting metered data on

annual.

2.5 Carbon Emissions from Energy Production in Nigeria

It has now been formally recognized that many sources of energy generation are contributing to

global warming via the release of pollutants. Carbon dioxide is the predominant Green House

Gas (GHG) and thus, it is common to report on climate change inducing emissions in terms of

carbon dioxide equivalent, which may be composed of other GHGs such as nitrous oxide and
9
methane. Given the threat of climate change, the challenge of energy efficiency is not just to

reduce the number of kWh generated, but also to make sure that those kWh of energy have been

generated at lowest cost to the environment. The above graph shows typical carbon emissions for

different fuel types. It illustrates, for example, that:

• Currently, using electricity for heating is generally inefficient in carbon terms, better to use gas

or wood/ biofuel (but note concerns above regarding deforestation),

• Small petrol generators are a very inefficient way of generating electricity,

• Hydro-electric generation, photovoltaic (PV) and other renewable energy technologies are the

cleanest methods

of generating electricity.

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 CHAPTER THREE

3.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 INTRODUCTION

A case study approach was adopted as this provided a useful vehicle for monitoring activities on

site in relation to energy usage. A research partnership was developed between BAM Building

Ireland and Galway – Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT).

The works observed during the case study research consisted of two main phases of work. The

first phase involved the construction of two new schools on a greenfield site. Doughiska

Community College (a 650 pupil post-primary school with a 6,000m2 floor area) and Doughiska

Primary School (a 450 pupil primary school with a 2,300m2 floor area). These works began in

January 2013 and were completed in February 2014 with a combined construction value of

€10.86 million. The second phase of works involved the construction of two special needs units

(SNUs) on site (one for each school). These works began following the completion of the first

phase of works and were completed in August 2014. The combined area of the two SNU

buildings was 547m2 (Primary school SNU has a floor area of 236m2 and the Secondary school

SNU has a floor area of 311 m2) with a construction value of €1.1 million. The research

methodology (Figure 1) comprised of the collection of both primary and secondary research as

well as a practical application through AR on a case study site. AR involves the process of

intentionally and actively affecting change in a system with knowledge being used to affect the

change which then creates knowledge about the process of change (Lewin, 1946).

Critics of action research perceive that action research can be a time consuming process and

while this is true, the time spent on the case study site was seen as an integral part of the research

project. Without the quantity of time spent on site it would not have been possible to affect

change. It could also be argued that the findings of action research are limited in their

applicability to the local situation and cannot be generalized across a wider population. This is
11
also true; however as part of further research an additional seven case studies will be undertaken

in order to obtain a more representative sample of current practices. The AR involved active

participation bythe researcher2 in the case study contractors company in order to identify,

promote and evaluate problems and potential solutions (Fellows and Liu, 2012). The active

participation included undertaking site visits, monitoring on site activities and making

recommendations for change to the site management team. The research stage also used

qualitative research methods such as observation, field notes and photographs to produce

information on the case study site with an aim of assessing the energy usage on site and

developing an action plan for reducing same.

The case study work allowed the author to gain a practical knowledge of on-site practices and

then carry out an assessment of ways to improve current practice. Training for site operatives

was also carried out in the form of toolbox talks (4 new talks developed with each one held twice

during the project), posters (7 new posters developed), emails (one email sent to sub-contractors

each month, 15 in total) and an information booklet (1 booklet on energy management). Informal

conversations also took place with many subcontractors and management on site and these

would often occur when an issue was witnessed first-hand and it was possible to make a

suggestion immediately in order to improve the work practice in relation to energy management.

The research carried out on site was open and transparent at all times with all staff being

informed of who the researcher was and that any data gathered was confidential. Permission was

granted by the case study contractor to use this case study as a basis for research but any

sensitive information such as tender costs are not published in agreement with an ethics and

confidentiality agreement with the contractor. The secondary research involved a review of

current legislation and policies in Ireland in relation to energy usage reduction within the

construction sector as well as an investigation into the response.

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3.2 RESEARCH DEFINITION AND PURPOSE

3.2.1 RESEARCH

The study is to know the Building Energy Management Initiative in the Nigeria

Construction Industry

3.2.2 Purpose of research;

The purpose of this research is to know the Building Energy Management Initiative in the

Nigeria Construction Industry.

The three objectives drawn include:

1. To identify the importance of Building Energy Management Initiative in the Nigeria

Construction Industry.

2. To examine the gap between Building Energy Management Initiative in the Nigeria

Construction Industry.

3.3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ADOPTED

The research method to be adopted for this Study Structured shall be Questionnaire. It enables a

researcher to organize the questions and receive replies without actually talking to every

respondent. The primary source of data used was collected from a representative sample by the

Researcher for the particular survey at hand, and it was used specifically for the purpose for

which they were collected

3.4 PROCEDURE FOR DATA COLLECTION

Data will be collected from a representative’s sample by the investigator for the particular survey

at hand and used specifically for the purpose for which they are collected. The primary data that
13
is used here is through a well-structured questionnaire. A questionnaire enables a researcher to

organize the questions and receive replies without actually having to talk to every respondent.

The questions are fixed and the same for each respondent.

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 CHAPTER FOUR

4.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

4.1 CONCLUSION

The shortcomings in the energy management on site are clearly evident and have been fully

exposed herein. Addressing these shortcomings provided the case study contractor with

additional profit (€28,090.50), reduced the projects CO2 emissions (a reduction of 109.12 tonnes

of CO2 emissions) and also has the added benefit of helping the contractor to become more

competitive within the industry (reduced overheads). It is noted that the financial position of the

construction industry in Nigeria is not what it used to be and thus all the incentives proposed

were balanced against any additional costs. The overall cost savings were 25 per cent of the total

expenditure on energy usage on site showing that the implementation of energy reduction

techniques was achievable and that cost savings could be made in many areas of energy usage.

Although the current research produced a number of interesting findings the main limitation for

this study was that the observations and initiatives carried out on site were specific to two phases

of work on a single case study site. Future research will now take the lessons learned from this

project and apply them to an additional seven case study sites across two building companies.

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 CHAPTER FIVE

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energy efficiency programs for greenhouse gas reductions. “Energy Policy”, 39, (9),

5269-5279.

Cork Institute of Technology, (2012) Roadmap for a National Resource Efficiency Plan for

Ireland.http://www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/waste/prevention/prevention/CTC%20Tadhg

%20Coakley%20Resource%20Efficiency%20Roadmap%20ppt.pdf Accessed 10th

November 2013.

Davies, P J, Emmitt, S and Firth, S K (2015) Delivering improved initial embodied energy

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de Wilde, P (2014) The gap between predicted and measured energy performance of buildings: A

framework for investigation. “Automation in Construction”, 41, 40–49.

Environmental Protection Agency, (2013) Ireland’s Greenhouse Gas Emission Projections 2012–

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Fellows, R and Liu, A (2012) “Research methods in construction”. 3ed. Blackwell publishing.

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Firth, S K, Lomas, K, Wright, A and Wall, R (2008) Identifying trends in the use of domestic

appliances from household electricity consumption measurements. “Energy and

Buildings”, 40, 926–936.

Gill, Z, Tierney, M, Pegg, I and Allan, N (2011) Measured energy and water performance of an

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Gustavsson, L and Joelsson, A (2010) Life cycle primary energy analysis of residential buildings.

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Iddon, C and Firth, S K (2013) Embodied and operational energy for new-build housing: A case

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Kospomoulos, P (2004) “Environmental design”. Thessaloniki, Greece. 2ed. University Studio

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Lewin, K (1946) Action research and minority problems. “Journal of social issues”, 2, 34-36.

Menezes, A, Cripps, A, Bouchlaghem, D and Buswell, R (2011) Predicted vs actual energy

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Mujtaba, I M, Edreder, E A and Emtir, M (2012) Significant thermal energy reduction in lactic

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Rhoades, E A (2011) Literature Reviews. “Volta Review”, 111, (3), 353-368.

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Gustavsson, L and Joelsson, A (2010) Life cycle primary energy analysis of residential

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