Analysis of measures to improve energy performance of a commercial building by energy modeling

The commercial building sector accounts for 15% of the electricity demand and is set increase three fold by the year 2030 [1]. This increase in demand coupled with rising energy cost and increased green house emissions offer not only challenges but also opportunities to employ energy efficient design practices. This paper investigates the methods to reduce the energy consumption of a commercial building by incorporating energy conservation techniques in the design stage of the building. By comparing the design buildings energy use with a baseline building, a percentage estimate of the energy savings can be obtained. Energy modeling tool eQuest is used to model these energy conservation techniques in the building and to predict the energy savings. A comparative analysis of different energy conservation techniques is made to estimate the reduction in energy use.