Electrical energy usage in buildings is a challenging issue because many old buildings were not originally built to achieve energy efficiency. Thus, retrofitting old buildings to net-zero buildings can benefit both the owner and electric utilities. In this study, the BEC (building energy code) software was used to evaluate energy aspects of retrofitted buildings in compliance with Thailand’s building energy code to achieve a net-zero energy building. In addition, economic aspects were also studied to verify the feasibility for a project’s owner to invest in a retrofitted existing building. An existing residential building in Thailand was used as a case study. The results in terms of energy after retrofitting existing buildings into net-zero energy buildings show that the total energy consumption can be reduced by 49.36%. From an economic perspective, the investment cost for a retrofitted building can be compensated by energy saving in terms of discounted payback period (DPP) for approximately 4.36 years and has an IRR (internal rate of return) value of 19.23%. This result evidences the potential in both energy and economy for a project’s owner to invest in a retrofitted existing building in compliance with the building code, with potential for implementation with benefits on both electrical utilities and the project’s owner.

This paper proposes a control circuit for Light Emitting Diode (LED) luminaire based on the amount of daylight. This system uses both natural daylight and artificial light from a luminaire to reach the desired illuminance on a working plane. The control circuit operates by receiving an illuminance value from a light sensor and comparing it with a set value in the microcontroller before limiting the light intensity of LED by sending a control Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) signal to the LED driver. In the experimental setup, the controller and a physical model of a working space were built in order to field test the LED daylight control circuit. Electrical characteristics such as voltage, current, and power were measured with a power meter. Illumination characteristics in terms of illuminance on a working plane were determined using a lux meter. The results from actual field tests revealed that this LED control circuit was able to reduce the power consumption of the lighting system while keeping the illuminance on the working plane at the standard value. Both simulation results and the actual experiment of the control circuit proved that it could be used to improve the energy efficiency of both newly installed and retrofitted lighting systems.

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