Energy Consumption Pattern of Residential Buildings: Case Study of Residential Area in Batu Pahat, Johor

Abstract

According to the National Energy Balance report released by the Energy Commission of Malaysia in 2016, the residential sector uses 21.6% of the total energy in Malaysia. Residents waste energy through inefficient energy consumption and a lack of awareness. Building occupants are considered the main factor that influences energy consumption in buildings, and to change energy consumption on an overall scale, it is crucial to change individual behaviour. Therefore, this study focused on analysing the energy consumption pattern and the behaviour of consumers towards energy consumption in their homes in the residential area of Batu Pahat, Johor. A self-administrated questionnaire approach was employed in this study. The findings of this study showed that the excessive use of air conditioners was a significant factor in the increasing electricity bills of homeowners as well as the inefficient use of electrical appliances. Also, this study determined the effect of awareness on consumer behaviour. This study recommends ways to help minimise energy consumption in the residential area.

Relationship between Cooling Methods and Energy Consumption for the Development of Low-Carbon Collective Housing in Indonesia

“…Regarding household energy consumption, previous studies have shown that the use of home appliances, especially the use of ACs, significantly contributes to the increase in household energy consumption in tropical regions [10][11][12][13][14][15]. For instance, Batih et al [10] investigated household electric consumption in the urban households of Indonesia through a bottom-up estimation.…”

“…Overall, there are a few reports that have investigated the effectiveness of energy conservation measures in the residential buildings of tropical regions [10][11][12][13][14]19,20,[30][31][32]. However, very few have focused on collective housing exclusively.…”