HOME ENERGY AUDIT REPORT

Report Prepared for: Report prepared by:

Mr & Mrs Ledaba Madema Mr Ephraim Matema

P.O BOX 119, SEMOLALE MAT ENERGY SOLUTIONS (PTY) LTD
Plot 636, Khunkwane Ward, Mabolwe Call: (+267) 74287971 / 74494771
Phone: (+267) 74202193 Email: matenergysolutions@gmail.com

Building Details:

Area: 52.57 m2
Electricity Cost: BWP 0.868/kWh
Date Built: 1996

Report Date: 17/03/20

Survey Date: 04/03/20
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Mr & Mrs Ledaba Madema’s home located at Khunkwane Ward, Mabolwe is operating less
efficiently than similar buildings of the same area. The major sources of inefficiency are:
1. Inadequate insulation
2. Inefficient lighting.
As this report details, there are a number of ways that you can improve the energy
efficiency of your building and make the home place more pleasant and productive. Some
of these measures will require little or no expense. You and other occupants can undertake
conservation measures in your operations. I am also presenting upgrade and improvement
recommendations which will entail additional expenses. Each of these recommendations
will include how the building is currently operating, the expected improvement and the
estimated cost of the improvement. I also provide information about potential rebates and
incentives as well as the amount of time for the energy savings to equal the cost of the
upgrade (the cost expected payback period).
I focused on all energy appliances used in the building and I have to come up with ways to
reduce the amount of energy input in the building without negatively affecting the already
exciting output. One may ask “What is Energy Efficiency Audit?”

An Energy Efficiency Audit is an evaluation of energy consumption from a home, or

business, to determine ways in which energy can be conserved and as a result reducing
the cost on utility bills.

Firstly I conducted a survey to find the power used over a given time period (kWh) for a
period of 24hrs for a week (7 days). Table 1 summarises the finding from the survey:

DATE TIME METER READING kWh USED

(kwh)
05/03/20 18:10 129.6 -
06/03/20 18:10 126.6 3
07/03/20 18:10 123.4 3.2
08/03/20 18:10 120.3 3.1
09/03/20 18:10 117.3 3
10/03/20 18:10 114.5 2.8
11/03/20 18:10 111.9 2.6
12/03/20 18:10 109.2 2.7

TOTAL 20.4
Table 1

Table 1 show that the average amount in kWh spent in a day amount to 3 kWh. From this
result, we can estimate that 90 kWh is spent monthly while 1080 kWh is spent annually.
Table 2 below lists the electrical appliances found during the auditing process, and it
includes their annual run time, total kWh and their total energy cost rated by 1kwh being
equivalent to BWP0.868 at the time of the audit.

Many appliances will usually operate at around 20% to 40% of their rated watts. A rough
“rule of thumb” is to use the midpoint of that range or 30%. This factor takes into account
both periods when a device is idling as well as it is running at less than a full load.

Device Quantity Voltage Amperes Total @30% Run Total Total

(V) (A) Wattage Time kWh Cost
(W) (hrs.) (BWP)
SKY LED TV 1 70 21 1844 38.724 33.61
Philibao 1 15 4.5 1844 8.298 7.20
Decoder
K.I.C 1 8760 375 325.50
Refrigerator
Hot-Plate 1 1000 300 102 30.6 26.56
Stove
Dell Laptop 1 19.5 4.62 90.09 27.027 8760 236.757 205.51
Phillips 1 1200 360 37 13.32 11.56
Steam Iron
OTHERS 99.303 86.20
LIGHTING
CFL lamps
Sitting 1 20 1456 29 25.17
Room
1 15 1820 27 23.44
Bedroom 1
1 15 1820 33 28.64
Bedroom 2
2 40 4732 189 164.05
Outside
TOTAL 1080.002 937.44
Table 2
CURRENT ENERGY PERFORMANCE OF A BUILDING

The table 3 below shows estimated annual electricity usage, and cost taken from data
obtained from a survey I conducted for a 7 days period. These data have been used to
calculate the energy usage and cost intensity of the building in relation to its area. Using
these figures, i have been able to model the impact of setting a EUI and ECI target of 15% for
the building and what this would mean in terms of the annual spend on electricity bills.
These figures have also been used to calculate the projected energy savings from the
projects recommended below.

UTILITY TYPE CONSUMPTION BWP/kwh COST (BWP)

(kWh)
Electricity 1080 0.868 937.44
Table 3

BENCHMARK ENERGY PERFORMANCE WITH ENERGY USE INTENSITY (EUI) AND ENERGY
COST INTENSITY (ECI)

Energy Use Intensity (EUI)

Energy Use Intensity is a common measure of energy consumption in buildings. EUI in

buildings is usually calculated by dividing total energy consumed per year by the relevant
square meters of the building. It represents how intensive or concentrated energy usage is
within the building.

Energy Cost Intensity (ECI)

Energy Cost Intensity is a measure of energy costs in buildings. This is important because
Pulas are used to measure expenses, profits and return on investment. It is usually
calculated by dividing the total energy cost per year by the relevant square meters of the
building.

When benchmarking with EUI, you have to convert one year’s energy consumption from all
sources to the common unit of kBTU using Table 4 below:
 Common Conversions to
kBTU
Energy Source Unit of Measure Multiply Units of Measure Using
This Conversion Factor To Get
kBTU
Electricity Kilowatt Hour (kWh) 10.2 (Source)
3.41 (Site)
Distillate Oil (#2, #4) or Gallon 139
Diesel
Residual Oil (#5, #6) or Fuel Gallon 150
Oil
Coal Pound 12.5
District Steam Pound 1.19
Propane Gallon 91.6
Natural Gas CCF (hundred Cubic Feet) 103
Therm 100

Eg. 1000 Pounds Coal = 12500kBTU

Table 4

Note: The conversion of electricity is problematic. If you convert one kWh of electricity directly into heat, the amount of
energy released is 3.41 kBTU. This ratio is known as the “site” conversion ratio. The site conversion ratio ignores the
energy lost producing and distributing that kWh of electricity. An alternative is the “source” conversion ratio of 10.2 kBTU
per kWh, which includes all the energy used to produce the electricity. Use the source conversion ratio because it allows for
a more accurate comparison of energy consumption. Note: Only about 33% (3.41/10.2) of the energy used to generate
electricity is converted to electricity available to the end user. The rest of the energy is lost in the generation and
transmission processes.

Since we are currently dealing with one source of energy consumption there is no need to
convert to a common unit.

The area of the building was found to be 52.75 m2 and the EUI was calculated using the
above formula and it was found to be 20.47kWh/m2. Using the RETScreen Expert Software,
Figure 1 shows the relationship between the current case of the building in terms of energy
consumption in relation to the other efficient building (target case) having the same area.
Figure 1: Benchmarking with EUI

The building was further benchmarked in terms of Energy Cost Intensity. Using the above
equation, ECI of the building was found to be 17.77BWP/m2. Figure 2 shows the
benchmarking results.

Figure 2: Benchmarking with ECI

From figure 1 and 2 we can see there are still plenty of opportunities to reduce the energy
consumption and costs of the building. Most are listed under the recommendation and if
implemented, the owner can save 162kWh and BWP141.00 annually.
RECOMMENDATIONS

PROJECTS

Table 5 below shows a larger and more technical project which have a higher cost but would
achieve significant energy and cost savings. Even though the payback period is high, this will
increase the occupant comfort by maintaining consistent temperature within the building.
The table also shows the estimated capital cost of each project together with estimated
energy savings.

Proposed Project Estimated Estimated Annual Payback

Capital Cost Savings (Years)
(BWP) kWh BWP
Roof Loft Space Insulation 2500.00 162 186 13.4
Table 5

The following section lists recommendations I selected for improving energy efficiency of
the building and trying to reach the 15% energy consumption and cost set target by 2021.

BUILDING ENVELOPE

 Walls
The building is quite old and the walls have no any form of insulation which means
they are inefficient in reducing heat loss. The wall construction is shown in figure 6
below. There are also gaps in the walls due to electric pipe fitting which have been
left unclosed. Consider using the spray foam to seal the gaps and plumbing
penetrations. The air bricks are also worn out which means they no longer serves
their purpose of allowing clean air in and out the building.

Figure 6: Wall construction

 Roof Construction
The roof construction is shown in figure 7 below. The roof is corrugated iron in the
entire building. There are traces of rust in the roof which indicate that the roof has
nearly reached the end of its lifetime. There are also lots of birds drooping on top of
the roof which will restrict the flow of rainwater which may contribute to rusting of
the roof. The loft space is not insulated and this contributes to the thermal
discomfort in the building as more heat during the day penetrates in the building.

Figure 7: Roof construction

 Glazing
The windows of the building are all clear single-glazed windows. Figure 8 below
shows that the windows are not cleaned and maintained as required. There are
some cracked windows and some do not seal tightly which lead to thermal
discomfort of the occupants.

Figure 8: Glazing

 Doors
Figure 9 below shows some the building doors, which clears shows the doors are less
efficient. One of the doors has been eaten by the rodents, leaving a wide opening in
a door. This lead to thermal discomfort of the users as it allows unnecessary air and
heat from the outside penetrating in the building.
 Figure 9: Building doors

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BUILDING ENVELOPE:

CONSIDER INSULATING THE WALLS. REPLACE WORN-OUT AIR BRICKS.

CONSIDER PAINTING OR REPLACING THE RUSTED CORRUGATED IRON.
REPLACE CRACKED WINDOWS AND FREQUENTLY CLEAN THE WINDOWS. CONSIDER
USING CAULK FOR WINDOWS NOT SEALING TIGHTLY
MAKE SURE THAT DOORS SEAL WHEN CLOSED. SEAL THE GAP LEFT BY RODENTS ON
THE DOOR. CONSIDER WEATHER STRIPPING THE DOORS.

LIGHTING

Lamps used on the building are all Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs). There are
insects trapped in the bulbs and most of them are left uncovered which makes them
vulnerable to dust which means they require frequent dusting for them to produce
their maximum brightness. Insects trapped inside lamp casing need to be removed
regularly as they may lead to an early decaying of the lamp case. Figure 10 below
shows the lamps on site during audit.

Even though the lamps are efficient, there is still an opportunity for improvements
on the efficiency of the building lamps.

Table 6
 Table 6 above shows the savings that can be achieved by replacing the already
existing CFLs with LEDs. My advice will be to replace them when they have reached
the end of their lifetime.

Figure 10: Building lights

LIGHTING RECOMMENDATIONS:
UPGRADE ALL LAMPS TO LEDs WHEN THEY REACH THEIR END OF LIFETIME
FREQUENTLY CLEAN LAMPS FROM INSECTS TRAPPED AND REMOVE DUST FROM
GLASS TUBING TO INCREASE BRIGHTNESS OF THE LAMPS.
INSERT COVERS ON ALL LAMPS.
INSTALL MOTION SENSORS AND TIMERS ON ALL OUTSIDE LAMPS SO THEY
AUTOMATICALLY TURN ON WHEN NEEDED.

KITCHEN AND APPLIANCES

 Kitchen
The kitchen is small sized and it include a two hot-plated stove (figure 11) used for
about 30 to 45 minutes once or twice per week to prepare morning meals. From the
figure we can see that it is frequently cleaned which is good as the heat elements
won’t have to work harder to release required heat energy. The layout of the kitchen
is good with the refrigerator far from the stove and from direct sunlight.

Figure 11: Two Hot-plated stove

 Refrigerator
The figure below shows the refrigerator used in the home. The freezer is filled with
defrost which will lead to high energy consumption. Make sure that the ice is
frequently removed from the freezer. There are also frozen blood stains from the
meat as it is placed inside the fridge. These possess health hazards to the users. It is
also important that the refrigerator is kept at the correct temperatures to reduce
energy consumption. In a kitchen such as this, the fridge should be kept at 4 or 5 0C
while the freezer should be no cooler than -180C.

Figure 12: Refrigerator

 Appliances
The appliances found during the audit include a television, decoder, electric iron and
a laptop. These appliances are left on or on “standby” when not in use (Figure 13);
this represents an unnecessary waste of energy. There are also traces of residues on
the electric iron element and this lead to the element working harder consuming lots
of energy as a result. All of these appliances will benefit from the installation of
“smart” power strips that can detect when devices are in “off” or “standby mode”
and cut off all power of the devices.

Figure 13: Building appliances

 KITCHEN AND APPLIANCES RECOMMENDATIONS:
MAXIMISE THE USE OF FIREWOOD FOR COOKING SINCE IT’S CHEAP AND READILY
AVAILABLE
REMOVE THE ICE FROM THE FRIDGE REGULARLY TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY.
CONSIDER BUYING THE MORE EFFICIENT REFRIGERATOR WHEN THE CURRENT ONE
REACHES ITS END OF LIFETIME.
SWITCH OFF APPLIANCES WHEN NOT IN USE.
INSTALL SMART POWER STRIPS ON ALL FREE STANDING APPLIANCES

BEHAVIOUR CHANGE

Many researchers have found that individual behaviour changes can produce highly
significant energy reductions, ranging from 5% to 50%. These savings can be
achieved by developing a suitable behaviour change campaign and supporting this
with greater use of the smart metering data which i can install to you on request,
provided that there is a working internet connection in your home.

Under the bench marking process earlier, we have modelled the current energy and
cost intensities in relation to the set target of 15% energy and costs reduction target.
This information can be used to begin a behaviour change campaign and can be
supplemented by smart metering information to report progress towards the target
on a monthly basis. Research has shown that behaviour change actions are
significantly more effective if progress can be measured and regularly give feedback
to building occupants.

One option to further engage the buildings users in energy efficiency projects and
encourage a lasting behaviour change in the way occupants view energy usage in
home is to install an energy display screen in an open space like sitting room area.
This could be linked to the future renewable energy installation and can
demonstrate, using a variety of different graphics, information ranging from the
actual energy produced by the PV array to progress towards the cost reduction
target and total annual energy usage. Research have shown that actions to
encourage behaviour change in building occupants are significantly more effective
when provided with real time information updates.

BEHAVIOUR CHANGE RECOMMENDATION:

BEGIN AN ENERGY USAGE AND COSTS AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
EASY ACTIONS AND QUCK WINS

Action Estimated Estimated Comments

Cost (BWP) Savings
(BWP/year)
Clean Windows 0 Unknown This may help reduce the need for
lighting during the day on cloudy/
rainy days
Use drapes or blinds 50.00/m2 Unknown The client should try to keep as
to block sunlight much direct sunlight outside as
possible on hot days. Direct sunlight
can raise the temperature of the
room by 100C to 200C. Sunlight
directly hitting an occupant will
usually make him or her
uncomfortable.
Replace cracked or 25.00 Unknown This is important if it is difficult to
broken windows maintain a comfortable
temperature in the space.
Reduce plug load 0 10% of the Periods of inactivity can trigger
energy cost sleep mode in TVs and PCs. Enable
used by this feature whenever it is available
appliances
Use “Smart” Power < 50.00 10% of the Smart power strips are available at
Strips where energy cost an affordable price that can detect
possible. used by the when devices are in “off” or “sleep
appliances mode” and cut off all power the
devices. (Sleeping devices and
devices on standby still pull a small
amount of power.)
Minimise frost build- 0 Unknown The build-up of ice inside the unit
up in refrigerator means the compressor has to run
longer to maintain cold
temperatures, wasting energy
Use a soft brush to 0 Unknown This will help the unit operate more
clean the coils on efficiently and it helps improve the
the back of the unit lifetime
refrigerator
Make sure there is a 0 Unknown Trapped heat increases energy
clearance around consumption and shortens the life
the coils for air to of the motor
flow freely
Seal and insulate Depend Unknown Even though this may save little or
doors upon the no energy at all, this will improve
size/ age of occupants comfort.
the
building
Clean/maintain the 0 Unknown Almost all the CFLs i found during
lights audit had insects trapped in
between. This reduces the light
brightness and shortens the lifetime
of the lamp
Install motion 30.00 each 10% to 15% of Installing motion sensors ensures
sensor on the energy cost that the outside lights operate only
outside lights. associated with when needed. This will save about
the outside 10% of the existing devices
lamps electricity usage.
Upgrade all lights to 125.00 99.00 This helps to save energy and it is
LEDs when they affordable. Reduced energy
reach end of their consumption means reduced
lifetime energy costs.
Use firewood for 0 26.56 Since there is abundant of firewood
cooking as much as in the area, this will help reduce
possible electric bills.
Begin an energy 0 5-10% of total Constantly measure
usage and cost annual energy progress and regularly give
campaign awareness cost feedback to building
occupants.

Table 7

RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES

The information below is a high level assessment of potential for renewable energy on your
home and aims to provide an indication of the types of costs and savings achievable. The
building has an area of 53 m2, which means we have an unused roof area of 53m2. The
building has a good north facing roof, which will be suitable for solar photovoltaic system
and for solar water heating system. Figure 14 below shows the home inspection and
radiation analysis results.
Figure 14

The costs of the systems are based on the information obtained from reliable contractors
known in the area.

 Solar Photovoltaic System

The solar PV system will be used for powering the lights and can be used for other
appliances to try to reduce the energy cost of the building. Even though the
installation of the system may be of higher cost, the owner must realise that this is a
one-time investment, and from there he will enjoy free, clean energy at no cost. The
maintenance of the system also does not require the complicated technical
knowledge as the user will only have to frequently wipe dust from the panels for
effective efficiency.

 Solar Thermal System

Solar water heating is another free and abundant resource. The building, especially
Bedroom 2 has enough roof space that can be utilised by installing the solar water
heating system for producing hot water that can be used for bathing, cleaning, and
washing. Even though I encourage usage of firewood, SWH will be a wise investment
for now and the future. Solar water heaters (SWHs) of 100-300 litres capacity is
found suited for this home. Hot water at 60-80oC could be obtained through use of
solar water heaters. Solar water heaters save electricity and thus money as
 electricity is becoming more and more expensive and its availability is becoming
unreliable. There are also more benefits of using SWH system:
 Solar water heaters are non-polluting.
 Safer than electric geysers as they are located on the roof.

System Estimated Total Total kWh Payback

Total Cost Financial Savings Period
(BWP) Savings (Years)
(BWP)
Solar 2900.00 327.50 377 8.9
Photovoltaic
System
Solar 1500.00 112.80 129.50 13.3
Thermal
System
Table 8

COMMENTS ON ITEMS OUTSIDE OF THE SCOPE OF THE AUDIT

 Firewood as fuel source

The audit does not cover the amount of energy consumed from the usage of the
firewood, together with costs and carbon emissions associated with it.

 Wastage of roofing nails found on roof

During roof inspection, about 19 roofing nails were found left unused on the roof. I
made a sample calculation to find the amount of money the building owner lost on
unused nails. One box contains 100pcs of roofing nailing costing at around BWP
65.00, which means 1pc of nail cost BWP 0.65 each.

Item Quantity Cost each (BWP) TOTAL FINANCIAL

WASTED (BWP)
Eltord Roofing Nails 19 0.65 12.35
Table 9

AREAS NOT EXAMINED IN THIS AUDIT

 No testing was performed to ascertain total building air leakage or total leakage
from ductwork.
STATEMENT OF LIMITED LIABILITY FOR SERVICES PERFORMED

Implementing the recommendations in this report will reduce your energy bills and make
your building more comfortable. It will also help the environment. The estimates in this
Energy Audit Report (“Report”) are based on the data obtained from measuring and
inspecting your facility. The information was analysed using standard energy audit
techniques, which takes into account local weather, energy prices, implementation costs
and other relevant factors. The savings estimates in this Report can be adversely impacted
by variations in the behaviour of the occupants, the weather and other factors. Your actual
implementation costs may vary from our estimates due to price differences among
contractors and suppliers as well as unforeseen issues.

MAT ENERGY SOLUTIONS (PTY) LTD does not offer any warranty, either expressly or implied, for the estimated savings or
costs in this Report. Should you find an error in the Report, please call us at (+267) 74287971 / 74494771. Our liability for
any errors or omissions in this Report is limited to the fee paid for this Report.