A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering, School of Environment, Resources and Development

Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1982

Nowadays nearly everyone is aware of the energy crisis and feels the effect of shortages in one form or another. Almost everywhere energy conservation measures are being taken in new designs and plans. But the majority of the old and existing buildings are not energy efficient because they were planned and designed at a time when energy was plentiful and cheap. These buildings may have another 30 or more years of useful life. They must be examined in depth for their efficiency for utilizing energy. Remedial action should then be taken for energy conservation. In this study various techniques, ways and means to conserve and utilize energy in a more efficient way in existing buildings are explained. As a practical example the electrical system of A.I.T. (Asian Institute of Technology) has been redesigned. This proposed redesign has two main parts. First is the redesigned lighting system of A.I.T. and second is the redesign of the 24 kV high voltage grid of A. I. T. It has been observed that in addition to being a better and more reliable system about 25% of the electrical bill can be saved by taking these measures, whereas the payback time for the whole project will be about two years.