ENERGY PERFORMANCE OF HOTEL BUILDINGS IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

In view of rising energy cost and growing environmental concern, energy efficiency in hotel buildings has emerged as an important performance indicator to be considered in the cost and environmental equation. While it is important to study the energy performance of hotel buildings, the research work encompassing this area is limited, as compared to that on commercial buildings. This is even more so in Singapore. This research is a pilot study to investigate the energy performance of hotel buildings in Singapore. It aims to identify the variables that affect energy use in hotel buildings. Some energy savings opportunities are also presented. This study is carried out based on a survey of six 5-star hotels in Singapore that was conducted in early 2003, all of which are city business hotels. In addition, an in-depth case study based on one of the sampled hotels was also carried out. Following that, the year profile of three hotels is mapped out to determine if there is similar trend among them. While the available data was insufficient for detailed statistical analysis, an extensive graphical analysis and correlation studies may be applied. The annual energy consumption of the sampled hotels was presented and the Energy Ike Index (EUI) based on the gross floor area (GFA) has been derived for the surveyed buildings. This study demonstrates that the energy consumption of a hotel is strongly related to the gross floor area, air-conditioned area, number of guest rooms and total number of storey within the hotel development. It is found that hotel energy use is relatively independent of the occupancy level, hotel age and number of restaurants. Eased on the case study, it was established that energy consumption is outdoor temperature-related. Finally, the energy year profile showed that the three hotels did exhibit similar trends. Ii using this pilot study as stepping stone, wider surveys of the hotel industry are encouraged as a means of developing best practices and typical performance benchmarks for hotels as well as for refining the indicators established in this study.