A STUDY ON LED RETROFIT IN HDB COMMON AREAS FOR SUSTAINABLE PUBLIC HOUSING IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

With the ever-increasing energy consumption, there has been much emphasis being put on efforts for sustainability through energy efficiency measures. One of the more popular measures implemented worldwide are LED retrofits where existing low energy efficiency lights are replaced with LED luminaires. Many researches have been done on case studies on different types of buildings and produced satisfactory results. However, the actual performance of a LED retrofit is dependent on varying factors that each building or case study has and there have been a lack of case studies that focuses on monitoring the actual performance of a LED retrofit in Singapore. This dissertation focuses on an important category of building in Singapore - public housing. It serves to understand and evaluate the performance of LED retrofit for public housing in Singapore by investigating three main factors: energy use, economics and user assessment. This is done by analysing the consistency of energy consumption of LED lights over the years, determining if LED retrofits implemented for HDB common areas fulfils the expected savings and assessing the rate of returns through deriving at ROIs. From the analysis done on the data retrieved, it can be concluded that the LED retrofits are indeed effective. In terms of energy use, although there have been fluctuations over the years, the overall actual savings are still more than what was expected with the aid of energy saving measures that were implemented in conjunction with the LED retrofit. Actual energy savings are 23.35% - 39.56% higher than what the ESCO had expected from their preliminary energy audits. In terms of economics, the ROI values shows that it will yield more returns when adopting LED lighting technology for longer period. As for user assessment, it has generated minimal negative feedbacks. Several recommendations for further study have been provided and limitations are also identified to improve accuracy and provide a more complete picture for sustainable public housing in Singapore.