Energy management key practices: a proposed list for Malaysia Universities

Abstract

This study embarks to propose a list of energy management key practices for Malaysian Universities. Energy management is beneficial for Malaysian university that confront expensive energy bill, for it have large build up areas, comprehensive facilities as well as large numbers of building users. The proposed list of energy management key practices is a complement to their existing practices and, to guide them in achieving energy sustainability. A non-experimental, quantitative, and survey research design was used. Questionnaire survey was performed in Malaysian public and private universities to obtain energy coordinators’ perspective on the importance of proposed energy management key practices. This study suggests a total of 47 key practices are vital to manage energy in university, they were grouped into three major phases: “Planning”, “Implementing”, and “Monitoring and Evaluation”. The results show that key practices pertain to involvement, measurement and verification, budget allocation, energy goals and objectives were considered very important by university energy coordinators. Although technology approach seems impressive, result shows it is not their prior choice. Also, some of the soft energy management key practices, such as “develop education plan” and “advice on energy matters” are not considered important by the energy coordinators. The paper confirms the importance of the proposed list of energy management key practices, the list would be applicable to university to monitor and measure their energy performance.