Determine the Profiles of Power Consumption in Commercial Buildings in a Very Hot Humid Climate Using a Temporary Series

• Published in: Sustainability 2024-11, Vol.16 (22), p.9770
• Main Authors: Vallejo-Coral, E. Catalina, Garzón, Ricardo, Ortega López, Miguel Darío, Martínez-Gómez, Javier, Moya, Marcelo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Case studies; Clustering; Cost control; Decomposition; Electricity; Emissions; Energy audits; Energy consumption; Energy management; Green buildings; HVAC; Methods; Smart meters; Time series
• ISSN: 2071-1050; 2071-1050
• DOI: 10.3390/su16229770

With the growth of the nations, the commercial and public services sectors have recently seen an increase in their electricity usage. This demonstrates how crucial it is to understand a building’s behavior in order to lower its usage. This requires on-site data collection by qualified professionals and specialized equipment, which represents high costs. However, multiple studies have demonstrated that it is possible to find electricity-saving strategies from the study of electricity usage, recorded in an hourly period or less, captured by smart meters. In this context, the present study applies a methodology to determine useful information on the operation and characteristics of public buildings on the Ecuadorian coast based on the data gathered over a period of five consecutive months from smart meters. The methodology consists of four steps: (1) data cleaning and filling, (2) time-series decomposition, (3) the generation of consumption profile and (4) the identification of the temperature influence. According to the results, the pre-cooling of spaces accounts for 5% of all electricity used in the commercial buildings, while prolonged shutdown uses 10%. Approximately USD 1100 per month would be spent on the main building and USD 78 on the agency as a result.