Overview of the Building Energy Efficiency Guideline (BEEG) for Nigeria

The Building Energy Efficiency Guideline (BEEG) for Nigeria was launched in 2016 as part of efforts by the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing (FMPWH) and the German Agency of International Cooperation (GIZ) through its Nigerian Energy Support Programme (NESP) to promote sustainable behaviours of practitioners and users in avoiding profligate usage and wastage of energy in the building sector.

The Guideline analyses the current energy efficiency practices in the building sector, presents a design methodology and appropriate solutions for achieving more energy efficient residential and office buildings in Nigeria. The Guideline therefore advocates that limiting the growth of electricity consumption will result not only in environmental and economic benefits, but also support energy security, reduce black outs, improve the accessibility to electricity for all, and boost the economic development of the country.

 This article provides an overview of the BEEG with specific references to relevant areas contained in the Guideline and in general seeks to promote further awareness and application of the Guideline.

Introduction

Energy efficient buildings are those which consume less energy while maintaining or even improving the comfort conditions for their occupants compared to standard buildings that lack energy efficient considerations. Energy efficient buildings result not only in less environmental impact but are also economically sustainable and resilient. The building sector accounts for the majority of electricity  consumption in Nigeria and will inevitably increase significantly in absolute terms in the coming years driven by a rapidly increasing population, migration from low energy consuming rural dwellings to urban centres, and improvements in living standards. Set against a chronic shortage of electrical generation and transmission capacity, energy efficiency measures represent the cheapest way of improving the state of energy supply in Nigeria now and in the future as the grid improves with increasing demand.

In Nigeria, energy consumed by the buildings targeted in the Guideline (medium-high cost residential and commercial) is mainly due to cooling systems (e.g. air conditioning) and lighting. Energy consumed by residential buildings accounts for more than 50% of the total energy consumed in the country (Energy Commission of Nigeria, 2014). By using bioclimatic design techniques with highly efficient active systems, it is possible to greatly reduce the energy required to cool and light a building, or even in some cases eliminate the need for cooling entirely. This in turn reduces dependency on the grid electricity supply and helps improve energy security in the country.

 Improving energy efficiency requires a different approach to the design and operation of buildings. It starts from the design methodology and goes through to the implementation of regulatory frameworks to allow and enforce EE targets. Education, dissemination and validation of the achievements of EE buildings could be provided by energy efficiency and sustainability certification schemes in conjunction with the Green Building Council of Nigeria (GBCN) and other relevant bodies. The resulting buildings will not only benefit from reduced energy consumption but will also provide a more comfortable internal environment for occupants, reduce the negative environmental impact, and be more economically sustainable and resilient.

 

Energy Efficiency in the Nigerian Building Sector

In the past, the Federal Government of Nigeria made several policies in the energy sector that aimed to encourage uptake of renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE). However, these were limited in their scope and only mentioned general issues without giving a detailed framework. It is hoped that the recent approval of the first ever RE and EE policy for Nigeria (Nigeria Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Policy [NREEEP], 2015) provides better guidance to the industry. Within the building sector, this policy proposed developing energy efficiency building codes so that buildings are designed in line with bio-climatic design concepts and incorporate other energy saving measures.

A National Energy Efficiency Action Plan is currently being developed by stakeholders with the aim of promoting energy efficiency in Nigeria. This action plan supports the implementation of the NREEEP,sets its own targets for energy savings in the building sector amongst others and proposes concrete measures and actions that would contribute to meeting the targets.

The ECOWAS Directive on Energy Efficiency in Buildings (2013) also requires action from national governments to promote the improvement of energy efficiency of buildings.

The Nigeria National Building Code (2006) does not currently include detailed energy efficiency requirements, but is under revision to include those energy efficiency aspects that are easy to implement, cost-effective, and would lead to energy savings.

This Nigerian Building Energy Efficiency Guideline responds to the Nigeria RE and EE policy target of producing guidelines on all the key components of energy efficiency by 2020. The guideline provides practical information on the design and construction of energy efficient buildings.

 

 The Process of Planning an Energy Efficient Building in Nigeria

 Currently in Nigeria, building designs are usually developed using a linear and conventional design process.