IMPROVING ENERGY USAGE IN COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS USING SIX SIGMA DMAIC

• Kanyinda Kabuya Department of Industrial Engineering, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7160-8396
• Oludolapo Akanni Olanrewaju Department of Industrial Engineering, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6802-0129
• Ian Joseph Lazarus Department of Physics, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6802-0129

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7166/34-2-2392

Keywords:

Six Sigma, DMAIC, Energy management, Energy consumption, Energy efficiency

Abstract

This article describes the energy-saving measures in commercial buildings from different perspectives on energy saving in cities. In recent years, improving energy conservation in commercial buildings has become an issue of great importance for the financial well-being of organisations. The study uses the define-measure-analyze-improve-control (DMAIC) Six Sigma approach to identify the factors that contribute to increases in electricity consumption. With the increasing shortage of energy, two years’ worth of energy consumption data from a commercial building in South Africa was collected and analyzed using statistical tools. The research findings revealed that the boiler had the highest electricity consumption (38.33 per cent), followed by the kitchen (24.20 per cent) and the rest of the building (37.47 per cent). After applying the DMAIC process, it showed that the electricity consumption of the boiler could be reduced by 6 per cent during the improvement phase.