Window design selection and energy consumption implications for residential buildings in Ghana: A behaviorchange analysis of Ga East and Awutu Senya East Municipalities

Abstract

The challenge of reducing carbon emissions for the purpose of climate change mitigation
requires both supply-side and demand-side energy efficiency measures. On the demand side,
buildings worldwide account for about 30-40% of the total energy demand, thereby forming
the largest sectoral consumer of electricity. Hence, the building sector offers a great
opportunity for energy conservation and efficiency drives if certain behavioural patterns were
to change. An important element of the building, which often influences energy consumption,
is the design of the window. This paper investigates the economic, energy efficiency and
sociological dimensions of the shift from traditional window designs to alternative ones in
Ghana. Through quantitative and qualitative analyses of the data gathered for the 2014 Energy
Surveys in the Ga East and Awutu Senya East Municipalities in Ghana, most homeowners use
new window designs predominantly for aesthetic reasons. While more wooden and louvre
blades windows users depend heavily on natural ventilation systems, glazed windows users
depend mostly on fans and air conditioners. Consequently, glazed windows users spend more
money on electricity compared to users of other window types. These findings manifest the
energy inefficiency of most recent architectural designs in Ghana and, therefore call for
appropriate policy interventions.