Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: BRUNO CRISTINO PINHEIRO

MULTICRITERIA ANALYSIS FOR DECISION MAKING IN ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROJECTS 

FOR HVAC SYSTEMS IN COMMERCIAL ESTABLISHMENTS USING THE AHP METHOD

 

Air conditioning systems represent 47% of total energy use in commercial establishments, while lighting represents 22% and other loads 31%. Still, when talking about the type of air conditioners in these installations, wall appliances and Split Systems represent almost 76.6% of the total. Decision-making in the selection of energy efficiency projects is a complex activity that requires a structured model to support the decision maker. Among the methods used to analyze the return on investments in energy efficiency projects, we have the Payback method and the net present value (NPV) as the most used. However, just determining the economic viability of a project may not be enough to guarantee the best decision. It is necessary to understand, in the context of the business, what are the criteria that influence decision-making and its representativeness in several dimensions. The objective of this work was to analyze and select the best alternative efficiency gains with air conditioning in commercial establishments that satisfy the set of criteria considered relevant for the business and its size by the decision makers, in the economic-financial, technical and subjective or qualitative dimensions, through a case study in a small installation by the AHP method. For this, a literature review was carried out, in order to understand the viable technical alternatives for efficiency gains in relation to the traditional Fixed Split Systems. Six alternatives were identified, two of which were discarded due to compatibility with the business. A mapping of the current state of the establishment was carried out, with consumption simulations, comparing the current performance with that of the proposed alternatives, as well as studying their associated costs and their economic viability. Interviews were carried out with a group of decision makers from the company to define the construction of the decision tree and criteria judgments. After collecting information, modeling was carried out with the aid of software, IPÊ 1.0, which implements the AHP method algorithm. The result of the modeling indicated, according to the judgment of the decision makers, that the installation of a PID control device would be the best alternative. The AHP method proved to be suitable for the decision-making process of the study, especially because several criteria are part of the solution to the problem, which must be analyzed to obtain a hierarchy of viable alternatives and thus sustaining a decision that consistently considers multiple criteria. and rational.