ENERGY CONSERVATION OF RESIDENTIAL SECTOR IN MALAYSIA

This article discusses the trends in residential sector’s growth and energy consumption pattern in Malaysia. Residential sector has been regarded by researchers as an important target group for energy conservation. In Malaysia, energy use of the residential sector accounts for about 15% of that consumed by all sectors. Although it is ranked at the fourth place after other major sectors such as industrial, transport and non-energy, energy consumption in the household sector has become important because the increase of energy consumption in household sector is portrayed as a major threat to the sustainability where it will increase the CO2, and will generate major global problems like greenhouse gas effect, ozone layer depletion and acid rain. For this reason, reducing the inefficiency of household energy consumption can be effective means of decreasing global energy use and associated undesirable environmental impacts. Therefore, this study aims to analyse on the past trends in residential sector’s growth and energy consumption pattern in order to understand the key issues and challenges faces for residential sector in Malaysia. The paper will also discuss the policy and strategic options aimed towards energy conservation in Malaysia.