Triangulation Method to Assess Indoor Environmental Conditions and Occupant Comfort and Productivity towards Low Energy Buildings in Malaysia

Abstract

Saving energy and cutting costs without compromising indoor comfort conditions are challenging, especially in hot and humid regions such as Malaysia. This study explores a new approach to reducing energy consumption without compromising staff comfort in office buildings. This study aims to develop a method for lowering Building Energy Index (BEI) and maintaining acceptable indoor conditions while increasing productivity in office buildings. A developed triangulation method using Building Use Studies (BUS) for evaluating occupant satisfaction, physical measurements, and simulation modelling was implemented to measure indoor performance in an office building. The results indicated that enhancing six variables of building conditions managed to improve occupant satisfaction by 44%. Hence, the productivity of staff in the building increased by 16%. The findings demonstrated that a reduction of 3 h in the operating times of chillers while an increase in chillers’ temperature by 1.5 °C maintained an acceptable indoor environment and reduced the building’s BEI to 89.48 kWh/m2/year, with an energy saving of 21.51%, turning the case study into a low energy building.