Triangulation Method to Assess Indoor Environmental Conditions and Occupant Comfort and Productivity towards Low Energy Buildings in Malaysia
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...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Buildings |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/12/11/1788 |
| _version_ | 1827647113498984448 |
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| author | Mohammed Hatim Al-Sabahi Muhammad Azzam Ismail Ali Mohammed Alashwal Karam M. Al-Obaidi |
| author_facet | Mohammed Hatim Al-Sabahi Muhammad Azzam Ismail Ali Mohammed Alashwal Karam M. Al-Obaidi |
| author_sort | Mohammed Hatim Al-Sabahi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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/m<sup>2</sup>/year, with an energy saving of 21.51%, turning the case study into a low energy building. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:13:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e9858a6dbfef4affb4fe82f772f1d443 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-5309 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:13:44Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Buildings |
| spelling | doaj.art-e9858a6dbfef4affb4fe82f772f1d4432023-11-24T03:57:37ZengMDPI AGBuildings2075-53092022-10-011211178810.3390/buildings12111788Triangulation Method to Assess Indoor Environmental Conditions and Occupant Comfort and Productivity towards Low Energy Buildings in MalaysiaMohammed Hatim Al-Sabahi0Muhammad Azzam Ismail1Ali Mohammed Alashwal2Karam M. Al-Obaidi3Department of Architecture, Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, MalaysiaDepartment of Architecture, Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, MalaysiaSchool of Engineering, Design and Built Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2751, AustraliaDepartment of the Natural and Built Environment, College of Social Sciences and Arts, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield S1 1WB, UKSaving 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/m<sup>2</sup>/year, with an energy saving of 21.51%, turning the case study into a low energy building.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/12/11/1788triangulation methodindoor comfortindoor environmental conditionsproductivitylow energy buildingtropics |
| spellingShingle | Mohammed Hatim Al-Sabahi Muhammad Azzam Ismail Ali Mohammed Alashwal Karam M. Al-Obaidi Triangulation Method to Assess Indoor Environmental Conditions and Occupant Comfort and Productivity towards Low Energy Buildings in Malaysia Buildings triangulation method indoor comfort indoor environmental conditions productivity low energy building tropics |
| title | Triangulation Method to Assess Indoor Environmental Conditions and Occupant Comfort and Productivity towards Low Energy Buildings in Malaysia |
| title_full | Triangulation Method to Assess Indoor Environmental Conditions and Occupant Comfort and Productivity towards Low Energy Buildings in Malaysia |
| title_fullStr | Triangulation Method to Assess Indoor Environmental Conditions and Occupant Comfort and Productivity towards Low Energy Buildings in Malaysia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Triangulation Method to Assess Indoor Environmental Conditions and Occupant Comfort and Productivity towards Low Energy Buildings in Malaysia |
| title_short | Triangulation Method to Assess Indoor Environmental Conditions and Occupant Comfort and Productivity towards Low Energy Buildings in Malaysia |
| title_sort | triangulation method to assess indoor environmental conditions and occupant comfort and productivity towards low energy buildings in malaysia |
| topic | triangulation method indoor comfort indoor environmental conditions productivity low energy building tropics |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/12/11/1788 |
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