Establishing Effective Operation and Maintenance that Enhances the Energy Performance of Green Office Buildings in Malaysia

Abstract

The increasing concern of global warming occurring at an exceptional rate has led to a massive shift in the construction industry. Subsequently, the development of green buildings is on the rise. Along with the emergence of green buildings, the evaluation of the sustainability of a project is a necessity to ensure that the building operates according to the best practices. Various studies have shown that some green buildings are underperforming compared to their initial designs. Some are even found to be performing even worse than the conventional buildings. In addition, the operation and maintenance (O&M) aspect is often neglected in the initial design stages, despite its significance on the life span, performance, and operational expenses of the building. Therefore, this research aims to study the implementation of O&M in relation to the energy performance level of green office buildings in Malaysia. To achieve the objectives of this research, a qualitative method is used whereby the data are obtained through literature review and interviews. Qualitative data are analysed to explain the influence of O&M aspects on energy performance. It is found that the green office buildings with better implementation of O&M, particularly on the maintenance strategy and building occupant behaviour, are likely to achieve the smaller operational energy performance gap. Therefore, various practices are suggested to enhance the energy efficiency of green building, such as appropriate selection and implementation of maintenance strategy, adoption of building automation system, impose of incentives for energy efficient practices, and occupant involvement in O&M.