Occupant feedback in air conditioned and mixed mode office buildings in India
India has a largely cooling dominated climate where space cooling accounts for approximately 31% of the energy consumed by commercial buildings. Deeper market penetration of air conditioning systems, higher income levels driving higher comfort expectations, and growing floor space have led to a steep rise in associated carbon emissions. India needs to adopt an energy efficient regime in which governments, businesses and individuals transform the way buildings are designed, built and operated, while still maintaining high levels of occupant satisfaction. Two diverse approaches are practiced in India to achieve energy efficiency. The first relies on passive design strategies based on traditional wisdom. The second relies on high performance HVAC building conditioning systems. Most Indian climate zones offer opportunities to design and operate buildings as naturally ventilated or mixed mode. But such design practices need to be promoted on the basis of scientific studies related to occupant behavior, comfort and associated energy consumption. This paper evaluates occupant satisfaction in a mix of consciously designed air conditioned and mixed mode buildings based on online surveys, and limited physical measurements. The survey includes questions about thermal comfort, indoor air quality, air movement, acoustics and adaptive controls such as windows and fans. The paper offers an understanding about the perception and behavior of occupants in mixed mode buildings in various climate zones of India to help identify strategies to promote efficient mixed mode buildings in both India and other regions.