Assessing the Relationship between Energy Efficient Design Decisions and Energy Performance of Public Buildings in Ghana: Architect Perspective (Published)
As energy is a locomotive sector of the national economy, energy efficient decisions in the construction industry cannot be underestimated. The purpose of the study is to assess the perceptions of Architect on relationship between energy efficient design decisions and energy performance on public buildings in Ghana. Questionnaire was the main data collection tool. The questionnaires were distributed to a randomly selected sample of one hundred and thirty-five (135) registered architects. The data was analysed using inferential statistics such as Pearson product moment correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. The study established that there was a significant, positive correlation between building envelope/orientation, site condition related decision and energy performance of public buildings and these has explain 81.7 percent of the variation in energy performance. It was again reveal that factors that contributed significantly to this relationship were Passive solar technique, Natural ventilation, Temperature of the building site, Day lighting technique and Site shading strategy. The study indicates that the most critical constrain to energy efficient design were lack of public awareness followed by client budget and lack of skilled labour. It is recommended that Architects should adopt the EED framework designed as an appropriate strategy in the design of public buildings to improve the energy performance of public buildings.
Keywords: Architect, Energy Efficient Design, Energy Performance, Ghana, Public Building