Methodology on empirical study in determining critical energy efficiency factors for building structural components

Abstract

Making a decision to select building structural components is one of the sustainable construction keys. Extensive reviews of the literature revealed that despite various studies being carried out focusing on the selection of building component alternatives, it was found that none have focused on the selection of building component alternatives based on multiple energy efficiency criteria. In addressing the research gap, this study is conducted with the aim to identify the energy efficiency factors for a selection building structural component. A quantitative method research design was adopted through questionnaire surveys. The population of the study selected was engineers registered with the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) in the year 2015. The Simple Random Sample (SRS) technique was adopted to select samples, and 263 samples were selected. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive analysis and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The outcome of these analyses has resulted in the identification of two main factors which consists of eight energy efficiency criteria. The results of this study are expected to be beneficial in developing a tool to assist the decision-makers in selecting the appropriate energy efficient building structural systems.