Perceptions of Malaysian Office Workers on the Adoption of the Japanese Cool Biz Concept of Energy Conservation

Abstract

Energy efficiency and conservation in buildings are major concerns and priorities for the Malaysian government. The Japanese Cool Biz concept and campaign has proven to be effective in reducing and conserving energy during the summer period, and other countries are beginning to adopt it. Malaysia, as a country with hot weather throughout the year, may have lots to gain from the concept; particularly in the energy management of office buildings. However, Cool Biz is not well known in Malaysia and the perception of Malaysian office workers toward the Cool Biz concept remains unclear. This study seeks to identify the Cool Biz elements that can contribute to and complement energy conservation efforts, and seeks the opinions of Malaysian office workers toward the concept. The study adopts a discriminant analysis methodology to determine if there are significant differences of opinion among gender category, age groups and races in Malaysia on the Cool Biz concept. The findings showed that overall, Malaysians find Cool Biz a good concept. However, there were significant differences in opinion among the social groups. The most significant differences in opinion were within the race category vis-a-vis Malay, Chinese and Indian office workers.