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.