Strategizing Effective Maintenance Strategies for Air Conditioning Systems in Commercial Buildings in Malaysia: A Systematic Literature Review

The use of air conditioning systems is prevalent in many locations in Malaysia due to the elevated temperatures seen in the region. The importance of air conditioning system maintenance has not been accorded due attention. Taking this issue into consideration, this study aims to enhance the maintenance of air conditioning systems by understanding their importance, identifying maintenance issues and proposing solutions to enhance system maintenance, with a specific focus on commercial buildings in Malaysia. The data used in the study was gathered from case studies, images, newspapers, journals and previous theses. This study used fully qualitative methods to obtain data and was acquired through a systematic literature review (SLR) and open-ended interview questionnaire with experts. From the findings, it was found that there were three main strategies, which are preventive maintenance, corrective maintenance and predictive maintenance that are mostly applied for the maintenance of the air conditioning system at the commercial building in Malaysia. The overall findings from the interview with experts highlighted that technical expertise, specialized tools and comprehensive maintenance strategies were important elements to be employed by HVAC technicians and facility managers in Malaysia when managing the HVAC, especially the air conditioning system. This research expands knowledge by investigating air conditioning system maintenance. Furthermore, the findings of this study are useful to the maintenance team and users since they provide the best strategies for the maintenance of the air conditioning systems of commercial buildings in Malaysia.