Evaluating the role of energy autonomy on building performance and tenant satisfaction in shopping malls in Ghana

Purpose Grid instability and its associated effects on HVAC performance and tenant satisfaction in shopping malls are challenging in sub-Saharan Africa. This study assesses the impact of varying levels of energy autonomy on HVAC system performance and tenant satisfaction in shopping malls in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach The study employed a quantitative method. Using Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average to model thermal responses and Analysis of Variance to assess tenant satisfaction across high, medium and low-level energy-autonomous shopping malls in Ghana. Using purposive and convenience sampling, 316 tenants were surveyed across the three levels of shopping malls in Ghana. Findings High-autonomy shopping malls experienced minimal indoor temperature increases (1.5 °C), rapid recovery time of 20 min during power outages, and higher tenant satisfaction (mean = 4.35). Satisfaction levels include: perceived thermal comfort, operational stability, and energy reliability. On the other hand, moderate-energy-autonomy malls exhibited delayed HVAC responses, tenant dissatisfaction and slight improvements in response time compared to low-autonomy malls. The findings established that while energy autonomy contributes to comfort and satisfaction, differences are not always statistically significant, showing mixed effects across various energy autonomy levels. Practical implications The Ghana Standards Authority should develop and enforce compulsory baseline energy-autonomy standards for retail and commercial buildings, with specific emphasis on recovery time during outages, backup recovery capacity and minimum HVAC uptime. These should be integrated into building certification requirements and ensure compliance in new shopping malls. Originality/value The integration of perceived thermal resilience into the technical system, HVAC performance and occupant experience creates a new metric.