The Role of Building Automation System in Malaysia Office Buildings: Challenges and Opportunities for Energy Optimization

Building Automation Systems (BAS) is crucial for integrating and controlling building systems such as heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC), lighting, and security to enhance energy efficiency, cost savings, and operational functionality in office buildings. This study examines the implementation of BAS in three high-rise office buildings in the central region of Malaysia using a mixed-methods approach, including interviews, literature review, and energy data analysis. The findings reveal that BAS significantly optimizes energy consumption while enabling real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance. However, challenges such as high costs, integration of legacy systems, and technical skill gaps hinder BAS adoption. A comparative analysis indicates varying levels of BAS sophistication, with modern systems achieving measurable energy and cost savings. This study highlights the potential of BAS in supporting Malaysia’s sustainability goals and recommends open standards, stakeholder engagement, and government incentives to overcome adoption barriers and maximize BAS benefits.