Developing a Context-Sensitive Operational Energy Management Framework for Tropical Public Office Buildings in Abuja, Nigeria

Operating energy usage in tropical public office buildings in Nigeria remains a serious concern because to increased energy costs, intermittent grid supplies, and a reliance on mechanical cooling and backup power. This study looks into operational energy management in public office buildings in Abuja, Nigeria, with the goal of incorporating passive design, technology, and policy measures into a context-sensitive energy management framework. A structured questionnaire was distributed to building experts involved in public office building design and operations in order to conduct a quantitative cross-sectional study. The Relative Importance Index (RII) was used to prioritise essential parameters influencing operational energy usage, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to combine 16 energy-related variables into interpretable framework components. The RII data show that passive design methods dominate operational energy performance, with roof design and natural ventilation coming in first (RII = 0.88), followed by daylighting and material selection (RII = 0.86), and renewable energy integration (RII = 0.84). Smart automation systems and lighting controls have the lowest RII (