Energy saving first or productivity first? — Maximize the economic benefits of urban office buildings

•Productivity-first maximizes the economic benefits of urban office buildings.•The benefits of productivity far outweigh the costs of increased energy consumption nowadays.•The optimal indoor environment is correlated with the local economic status.•Minor adjustments to productivity model substantially impact economical calculation. The enhancement of the indoor environment could typically enhance user productivity; however, it may also result in additional energy consumption. In order to address the trade-off between employee productivity and energy consumption in office buildings for maximizing economic benefits, this study conducted an investigation on the optimal indoor environmental parameters including temperature, humidity, and ventilation rate. The relation between cognitive performance and the environment was established at the laboratory experiment, while the relation between energy consumption and the environment was determined through energy consumption simulation. By linking productivity to energy consumption using economic indicators, the optimal environmental parameters for maximizing economic benefits are calculated. The results indicate that the optimal indoor environment settings for maximum economic benefits are very similar to those for achieving maximum productivity. Prioritizing office workers’ productivity assurance is crucial when designing air conditioning parameters for office buildings to enhance overall economic gains. However, as the ratio of economic-output-to-electricity-price decreases, there is a gradual increase in differences between these two sets of parameters. Therefore, it is more meaningful for economically underdeveloped regions to establish optimal office building parameters by considering energy saving factors more comprehensively. It is also suggested that the validity of the economic optimization results can be further enhanced by developing productivity evaluating methods for real-life office settings and employing more accurate fitting models.