Thermally driven absorption systems provide a proficient alternative to compression-driven air-conditioning systems. In this article, EnergyPlus simulations have been performed to compare the thermal and electrical performances of a multi-stage absorption system against single-stage absorption and conventional compressiondriven air conditioning systems. The present study has been carried out under warm-humid climate. A reference office building (1000 m² floor area) is modeled, and a central air-conditioning system is installed through the simulation tool. The central air-conditioning system is fed by compression and absorption chillers. Thermal energy in the form of hot water using solar collector of 500 m² area and flue gas using biomass boiler is supplied to the single and double effect absorption chillers, respectively. The solar collector provides thermal energy at around 80 °C and for biomass boiler this energy is at around 120-150 °C. Simulation results show that up to 58.4 % of electrical energy can be saved annually by double-staging system compared to the compression-based system. However, with single-staging, the saving is nearly 83.7 %. In double stage absorption system, the amount of required thermal capacity at the generator side is less than the catered cooling demand of the building, thereby giving the coefficient of performance greater than one. However, in the single-stage absorption system, the required thermal energy is always more than the cooling load. But the required heat source temperature is high in the case of double-staged absorption systems limiting the usage of a multiple-staging system under general working conditions.