Occupant Behaviour and Energy Use

2018 ◽  
pp. 481-491
Author(s):  
Alex Summerfield ◽  
Tadj Oreszczyn ◽  
Ayub Pathan ◽  
Sung-Min Hong
Keyword(s):  
Energy Use ◽  
Occupant Behaviour

scholarly journals The importance of understanding occupant behaviour in buildings: exploring the nexus of design, management, behaviour, and energy use in green, high-rise residential buildings

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig Brown
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Design Management ◽  
Level Energy ◽  
Occupant Behaviour ◽  
High Rise ◽  
Energy Use Intensity ◽  
Occupant Satisfaction

The quest to ‘green’ the built environment has been ongoing since the early 1970s and has intensified as the threat of exceeding 450 ppm of atmospheric carbon dioxide has become more real. As a result of this, many contemporary residential high-rise buildings are designed with hopes of achieving carbon emission reductions, while not sacrificing occupant satisfaction, or property value. Little is known about how the occupants of these buildings contribute to the energy and water consumed therein, nor the effects that these design aspirations have on occupant satisfaction. The present study relies on data collected in four recently built, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design [LEED] certified, high-rise, residential buildings in Ontario, Canada. Using various sources of data (i.e., from energy and water submeters, questionnaire responses, interviews, and physical data relating to each suite) the extent to which physical, behavioural, and demographic variables explain suite-level energy and water consumption was explored. Energy use intensity differed by a factor of 7 between similar suites, electricity by a factor of 5, hot water by a factor of 13, cooling by a factor of 47, and heating by a factor of 67. Results show that physical building characteristics explain 43% of the heating variability, 16% of the cooling variability, and 40% of electricity variability, suggesting that the remainders could be a result of occupant behaviour and demographics. It was also discovered that 52% of respondents were not using their energy recovery ventilators [ERV] for the following reasons: acoustic dissatisfaction, difficulty with accessibility of filters, occupant knowledge and preferences, and a lack of engagement with training materials. Results suggest that abandoning mechanical ventilation in favour of passive ventilation could actually lead to greater satisfaction with indoor air quality and to decreased energy consumption. Using content analysis of questionnaire comments, the utility of contextual factors in understanding energy use and satisfaction in the study buildings, as well as their value in producing feedback for designers and managers, was explored. Combining quantitative and qualitative datasets was an effective approach to understanding energy use in this understudied building type.

Effects of occupant behaviour on energy performance in buildings: a green and non-green building comparison

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
pp. 1939-1962 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Almeida ◽  
Vivian W.Y. Tam ◽  
Khoa N. Le ◽  
Yujuan She
Keyword(s):  
Energy Use ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Occupant Behaviour ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Building Simulations ◽  
University Buildings ◽  
Input Variables ◽  
The Impact

PurposeOccupants are one of the most impacting factors in the overall energy performance of buildings, according to literature. Occupants’ behaviours and actions may impact the overall use of energy in more than 50%. In order to quantify the impact that occupant behaviour has in the use of energy, this study simulated interactions between occupants and the systems present in two actual buildings. The main aim was to compare the deviations due to occupant behaviour with the actual conditions and energy use of the two buildings.Design/methodology/approachThe buildings used as a case study in this research were green buildings, rated according to the Australian Green Star certification system as a 6-star and a non-rated building. The two buildings are university buildings with similar characteristics, from Western Sydney University, in Sydney, Australia. A comparison was performed by means of building simulations among the use of energy in both buildings, aiming to understand if the green rating had any impact on the energy related to occupant behaviour. Therefore, to represent the actual buildings' conditions, the actual data related with climate, geometry, systems, internal loads, etc. were used as input variables in the simulation models of the green and the non-rated buildings. Both models were calibrated and validated, having as target the actual monitored use of electricity.FindingsOccupants were categorized according to their levels of energy use as follows: saving, real and intensive energy users. Building simulations were performed to each building, with varying parameters related with lighting, plug loads, windows/doors opening, shading and air conditioning set points. Results show that occupant behaviour may impact the buildings' energy performance in a range of 72% between the two extremes. There is no significant relationship between the green rating and the way occupants behave in terms of the energy use.Originality/valueThis study intends to show the impact of different categories of occupant behaviour in the overall energy performance of two university buildings, a non-rated and a green-rated building, having as reference an actual representation of the buildings. Additionally, the study aims to understand the main differences between a green-rated and a non-rated building when accounting with the previous categories.

scholarly journals Occupant behaviour lifestyles and effects on building energy use: Investigation on high and low performing building features

2017 ◽  
Vol 140 ◽  
pp. 93-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Verena M. Barthelmes ◽  
Cristina Becchio ◽  
Valentina Fabi ◽  
Stefano P. Corgnati
Keyword(s):  
Energy Use ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Occupant Behaviour ◽  
Building Energy Use

scholarly journals The importance of understanding occupant behaviour in buildings: exploring the nexus of design, management, behaviour, and energy use in green, high-rise residential buildings

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig Brown
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Design Management ◽  
Level Energy ◽  
Occupant Behaviour ◽  
High Rise ◽  
Energy Use Intensity ◽  
Occupant Satisfaction

The quest to ‘green’ the built environment has been ongoing since the early 1970s and has intensified as the threat of exceeding 450 ppm of atmospheric carbon dioxide has become more real. As a result of this, many contemporary residential high-rise buildings are designed with hopes of achieving carbon emission reductions, while not sacrificing occupant satisfaction, or property value. Little is known about how the occupants of these buildings contribute to the energy and water consumed therein, nor the effects that these design aspirations have on occupant satisfaction. The present study relies on data collected in four recently built, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design [LEED] certified, high-rise, residential buildings in Ontario, Canada. Using various sources of data (i.e., from energy and water submeters, questionnaire responses, interviews, and physical data relating to each suite) the extent to which physical, behavioural, and demographic variables explain suite-level energy and water consumption was explored. Energy use intensity differed by a factor of 7 between similar suites, electricity by a factor of 5, hot water by a factor of 13, cooling by a factor of 47, and heating by a factor of 67. Results show that physical building characteristics explain 43% of the heating variability, 16% of the cooling variability, and 40% of electricity variability, suggesting that the remainders could be a result of occupant behaviour and demographics. It was also discovered that 52% of respondents were not using their energy recovery ventilators [ERV] for the following reasons: acoustic dissatisfaction, difficulty with accessibility of filters, occupant knowledge and preferences, and a lack of engagement with training materials. Results suggest that abandoning mechanical ventilation in favour of passive ventilation could actually lead to greater satisfaction with indoor air quality and to decreased energy consumption. Using content analysis of questionnaire comments, the utility of contextual factors in understanding energy use and satisfaction in the study buildings, as well as their value in producing feedback for designers and managers, was explored. Combining quantitative and qualitative datasets was an effective approach to understanding energy use in this understudied building type.

scholarly journals Energy-Related Occupant Behaviour and Its Implications in Energy Use: A Chronological Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 2635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivian Tam ◽  
Laura Almeida ◽  
Khoa Le
Keyword(s):  
Energy Use ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Occupant Behaviour ◽  
Building Energy Use ◽  
Key Variables ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The One ◽  
Building Life Cycle

It is essential to understand how significantly occupants’ actions impact the performance of a building, as a whole, in terms of energy use. Consequently, this paper reviews the available resources on energy-related occupant behaviour and its implications in energy use in a building. A chronological review on energy-related occupant behaviour and its implications in energy use has been conducted. As a main existing gap, it was identified by researchers the difference between real energy performance and the one that is predicted during the design stage of a building. The energy predicted during the design stage of a building may be over twice the energy used in the operation stage. Buildings are one of the most energy intensive features in a country. They are affected by the interaction and correlation of several different variables, such as: its physical characteristics, technical systems, equipment, occupants, etc. Therefore, buildings are considered to be complex systems that require a careful and intensive analysis. Moreover, one of the key variables impacting real building energy use is occupant behaviour. The way occupants behave and their motivations are some of the main aspects that need to be considered in a building life-cycle.

scholarly journals Insights into the effects of occupant behaviour lifestyles and building automation on building energy use

2017 ◽  
Vol 140 ◽  
pp. 48-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Fabi ◽  
Verena M. Barthelmes ◽  
Marcel Schweiker ◽  
Stefano P. Corgnati
Keyword(s):  
Energy Use ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Building Automation ◽  
Occupant Behaviour ◽  
Building Energy Use

scholarly journals An Event-Driven Approach for Changing User Behaviour towards an Enhanced Building’s Energy Efficiency

Buildings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 183
Author(s):  
Sofia Yfanti ◽  
Nikos Sakkas ◽  
Emmanuel Karapidakis
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Air Conditioning ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Occupant Behaviour ◽  
User Behaviour ◽  
Building Systems ◽  
Event Driven ◽  
Renewable Technology

Worldwide, buildings are one of the main energy consumers and the improvement of their energy performance has attracted great interest and has been typically related to the optimisation, both design and operational, of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), lighting and DHW systems, to innovation in building materials, as well as to the integration of renewable technology in buildings. More recently, occupant behaviour has received increasing attention. Occupants’ interactions with the building systems influence their energy consumption in diverse ways. Their behaviour may affect energy use just as the systems and materials may do. Researchers identified and highlighted various aspects of this occupant behaviour and were gradually led to the conclusion that its effect might be worth investigating. This study has a twofold aim. First, to present a general conceptual framework to define, monitor and eventually change user behaviour in buildings. This framework is called “event-driven”; events are distinct moments in time associated with a potentially problematic behaviour, and the framework aims at tracking, acting upon and reporting on these events. Second, we aim to demonstrate and discuss the application and the savings achieved by means of our proposed approach and in the case of such behavioural events, in the Challenger building of Bouygues, in France.

scholarly journals Study on the Stochastic Model for Excessive Air Conditioning Use in Japanese Dwellings

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 153-158
Author(s):  
Hikaru Imagawa ◽  
Hom Bahadur Rijal ◽  
Masanori Shukuya
Keyword(s):  
Stochastic Model ◽  
Air Conditioning ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Thermal Sensation ◽  
Outdoor Air ◽  
Occupant Behaviour ◽  
Thermal Measurement ◽  
Human Comfort ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Kanto Region

Thermal adjustment is one of the most important behaviours. In daily life, we use some behavioural adjustments. It is not always obtained the optimal condition by the thermal adjustments. For example, it happens to use excessive air conditioning for thermal adjustments. Especially, the excessive air conditioning use is important issue not only for the human comfort but also for the energy use. The occupant behaviour stochastic model was proposed by some previous researches around the world. However, these models show only the state of the occupant behaviour, and thus the excessive adjustments are not known. The objective of this research is to clarify quantitatively the excessive thermal adjustments which are happened to be in the stochastic model. The thermal measurement and occupant behaviour survey was conducted in 120 dwellings during 4 years period in Kanto region of Japan. The number of samples collected was 36,114. We analysed the occupant behaviour stochastic model of the excessive cooling and heating use. The thermal sensation vote (TSV) and the thermal preference vote (TP) were used to classify the excessive air conditioning use. The proportion of excessive cooling use were increased when outdoor air temperature was increased. In addition, there were no significant difference between TSV and TP for calculating the proportion of the excessive air conditioning use in Japanese dwellings. These models are useful to understand the possibility of the energy saving. In the future, the model will be implemented in the building thermal simulation to predict the energy use in building.

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