View No. 16 (2017): Occupant behavior and energy consumption in dwellings

Merve Bedir

266 pages

ISBN 978-94-92516-98-5

Published: 2017-11-23

Book (Full version)

Book Chapters

  • There is an increasing need for ensuring high energy savings throughout the building lifecycle, from the early design phases until post occupancy. Utility (services) and firmness (robustness) are principles of good design since Vitruvius, but sustainability was added as a new principle after 1980s, for a distinct understanding, evaluation and action development on energy consumption and environmental impact of buildings. Today, we are able to measure the consumption levels and...

  • Chapter 2 provides an overview of a literature study of the existing knowledge on energy consumption from the urban to the user scale, energy performance modelling methods, the energy performance gap, and insights to determinants of heating energy and electricity consumption. This review first helped to set up a reference point for the reasons to actual occupant behavior, how perception, lifestyle, norms, rules lead to various actions at home (Figure 1). Secondly, through this study, a...

  • Chapter 3 is a sensitivity analysis conducted using the actual heating behavior data of occupants in the OTB sample. The aim was to model heating behavior and heating energy consumption using Markov chains and Monte Carlo methods. Secondly we wanted to evaluate the robustness of energy consumption of a dwelling to heating behaviors such as thermostat, radiator and ventilation control, as well as presence. The results of this Chapter were compared to Guerra Santin’s work (2010), which...

  • Following the sensitivity analysis on heating energy consumption in Chapter 3, Chapter 4 is an analysis on the determinants of electricity consumptions in Dutch dwellings. The OTB sample was used for analysis, and it was validated with analysis of the WoON sample. The work was published as: This Chapter deals with the Research Question II of this thesis: (Chapter 1, Section 3, pg. 16-17) “II. What is the influence of lighting and appliance use on the total electricity consumption in...

  • In the previous Chapter we made a sensitivity analysis based on actual energy consumption and heating behavior, on the whole OTB sample using methods like Markov chain and Monte Carlo analysis. In this Chapter (Chapter 5) a deeper analysis of heating behavioral patterns is reported. The study included 61 houses randomly chosen from the Netherlands, monitored for 2 months during March and April 2011. The thermostat use patterns of households were studied as well as chosen maximum and...

  • Having investigated the determinants of electricity consumption in relation to household and dwelling characteristics, Chapter 6 provides a closer look at the behavioral patterns of household appliance use and electricity consumption. The OTB sample was used to conduct correlation and factor analysis.

    This Chapter deals with the Research Question III-2 of this thesis:

    (Chapter 1, Section 3, pg. 16-17)

    “ III. What are the behavioral patterns and profiles of energy...

  • Conclusion

    Merve Bedir

    In spite of the technological advancement on building design and construction, actual energy use levels of dwellings are different than expected in several cases. Little is known about how occupants interact with their dwellings, what the background to this interaction is, as well as the resulting energy use. This research aimed at revealing the relationship between occupant behavior and energy consumption, both in terms of heating energy and electricity. The determinants of occupant...