Spatial Analysis on Routine Occupant Behavior Patterns and Associated Factors in Residential Buildings: Fid-Bau Portal

Spatial Analysis on Routine Occupant Behavior Patterns and Associated Factors in Residential Buildings

Mo, Yunjeong / Zhao, Dong

Residents have full control over home systems and place a significant influence on energy consumption. Despite advanced building technologies and energy-efficient appliances, energy consumption in residential buildings remains high in the US and around the world. This can be explained by the interaction effects between building technology and occupant behavior. Given an increasing number of studies on occupant behavior, residents’ routine daily energy use activities remain unclear in the literature. The goal of this study is to identify the components that influence the similarity and differences of energy usage-related activities. To achieve the goal, this study aims to (1) compare the components of routine occupant behaviors using the US national behavior data by region, and (2) identify if geographical location affects the characteristics of activities using GIS. The findings inform that duration, start time, and end time have more influences on the differences in energy usage-related activities, and watching TV, washing and grooming, and cooking and food preparation are more different by geographical location. The result can be used to provide more reliable information regarding energy and behavior to the occupants in residential buildings. Also, the result can be applied to the new energy and behavior strategies and policies about residential building energy plans.