A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
Understanding the Influence of Occupant Behavior on Energy Consumption Patterns in Commercial Buildings
Years of research have investigated factors that contribute to high-energy consumption in buildings. These efforts have primarily focused on consumption by building systems such as HVAC systems, lighting systems and appliances. Moreover, research efforts using simulation tools have been directed at influence of occupant behavior and how occupants interact with building systems and other energy consuming devices. Simulation tools can be rigid in depicting occupant behavior and therefore continued research to understand diversity and complexity of occupant behavior and appliance interaction is required. This research, examines occupant behavior in an office environment by sensing their daily activities and their interactions with energy consuming devices. Visual observation is used to detect occupant activities while non-intrusive appliance load monitoring is used for energy monitoring. Results from a five-week long period tracking daily activities of occupants of an office building and their energy consumption patterns are presented. This research has identified and tracked five commonly used office appliances and how they contribute to energy consumption. The objective of this study is to leverage the correlation between consumption and occupant usage data to create occupant awareness of how much energy they waste. The results of this study show that even though occupants seemed oblivious, turning off appliances when not in use can realize 38% energy savings. In addition, findings of this study indicate that there is a need for energy awareness and literacy campaigns to positively modify occupant behavior as a way to reduce energy consumption.
Understanding the Influence of Occupant Behavior on Energy Consumption Patterns in Commercial Buildings
Years of research have investigated factors that contribute to high-energy consumption in buildings. These efforts have primarily focused on consumption by building systems such as HVAC systems, lighting systems and appliances. Moreover, research efforts using simulation tools have been directed at influence of occupant behavior and how occupants interact with building systems and other energy consuming devices. Simulation tools can be rigid in depicting occupant behavior and therefore continued research to understand diversity and complexity of occupant behavior and appliance interaction is required. This research, examines occupant behavior in an office environment by sensing their daily activities and their interactions with energy consuming devices. Visual observation is used to detect occupant activities while non-intrusive appliance load monitoring is used for energy monitoring. Results from a five-week long period tracking daily activities of occupants of an office building and their energy consumption patterns are presented. This research has identified and tracked five commonly used office appliances and how they contribute to energy consumption. The objective of this study is to leverage the correlation between consumption and occupant usage data to create occupant awareness of how much energy they waste. The results of this study show that even though occupants seemed oblivious, turning off appliances when not in use can realize 38% energy savings. In addition, findings of this study indicate that there is a need for energy awareness and literacy campaigns to positively modify occupant behavior as a way to reduce energy consumption.
Understanding the Influence of Occupant Behavior on Energy Consumption Patterns in Commercial Buildings
Kavulya, G. (author) / Becerik-Gerber, B. (author)
International Conference on Computing in Civil Engineering ; 2012 ; Clearwater Beach, Florida, United States
Computing in Civil Engineering (2012) ; 569-576
2012-06-11
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
| British Library Conference Proceedings | 2012