In order to achieve the goal of the Paris Agreement and reduce energy consumption there is the need for a behavior change in energy end-users. Many studies have demonstrated that by delivering to ...energy users customized feedback on their energy consumption it can encourage a change in their behavior and support investments in energy efficiency and sustainable energy use. However, the resulting impact on energy consumption can vary largely depending on how, when, and to whom the feedback is delivered. This paper aims to provide an updated overview of the energy savings for the main energy consumptions in residential buildings associated with different types of feedback and against some key determinants, i.e., geographical area, time period, type of medium. This analysis is based on a comprehensive literature review of over 70 studies. Based on the review the paper draws conclusions relevant for policymakers and stakeholders interested in developing feedback strategies and tools for their wide applications. The paper focuses also on the ongoing process implementing the EU Energy Efficiency Directive articles related to billing and metering, which will enable more proactive consumer feedback.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Low insulation standards and obsolete heating systems of a large amount of buildings in Europe account for disproportional energy consumption. Within this project, the holistic renovation and the ...results from the monitoring activity of buildings from a field test, located in Southern Germany, are presented. The buildings, built at the end of the 1950s, have been retrofitted with seven different refurbishment layouts. The layouts differ in insulation and engineering system. An installed monitoring system collects thermal indoor environmental conditions and air quality conditions in rooms, as well as data about energy flows at delivery, distribution, storage and generation level, at high time resolution. The monitoring system allows a comparison between the real and the expected energy consumption of the buildings. The energy performance gap was identified and quantified for each refurbishment solution (with values up to 287% based on calculated savings): on average, the energy performance gap of the entire field test varied from 117% in 2011, 107% in 2012, 41% in 2013 and 60% in 2014. The occupants’ behavior has been identified as one of the causes for the energy performance gap. Further causes are mistakes in the installation, and malfunctioning of the engineering system. The importance of a monitoring system for buildings with a complex engineering system was confirmed.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
•The capability of peers’ behavior to affect building indoor environment is explored.•The continuous monitoring of peers’ behavior is carried out over different seasons.•A survey is carried out to ...prove the occupants’ level and their different habits.•The correlation between peers’ attitudes and outdoor climate parameters is evaluated.•The impact of divergent behavior on an institutional building performance is assessed.
Occupants’ behavior can significantly affect building performance, in particular in massive institutional buildings occupied by a wide variety of users. This work aims at highlighting the importance of peers’ personal attitudes in determining building thermal-energy, lighting performance, and openings’ schedule. A university building located in central Italy was selected. Different rooms with equivalent end-use, geometry, exposure, construction characteristics, occupancy, and appliances were considered. Occupants could be considered as peers, since they carry out the same job and schedule and have the same education and age. Nevertheless, they presented different attitudes and thermal perception, therefore producing different energy need. In order to assess peers’ behavior, office rooms were continuously monitored in terms of indoor visual-thermal comfort parameters, electricity consumption, and door/window opening rate in spring, summer, and winter conditions. Occupants’ attitudes were compared by considering also the outdoor climate conditions. Results demonstrated that occupants’ individual behavior represented a key variable affecting building management of large buildings even if the occupants can be theoretically assumed to be “peers”. Significant discrepancies were found between the monitored rooms, demonstrating that typical peers do not behave the same at all, but require differential energy needs that should be considered while predicting thermal-energy and lighting behavior of massive institutional buildings.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Energy consumption can put a heavy burden on the family budget of the low-income population; many families cannot afford enough energy for their subsistence, comfort and leisure. The aim of this ...research was to understand the behavioral factors of a vulnerable population associated with their energy consumption. The research relates actual energy consumption data to spatial modifications of social households, to indoor thermal conditions, and to residents' behavior. The results showed that energy consumption has increased over the years. The main factors associated with the amount of energy used are: expansion of the built area, number of occupants, quantity of equipment (state of use and energy efficiency), time of the year (summer), and family composition. Of the sample, 51.0% consumed over 100.0 kWh per month (latest figure from August 2021) and enjoyed the minimum 10.0% discount of the National Social Tariff, while only 4.7% enjoyed the maximum discount of 65.0%; it seems that fully enjoying the subsidy offered by the government is unattainable for the low-income population. It is noteworthy that 37.6% of the sample is highly vulnerable and yet consume as much energy as households in a situation of energy security.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
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•Hygrothermal white-box models in China are proposed for specific cases.•Accuracy depends on climate features and building components based on assumptions.•Separate driving potentials ...for vapour and liquid transfer are suggested.•Hygrothermal reference year, measured or derived indoor climate database are more suitable input parameters.
Moisture damage plays a key role for the durability of buildings and for the health and comfort of occupants. Various numerical models were proposed for engineers and architects to evaluate the hygrothermal condition before constructing in China. Although the physical discipline is universal, the complexity and variety of climates and building components make the moisture-related problems as well as the development and application of hygrothermal models distinctive in China. This paper is a comprehensive survey of the state-of-the-art in China to promote future advancement and academic communication between China and abroad. It investigated hygrothermal white-box models in China including modeling and input parameters. The paper presents that the assumptions of available models limit the application of hygrothermal white-box models in some situations. It also shows that there is a shortage of suitable indoor and outdoor climate databases. To sum up, the following items are necessary to establish hygrothermal simulation in building practice: models working with separate driving potentials for liquid and vapour transport; hygrothermal reference years as outdoor climate data; indoor climate data, either measured occupants’ behavior or derived from building operation setpoints influenced by outdoor climate.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
•The paper has a focus on energy consumption habits and trends using statistical methods.•Occupants’ behavior is monitored using smart metering system and awareness surveys.•The impact of a serious ...game on occupant's behavior is evaluated.
The paper has a focus on energy consumption habits, trends and intervention strategies in residential buildings, mainly through the serious game approach with a combination of direct consumer feedback through smart metering. More than 150 homes in France and Spain have been involved in the research experiment and the consumption habits of approximately 50 homes were deeply analyzed. The applied methods, processes, results and findings of the monitoring data analysis are presented in the paper with two aims. First, consumption profiles and trends were determined for apartment homes with regard to heating, domestic hot water and electric consumption. Second, the impact of a serious game experiment was assessed comparing energy consumption, indoor air temperature and users’ habits (based on questionnaires) before and after launching the experiment.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Buildings’ contribution to global final energy use is about 30%, which makes them a primary focus for implementing energy-efficient measures. Building energy efficiency is an important consideration ...for residential buildings due to the significant environmental impact of energy consumption and the rising cost of energy. Estimating and optimizing a building’s energy performance is an efficient method to reduce its environmental impact and cost. There exists a lack of accuracy in estimating the energy performance of a building due to approximations in the monitored data as well as a lack of consideration for occupants’ energy use behavior. This study aimed to develop a comprehensive framework that assists in accurately estimating building energy performance considering occupants’ energy use behavior. The framework proposed a scheme to collect occupant behavior data, such as occupancy patterns, appliance usage, and lighting conditions, through a living-lab setup and developing an occupants’ behavior model that was utilized for more accurate building energy modeling and performance analysis.
Energy conservation policies for the residential sector are evaluated by a model that simulates city-scale energy consumption in the residential sector by considering the diversity of household and ...building types. In this model, all the households in the city are classified into 380 categories based on the household and building type. The energy consumption for each household category is simulated by the dynamic energy simulation model, which includes an energy use schedule model and a heating and cooling load calculation model. Since the energy usage of each appliance is simulated for every 5
min according to the occupants’ energy usage activity, this model can evaluate not only the energy conservation measures by improving the buildings and appliances but also the measures that involve changing the occupants’ activities. The accuracy of the model is verified by comparing its results with the statistical and the measured data on Osaka City, Japan. Various types of energy conservation measures planned by the Japanese government for the residential sector are simulated and their effects on Osaka City are evaluated quantitatively. The future effects of these combined measures on the energy consumption are also predicted.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
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