Purpose -The article's aim is to present user experiences with passive houses and zero-energy buildings. The focus is on the interaction between the building and the users, specifically on how user interfaces, knowledge, and commitment influence the use of the building and the level of energy consumption awareness. Design/methodology/approach -The study follows an explorative grounded theory approach. This approach generates insights that will be consolidated in follow-up studies. Qualitative interviews with users of six buildings were conducted. Site inspections applying walk-through method and other available information complement the data. Findings -Users in general were satisfied with having a new energy efficient building. Several respondents were more concerned about the environment now than before. However, there were concerns about thermal comfort. Misuse or misunderstandings among users in some cases led to lower indoor comfort. New or dissatisfactory design solutions were also responsible for unsatisfactory indoor environmental quality. Practical implications -Specific topics that should be paid more attention to in the design and research on new energy efficient buildings: level of end-user control and adaptability of the building; level of complexity of systems; the need for adequate information. Originality/value -The open approach enabled occupants to influence the parameters of the evaluations. Most evaluations of zero-energy buildings are not yet publicly accessible.
The objective of this paper is to investigate the visual comfort and quality of daylight in modern office buildings in the Nordic climate. A study of various daylight-related aspects and qualities was carried out for three different office buildings, using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. The focus was on a combination of user perception of daylight quality and assessment of the daylight amount and quality, by using the daylight factor (DF) and useful daylight illuminance parameters. Previous studies and experiences from construction examples indicate that users, in general, complain about lack of manual control of systems and too low daylight levels, even if the requirements in the building codes are satisfied. Furthermore, they complain about control algorithms of the shading devices, which cause undesired automatic opening and closure of such devices. Thus, causing disturbances and irritation amongst the users. Hence, interviews with key personnel in a modern and architecturally acclaimed office building were carried out in addition to an in-depth analysis of previous surveys of a zero-energy office building. It was found that automatic moveable shading can be regarded as a source of discomfort. This is due to the lack of manual-control override possibilities, which causes disturbances due to the system moving up and down. In one of the offices, the users disabled the exterior shading system. However, the external fixed shading and the internal manually operated roller blinds were found to be satisfactory. The results from a previous study showed that the users in the Marche building are in general satisfied with the daylight. One of the main reasons for this, according to the users, is that they have manual control of the shading system. Manual control of the shading systems is preferred by users in the office buildings studied. Daylight simulations showed that the external fixed shading system combined with internal shading give satisfactory DFs and an even distribution of the daylight levels in a south-facing office. According to the users, the external fixed shading is a good system for south facing offices, when local glare issues can be solved by interior roller shades. The DF gives information of the daylight distribution, which in certain cases might be adequate. However, this is not enough as a descriptor for user comfort, as other factors such as manual control possibilities and glare discomfort are not included.
Users who downloaded this article also downloaded: (2013),"The interaction between building and users in passive and zero-energy housing and offices: The role of interfaces, knowledge and user commitment", Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, Vol. 2 Iss 1 pp. 43-59 http://dx.Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by emerald-srm:448207 [] For AuthorsIf you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to discuss how architectural solutions may influence residential practice and energy consumption. Design/methodology/approach -The paper is part of a larger study based on qualitative investigations of six energy-efficient housing projects in Norway. Here, the authors examine one of these projects, Løvåshagen in Bergen, the first Norwegian passive house flat building. Based on a combination of 14 interviews with household members and energy consumption data for all flats, the authors show how residential practices influence energy consumption. In the discussion and conclusion, the authors focus on the role of the architecture in these practices. Findings -On the one hand, Løvåshagen reflects a mainstreaming approach to sustainable building, attracting a wide array of different occupants. On the other hand, the specific add-ons that are intended to make the buildings energy efficient require new definitions of comfort and new skills to achieve the promised energy savings. This combination can explain why Løvåshagen, after four years of occupation, has a large variation in actual energy consumption. Practical implications -In designing new energy-efficient housing, greater attention should be paid to the level of end-user control and adaptability, the level of system complexity, and the need for adequate information. An alternative to the mainstreaming approach would be to actively use architecture to influence residential practices towards reduced energy consumption. Originality/value -The use of qualitative methods to analyse quantitative energy data is original and provides promising opportunities to understand the significance of residential practices regarding actual energy consumption.
This chapter examines household energy practices in the ecological housing cooperative Klosterenga in Oslo, Norway. Klosterenga, built in 2000, was one of the early implementers of smart building principles in Oslo, Norway. Although the ecological profile of Klosterenga inspired some of the residents to change behavioural habits such as limiting their car use or consumption patterns, the findings of this article show that expectations of smart technology as a primary solution towards energy efficiency and residents being rational consumers using this technology to save costs do not hold. The residents of Klosterenga rarely emphasised the building’s ecological profile and smart energy systems when purchasing their home, and the energy-efficient systems and integration of heating costs in the rent had adverse effects on residents’ energy consumption. Rather than taking the visions of ecology at heart, many residents legitimised everyday habits of high indoor temperature in the fact that the system was efficient. The findings contribute to the growing body of research that critically examines how smart technology visions for reducing energy use in buildings are implemented and practiced by the residents living in them.
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