A framework for estimating the energy-saving potential of occupant behaviour improvement

He, Zhiyuan; Hong, Tianzhen; Chou, S.K.

doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.116591

Cited by 30 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 28 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This topic requires further exploration, as significant energy savings could be obtained by improving occupant behavior. Overall, it has been estimated that improving occupant behavior can result in energy savings of up to 20% [48].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy Performance and Benchmarking for University Classrooms in Hot and Humid Climates

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this paper, the energy performance of a university campus in a tropical climate is assessed, and four mixed classroom buildings are compared using benchmarking methods based on simple normalization: the classic Energy Use Intensity (EUI), end-used based EUI, and people-based EUI. To estimate the energy consumption of the case studies, building energy simulations were carried out in EnergyPlus using custom inputs. The analysis found that buildings with more classroom spaces presented higher energy consumption for cooling and lighting than others. In comparison, buildings with a greater percentage of laboratories and offices exhibited higher energy consumption for plug loads. Nevertheless, differences were identified when using the people-based EUI since buildings with larger floor areas showed the highest values, highlighting the impact of occupant behavior on energy consumption. Given the fact that little is known about a benchmark range for university campuses and academic buildings in hot and humid climates, this paper also provides a comparison against the EUIs reported in the literature for both cases. In this sense, the identified range for campuses was 49–367 kWh/m2/year, while for academic buildings, the range was 47–628 kWh/m2/year. Overall, the findings of this study could contribute to identifying better-targeted energy efficiency strategies for the studied buildings in the future by assessing their performance under different indicators and drawing a benchmark to compare similar buildings in hot and humid climates.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy Performance and Benchmarking for University Classrooms in Hot and Humid Climates

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, the concern on these aspects is rarely addressed when introducing the technical innovations and improvements by the building managers (Zhang et al , 2018). Furthermore, occupants’ reactions to these technologies are lower than anticipated, and OB still demands higher energy than anticipated (He et al , 2021). Therefore, the research on the impact of OB on energy consumption is currently attracting significant attention (Bavaresco et al , 2021; Hong et al , 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Technological advances through the introduction of automated building controls to achieve energy savings in buildings are seen as limiting human interaction in buildings (He et al , 2021). Nevertheless, occupants find a way to interact with the building systems and features, producing unpredictable and random occupant behaviours (OB) (Day and O’Brien, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A facilities management approach to rationalising occupants’ energy behaviours

Weerasinghe

Rasheed

Rotimi

2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose This paper aims to investigate building managers’ approach towards occupant energy behaviours and rationalises organisational energy culture concerning their strategy to address occupants’ preferences in New Zealand tertiary office buildings. Design/methodology/approach The research used grounded theory analysis by interviewing a purposive sample of 25 participants from a university. Also, semi-structured interviews were conducted with facilities managers, sustainability managers and building occupants. Findings The study results revealed that building managers oversimplify the multi-domain discomfort, energy impacts from occupant behaviours and the influence of social-psychology aspects on occupants’ actions. The organisational energy culture can be further improved by increasing occupants’ knowledge and awareness of energy, sharing energy feedback with occupants to make energy conscious occupants and giving them responsibilities to achieve the organisation’s energy targets. Originality/value This study enables opportunities to promote collaboration between building managers and occupants by comparing perspectives on occupant energy impacts.

show abstract

“…EE retrofits and associated savings can also reduce energy costs for end-users by lowering energy consumption (Abd Alla et al, 2020;He et al, 2021). Of equal importance, EE induces many other "Multiple Benefits" such as reducing dependence on fossil fuels, and its political and economic implications (through imports) may lead to an increase in security of supplies (International Energy Agency, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simplified measurement and verification combined with quality assurance instruments: a more practical and accessible method for M&V of energy savings

Bleyl,

Robertson,

Mitchell

et al. 2024

Energy Efficiency

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Energy efficiency (EE) is our “first fuel” and an essential resource in reaching climate goals, reducing dependence on fossil fuels, increasing security of supply, and many other “Multiple Benefits.” However, by their nature, savings are intangible. Demand-side EE measures are typically decentralized, heterogeneous, and small-scale opportunities. The difficulties in measurement and verification (M&V) of “Negawatts” are an important and often overlooked barrier to their greater application. M&V is a prerequisite to assess the performance of any energy, water, or CO2-saving measure, and to quantify the savings into physical and monetary units for reporting, re-financing, GHG accounting, or other purposes. However, in practice, M&V is often perceived (particularly by clients) as cumbersome, incomprehensible, and costly. In the broader context, energy cost savings alone are often not a sufficiently strong project driver because they lack strategic relevance for decision makers. As “Multiple Benefits” of EE become better understood, the value of quantifying savings to a high degree of accuracy may be declining, creating opportunities for more flexible M&V standards. As a new methodology, this conceptual paper proposes to combine simplified M&V (sM&V) for individual EE measures with quality assurance instruments (QAIs) to verify functionality. This “sM&V + QAI” approach is less cumbersome, less costly, and easier to comprehend than standard M&V approaches, particularly by clients, financiers, and other non-M&V experts. It has been reviewed by international experts and successfully tested and evaluated in the field. Multiple case studies are reported to verify its practical feasibility.

show abstract

A framework for estimating the energy-saving potential of occupant behaviour improvement

Cited by 30 publications

References 28 publications

Energy Performance and Benchmarking for University Classrooms in Hot and Humid Climates

Energy Performance and Benchmarking for University Classrooms in Hot and Humid Climates

A facilities management approach to rationalising occupants’ energy behaviours

Simplified measurement and verification combined with quality assurance instruments: a more practical and accessible method for M&V of energy savings

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About