Coping with extremes, creating comfort: User experiences of ‘low-energy’ homes in Australia

Sherriff, Graeme; Moore, Trivess; Berry, Stephen; Ambrose, Aimee; Goodchild, Barry; Maye-Banbury, Angela

doi:10.1016/j.erss.2018.12.008

Cited by 23 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…This assumption as criticised by Cherry et al [2], reinforces the view that the occupant interaction should be 'designed out' of the Passivhaus model [2]. Similarly, research by Sherriff et al [3] argues that buildings that are designed to engage occupants' interaction 'may result in greater comfort and satisfaction'. As Janda [4] suggested, 'Buildings don't use energy: people do'.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Do passive houses need passive people? Evaluating the active occupancy of Passivhaus homes in the United Kingdom

Zhao

Carter

2020

Energy Research & Social Science

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The Passivhaus model emphasises a high standard of building fabric insulation and controlled ventilation with heat recovery in order to achieve comfort and reduce energy use. The implication is that environmental control is achieved by the building fabric and ventilation system with little need for significant occupant interaction or behaviour change in order to achieve comfort and energy efficiency. This paper challenges such views with new research that draws upon empirical data from case studies of houses in the UK built to the Passivhaus standard. It uses inductive analysis of interview data, documenting userinteractions with the houses, and opinions and attitudes of the occupants towards living in a Passivhaus. The research includes both social rented housing and private ownership tenures. The results of this study show both comfort-driven and energy saving-driven behavioural adaptations among the occupants and that the Passivhaus system demands a high level of occupant interaction in order to achieve both comfort and energy efficiency. 'Designing out' occupant's behaviour and reinforcing the image of automated comfort without facilitating occupant behavioural adaptations, could lead to user dissatisfaction in Passivhaus buildings.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Do passive houses need passive people? Evaluating the active occupancy of Passivhaus homes in the United Kingdom

Zhao

Carter

2020

Energy Research & Social Science

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“…Respondents talked about when and in what circumstances it was needed, albeit in a way that varied between those interviewed. Expectations about acceptable temperature levels were more varied than is suggested by the standardised assumptions of heating and cooling engineers (Sherriff et al 2019). In addition, technological change had not wholly encased people in an artificial environment, as Hitchings and Lee (2008) argued is the case for young people in air-conditioned Singapore.…”

Section: Thematic Interpretations: Aspects Of Modernitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous evaluations of Lochiel Park, by Berry (2013Berry ( : 2014, Berry et al (2014) and Edwards & Pocock (2011) have used semi-structured interviews to document the experience of residents at either a single point of time or have covered a short period of say a few months or years. In addition, Sherriff et al (2019) have used oral history to suggest that the achievement of thermal comfort in 'low energy' homes in Australia depends on the continued existence of 'adaptive practices' whereby users adapt to varying indoor temperatures in varying ways, as opposed to a complete reliance on either mechanical or passive design technologies.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Modernity, Materiality and Domestic Technology: A Case Study of Cooling and Heating from South Australia

Goodchild

Ambrose

Berry

et al. 2019

Housing, Theory and Society

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“…The strategic development of brownfield sites contributes to reducing urban sprawl, revitalising urban areas and providing an opportunity for the demonstration of housing innovations [7,8]. Energy-efficient and low-carbon buildings are leading this movement through showcasing realistic features that can be incorporated into new homes and buildings [9,10]. This has begun through the uptake of rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems by households throughout the world.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

East Village at Knutsford: A Case Study in Sustainable Urbanism

Byrne

Mouritz

Taylor³

et al. 2020

Sustainability

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With increasing pressure to ensure that sustainability features in homes are commercially viable, demonstration projects are vital to highlight the real-world challenges and opportunities for innovation. This paper documents the incorporation of sustainability objectives into the “East Village at Knutsford” residential “living laboratory” development, within the Knutsford urban regeneration precinct, approximately 1.5 km east of the Fremantle central business district in Western Australia. The sustainability objectives for the project include being a “Net Zero Energy Development” using 100% renewable energy and maximizing the self-supply of energy, reducing mains water consumption as much as is practical, and using the landscape design to complement these objectives without compromising a best-practice urban greening outcome. The paper documents the design initiatives and strategies that have been included to achieve these objectives in a commercially viable project and the results of modelling where it has been used to test the design against the objectives to ensure their validity. The key features that have been incorporated into the townhouses component of the development are outlined, illustrating integrated design and systems thinking that builds on previous demonstration projects, incorporating solar energy storage and electric vehicle charging plus significant mains water savings by adopting water-sensitive features in the homes and the within the private and public gardens. The expected grid energy and mains water consumption levels in the homes through modelling compared to the metropolitan average is 80% lower. The project is presented as an important step in the application of available technologies and design features to meet stated sustainability objectives, highlighting the benefits of an embedded living laboratory research approach.

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Coping with extremes, creating comfort: User experiences of ‘low-energy’ homes in Australia

Abstract: Coping with extremes, creating comfort: user experiences of 'low-energy' homes in Australia.

Cited by 23 publications

References 56 publications

Do passive houses need passive people? Evaluating the active occupancy of Passivhaus homes in the United Kingdom

Do passive houses need passive people? Evaluating the active occupancy of Passivhaus homes in the United Kingdom

Modernity, Materiality and Domestic Technology: A Case Study of Cooling and Heating from South Australia

East Village at Knutsford: A Case Study in Sustainable Urbanism

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