Effects of occupant behaviour on energy performance in buildings: a green and non-green building comparison

Abstract

<jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Purpose</jats:title><jats:p>Occupants are one of the most impacting factors in the overall energy performance of buildings, according to literature. Occupants’ behaviours and actions may impact the overall use of energy in more than 50%. In order to quantify the impact that occupant behaviour has in the use of energy, this study simulated interactions between occupants and the systems present in two actual buildings. The main aim was to compare the deviations due to occupant behaviour with the actual conditions and energy use of the two buildings.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Design/methodology/approach</jats:title><jats:p>The buildings used as a case study in this research were green buildings, rated according to the Australian Green Star certification system as a 6-star and a non-rated building. The two buildings are university buildings with similar characteristics, from Western Sydney University, in Sydney, Australia. A comparison was performed by means of building simulations among the use of energy in both buildings, aiming to understand if the green rating had any impact on the energy related to occupant behaviour. Therefore, to represent the actual buildings' conditions, the actual data related with climate, geometry, systems, internal loads, etc. were used as input variables in the simulation models of the green and the non-rated buildings. Both models were calibrated and validated, having as target the actual monitored use of electricity.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Findings</jats:title><jats:p>Occupants were categorized according to their levels of energy use as follows: saving, real and intensive energy users. Building simulations were performed to each building, with varying parameters related with lighting, plug loads, windows/doors opening, shading and air conditioning set points. Results show that occupant behaviour may impact the buildings' energy performance in a range of 72% between the two extremes. There is no significant relationship between the green rating and the way occupants behave in terms of the energy use.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Originality/value</jats:title><jats:p>This study intends to show the impact of different categories of occupant behaviour in the overall energy performance of two university buildings, a non-rated and a green-rated building, having as reference an actual representation of the buildings. Additionally, the study aims to understand the main differences between a green-rated and a non-rated building when accounting with the previous categories.</jats:p></jats:sec>

Structural design and construction using energy analytical modelling for sustainability: a review

“…This approach could also result in cost savings, improved energy efficiency, reduced waste, and reduced GHG emissions [102,84]. By integrating energy simulation analysis with BIM, architects and engineers can examine the BEP at the early design stages and make necessary changes to achieve EE buildings [78,103]. BIM can also be used to identify the optimal orientation of the building, shading devices, and glazing types to optimize BEP [104].…”

In Search for Untapped Energy-Saving Potential in Green and Smart Higher Educational Buildings—An Empirical Case Study Involving the Building Occupants

“…In their study, they found that the building occupants had less impact on the building energy use in the green-rated building, since this building was optimized from an energy use point of view. Therefore, green-rated buildings do not, by default, support building occupants to behave with energy awareness [12]. However, Darby et al [11] argued that the green-rated branding could work as a catalyst for energy awareness.…”

“…Furthermore, researchers have noticed the importance of wellfunctioning building management. According to Almeida et al [12], a green-rated building must be operated by skilled personnel, otherwise the energy performance is at risk of performing at the same level as a non-rated building.…”

“…Researchers have also found that building occupants in commercial buildings lack the motivation and interest to behave in an energy-saving manner [9]. For example, energy is wasted by leaving the lights on during the nighttime and non-working hours in commercial or office buildings [3,[10][11][12][13]. Additionally, energy-unaware interactions with HVAC systems, opening windows and interactions with electrical appliances are identified behaviors that result in an increase in building energy demands [14].…”

A Comparative Case Study of Certified and Non-Certified Green Buildings and Their Response to Climate Change

“…It was found that buildings assessed with the LEED rating tool used more 28-35% energy. Almeida et al [18] investigated the impacts of occupant behavior on the energy performance of green and non-green buildings. The authors found that green buildings were inefficiently managed during the operational stage.…”