A comprehensive model considering multiple types of occupant behavior for building energy performance prediction and simulation – taking a university campus as an example

Abstract

Occupant behavior, encompassing occupant numbers and actions, significantly contributes to the uncertainty of building energy performance simulation. By characterizing the regularity of occupant behavior, it becomes feasible to evaluate its impact on building energy consumption and mitigate disparities between simulated and measured outcomes. This paper presents a comprehensive model that integrates two key aspects of occupant behavior to predict and simulate energy performance in campus buildings. The model introduces two distinct categories of equipment, namely environment-related equipment (e.g. lighting, air conditioning) and time-related equipment (e.g. water dispenser, printer), to account for the diverse factors that influence occupant behavior. The impact of occupant perception on the environment is considered to enhance simulation accuracy. Furthermore, this study compares the proposed model with models that consider only occupant number or occupant energy use behavior individually to assess its effectiveness in capturing the complexities of occupant behavior in energy performance simulations.