A review of occupant behavior models in residential building: Sensing, modeling, and prediction

Abstract

Occupant behavior is an important factor in building simulations. Occupants influence the energy usage of buildings through interactions with indoor appliances (e.g air-conditioning, lights etc.) in order to improve the indoor environment. The models of occupant behavior are widely studied not only to estimate the energy consumption of buildings but also to extent the building energy-saving potentials. Different from the models in office buildings, behavior models in residential buildings are much more complicated due to the diversity of appliances and behavior patterns. However, the modeling methods in both residential and commercial buildings are similar. In this paper, behavior models in both commercial and residential buildings are reviewed. The paper also provides the discussion of the sensing, data and modeling methods that can be used to formulate the human behavior models in residential buildings.