Abstract
To better understand home energy consumption, it is important to study the behaviours of occupants in their homes, especially in relation to their comfort needs. A mixed methods study comprising of a questionnaire, interviews, indoor environmental parameters monitoring, and energy consumption readings was performed to group home occupants based on their behavioural patterns. The TwoStep cluster analysis produced five clusters of home occupant with the data from 761 questionnaire respondents. The clustering model comprised of 28 variables including constructs of emotions, comfort affordances, and locus of control. Then, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted and IEQ monitoring and energy readings were taken with 15 of the questionnaire respondents. The results of the field study were used to substantiate the findings of the questionnaire. The combination of the statistical clusters with the data from the field study resulted in five archetypes: five distinct types of home occupants, differing in their behavioural motivations towards achieving comfort, and their use of energy when doing so. This study shows that a mixed methods approach is valuable for better understanding energy consumption and implementing archetype-customized lines of action to reduce energy use and maintain comfort.
Highlights
Understanding behavioural patterns of occupants in their home -where they spend over 60% of their time- [1] seems to be essential to achieve reductions in energy consumption
A different approach was used in an Italian study in which they employed simulation and prediction, and the results proposed that occupant behaviours can be classified into three types of lifestyle that impact energy consumption in relation to thermal, ventilation, water, and lighting behaviours [17]
The main building type among the sample was the row house with 29.3%, followed by apartments (24.8%), and semidetached houses (16.6%). 50% of participants reported to live with housemates and 23.4% with family members. 80% were renters, not representing the tenure ratio of the Dutch housing stock which is over 40% [44]
Summary
Understanding behavioural patterns of occupants in their home -where they spend over 60% of their time- [1] seems to be essential to achieve reductions in energy consumption This is because the actual energy consumption of dwellings is related to the building (technologies and performance), and to the occupant (behaviours, lifestyle). A lack of knowledge is detected regarding occupants’ behaviours in their homes, how they use energy, and what their psychobehavioural motivators are when using energy. This could be due to the fact that traditionally in the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) field, these components are being researched independently from one another and unequally in terms of amount of studies
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
