Abstract
The strategies used by householders for heating and using hot water heating have a significant impact on energy consumption in domestic buildings. A better understanding of the interaction between occupants and hot water heating systems can improve the energy efficiency of a building. This paper maps the interaction between occupants and their current domestic hot water heating systems to provide insights for the design of future thermal energy storage systems. A total of 35 householders from the Midlands region of the UK took part in semi-structured contextual interviews about their current strategies for the provision of hot water and the way they engage with their heating systems. Using the DNAs framework as an analysis lens, drivers, needs and actions relating to the provision of hot water were evaluated and four distinct hot water heating types are presented: On Demand, For All Eventualities, Just Enough and Sunny Days. Findings provide insights into occupants’ behaviour in relation to hot water heating usage and design implications for thermal energy storage technologies.
Highlights
In the UK, 29% of the energy use is attributed to the domestic buildings [1]
There is a lack of understanding about the interactions between occupants and these systems and limited knowledge on potential barriers to adopting future thermal energy stores, which will be needed in order to design future socially, technically and economically viable systems
A typology of hot water usage types was developed from the collected data by considering the drivers, needs and actions that underpin occupants’ decisions to interact with their heating system
Summary
In the UK, 29% of the energy use is attributed to the domestic buildings [1]. One of the contributors to this energy consumption is the demand for domestic hot water, making up 20% of the domestic consumption; approximately 6% of the total UK energy use. Considering the UK’s target of reducing the greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% by 2050 [1], innovation in the design and deployment of future energy technologies is essential. These technologies include thermal energy storage systems. Whilst phase change or thermochemical storage may be a technology for the future, many homes have a current thermal energy store in the form of a hot water tank to supply domestic hot water. This paper aims to fill this gap by identifying occupants’ engagement with current domestic hot water systems in order to determine user insights for the design of future thermal energy stores
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