Abstract
The goal of this literature review was to outline the research currently conducted on smart meter (SM) adoption and its connection to building occupant behavior to better understand both SM technology and SM customers. We compiled our findings from the existing literature and developed a holistic understanding of the socio-demographic factors that lead to more or less energy use, the methods used to group and cluster occupants on the basis of energy use, how occupant energy use profiles are developed, and which socio-psychological determinants may influence SM adoption. Our results highlight 11 demographic variables that impact building energy use, find 9 methods commonly used to profile occupants on the basis of energy usage, and highlight 13 socio-psychological variables than can be utilized to better understand SM adoption intentions. The review findings two major deficiencies in the existing literature. First, this review highlights the lack of existing interdisciplinary research that combines occupant behavior with SM data and a clear socio-psychological framework. Second, this review underscores certain data limitations in existing SM research, with most research being conducted only on residential or office buildings and geographically in North America or Western Europe. Final policy recommendations center on increased need for interdisciplinary SM research and the need for an expanded understanding of occupant behavior and SM research across different geographies.
Highlights
That the associated risks and barriers with smart meter (SM) have been addressed, we move onto the key components of this paper and the importance of better understanding the human components of energy use withing buildings
We created a systematic means of determining demographic factors that impact energy use, common clustering methods utilized to group and profile occupants, socio-psychological factors that might promote or diminish SM use, and common locations wherein this type of research is concentrated
We compile our findings on demographic factors that impact energy use, energy profiling and clustering, and socio-psychological factors that impact SM uptake to highlight some gaps in the literature and provide several recommendations on how to diversify and enrich the research in the field
Summary
As there is an ever-growing need to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, it is of utmost importance to obtain feedback on energy consumption. This research highlights the building type and geographic concentration of existing SM research and emphasizes the need for a more diverse pool of occupants in order to better understand varied, diverse motivations and energy usages as SMs are increasingly deployed globally. In order to pinpoint these deficiencies, we utilized research from key areas of SM adoption and implementation, namely, background research on existing technology, current barriers and limitations, demographic indicators of energy use, occupant behavior research, and socio-demographic factors related to energy efficient technology adoption. This paper marries together key fields of SM research to develop a more holistic understanding of occupants and their energy use and offer a mechanism for researchers and policymakers to implement more interdisciplinary methods to promote widespread SM deployment
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