Impact of air-conditioning usage behavior of student groups on air-conditioning load simulation in university dormitories

Abstract

During summers, air-conditioning (AC) accounts for a large proportion of the total energy consumption of university dormitory buildings, which is influenced by the occupant behavior. To quantitatively analyze the impact of the AC usage behavior of student groups on AC loads, this study regarded students as heterogeneous individuals, and classified them into four categories by taking group identity and individual preferred temperature as classification indicators, as follows: (i) low-group identity and low-preferred temperature, (ii) low-group identity and high-preferred temperature, (iii) high-group identity and low-preferred temperature, and (iv) high-group identity and high-preferred temperature. On this basis, a combined model composed of the student groups’ AC usage behavior simulation and the AC load calculation was developed. Results showed that the subject of low-group identity and low-preferred temperature was most sensitive to changes in indoor temperature. On a typical summer day, the AC load simulation results without considering differences in individual behavior increased by 9.7% compared with those considering differences in individual behavior, and the increased rate declined with the rise in outdoor temperature. Additionally, enhancing students’ group identity could significantly reduce AC loads.