Investigation and analysis of Chinese residential building occupancy with large-scale questionnaire surveys

Abstract

Occupancy of residential buildings is one of the most important inputs for building simulations, building system design, optimization, and energy efficient policy-making. There are a few large-scale surveys of China's urban residential occupancy that help explain the overall situation and occupancy profile. In this study, large-scale surveys of urban households were conducted in four Chinese cities, totaling 3424 valid samples. Descriptive analysis, clustering analysis, and correlation analysis were then conducted on the dataset to ascertain the typical occupancy schedules.The conclusion derived from the large-scale occupancy data is that the occupancy rate of urban residential buildings is low throughout much of the day and in many of the individual rooms. Four typical clusters were identified for each room type in a residential building. Regional differences exist for a typical cluster share, but no seasonal difference was observed. Because of partial usage of residential buildings, building services should reflect this partial usage and policy-makers should consider adopting energy policies consistent with this real occupancy schedule.