Demonstrating the Impact of the Occupant on Building Performance

Abstract

Designers often cite uncertain occupant behavior as a potential obstacle to high performing buildings. However, little research has been done to characterize the nature and extent of the potential impact of the occupant on energy consumption. Energy models typically assume deterministic loads and schedules to represent occupancy and provide singular estimates of energy consumption. This paper investigates uncertainties introduced by occupant behavior by exploring the impacts of high and low comparisons on the energy performance of buildings through parametric simulation of commercial and residential buildings in two climates. The results suggest that variant occupant behavior can impact annual energy usage on the order of magnitude of 75% in residential buildings (peak load varying by 65%) and 150% for commercial buildings (peak load varying by 140%), with modest variations across climates. Although further and more sophisticated experiments are necessary, the contributions of this paper include a simple process model for assessing, through simulation, the role of the occupant on energy consumption and demonstration data about the type and magnitude of impacts that occupants can have in residential and commercial buildings across climates.