How to monitor people 'smartly' to help reducing energy consumption in buildings?

Abstract

There is a complex link between building fabric, habitant expectation and behavior, energy consumption and actual internal conditions. Home owners exert total control of their homes and how people actually use buildings is not as how we think they do. Therefore, mapping occupants' behavior, and understanding how it relates to comfort and energy consumption is essential. To address this necessity, the paper reviews techniques and systems used to monitor occupants through time and location. Furthermore, it assesses the complexity, robustness, accuracy and performance of each method. To support this review, monitored data were collected using various methods to monitor people's activities in their home. These could be supported by fix building sensors, or/and wearable sensors. Results from these studies established that systems, using ultra wide band technology and radio-frequency identification hold the highest precision and accuracy, being a non-intrusive method in everyday domestic settings. In conclusion, gathering occupancy data may lead to better and more energy-efficient control system of indoor environment. © 2014 © 2014 Taylor & Francis.