Estimation of Residential Energy Consumption Accounting for Occupant-Behavior and Building Characteristics: A Coupled Statistical Approach with Reduced Survey and Simulation Tool

Abstract

According to the International Energy Agency, occupant Behavior is among the six driving factors of energy uses in Buildings. Therefore, it is widely considered a great influence on energy performance and must be studied concerning the influencing parameters, such as: Indoor and outdoor environmental quality, personal, cultural, and physiological factors; also, physical and structural conditions of the building should be included. However, the literature’s studies show that this analysis is not frequently performed, bringing large impacts on the world’s search for sustainable buildings. This paper aims to develop a strategy to incorporate the occupant’s patterns and preferences at a residential level. This strategy is based on two different surveys applied to 41 occupants, considering influencing factors on the building performance. The data collected were analyzed by regression models to establish the significance of possible influencing variables, and the statistical correlations technique between variables is developed. The results show an important relationship between parameters and energy consumption.