A case study on household electricity uses and their variations due to occupant behavior in Chinese apartments in Beijing

Abstract

In order to gain a good understanding of residential building energy consumption in China, a case study about occupants' use of electricity for lighting, appliances and room air conditioners was carried out in 44 identical apartments in Beijing. Additionally, two apartments with significantly different energy consumption levels were chosen for a detailed study about the impact of occupants' daily behavior in using lighting, appliances and room air conditioners. The results of this study demonstrate the important contribution of occupant behavior to the significant variation of electricity consumption among residential buildings. The detailed measurement of occupant behavior showed a potential in better understanding how energy is consumed in buildings and relevant information gathered from this process can help occupants change their behavior for energy saving.