An international review of occupant-related aspects of building energy codes and standards

Abstract

In light of recent research, it is evident that occupants are playing an increasingly important role in building energy performance. Around the world, a driving factor for how buildings are designed-and operated in some cases-is the local building codes. Yet, occupant-related aspects of building energy codes have traditionally been simple because: 1) occupants are often seen as a source of uncertainty that cannot be reconciled by current code methodologies and language, and 2) the codes have not kept up with the recent surge of interest and importance of occupants. This paper provides a review of 22 international building energy codes and standards by first comparing quantitative aspects and then analyzing rules and approaches mandated by the codes. The review of requirements for prescriptive and performance path requirements revealed a wide range of occupant-related values, approaches, and attitudes. For example, a key value such as occupant density varies by nearly a factor of three between countries' codes, which among other things underlines the need for development of locally tailored occupant behaviour models for future occupant-centric building performance standards and codes. Moreover, occupants are often referred to only implicitly; the level of optimism that occupants make energy-saving actions varies greatly; and, only a few codes address occupant feedback and system usability. Based on the findings, a set of initial recommendations for future building energy codes is made. The focus in this paper is offices, though the general recommendations are applicable to other building types.

Occupant satisfaction with the indoor environment in seven commercial buildings in Singapore

“…These stark differences across building databases suggest that perhaps other factors (such as culture or occupant expectations) may be driving these perceptions. For example, available office space per occupants has declined over the years in Singapore due to high population density and high rental cost [49], while the designated amount of workspace area per person in the US is almost double that in Singapore [50]. We propose that Singaporeans may have adapted to a smaller workspace environment, resulting in more flexible expectations on how much workspace they are given-therefore resulting in the "amount of space" having little impact on overall environmental satisfaction.…”

Introducing IEA EBC annex 79: Key challenges and opportunities in the field of occupant-centric building design and operation

“…As shown in Figure 6, key completed and planned research activities with regard to occupant-centric building design are structured as literature reviews, supporting explorations, development of methods or recommendations and case studies. [92]. In brief, findings revealed major discrepancies between regions' occupant-related code specifications -often spanning a factor of three, for specifications such as lighting and equipment power density.…”

Analysis of Energy Saving Effect and Cost Efficiency of ECMs to Upgrade the Building Energy Code

“…Building energy codes are legal mandatory requirements which usually include specifications regarding envelope, heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC), domestic hot water (DHW), lighting systems, renewable systems, etc. [2,[4][5][6]. Building energy codes play a fundamental role in achieving energy efficiency objectives for newly constructed buildings and reducing building energy demand and carbon emissions, and the advancement of building energy codes is considered one of the most impactful ways to improve the energy performance of building [4][5][6][7].…”

“…[2,[4][5][6]. Building energy codes play a fundamental role in achieving energy efficiency objectives for newly constructed buildings and reducing building energy demand and carbon emissions, and the advancement of building energy codes is considered one of the most impactful ways to improve the energy performance of building [4][5][6][7]. There are two main types of criteria in most building energy codes: prescriptive and performance-based [6].…”

“…Building energy codes play a fundamental role in achieving energy efficiency objectives for newly constructed buildings and reducing building energy demand and carbon emissions, and the advancement of building energy codes is considered one of the most impactful ways to improve the energy performance of building [4][5][6][7]. There are two main types of criteria in most building energy codes: prescriptive and performance-based [6]. Many countries, including the US and the EU countries, are implementing performance-based criteria for new buildings, such as the energy need, energy use, primary energy use, and CO 2 emissions, as well as prescriptive criteria, such as the thermal transmittance, air tightness, or the basic physical performance of the building components or the overall buildings.…”