Comparative studies of the occupants’ behaviour in a university building during winter and summer time

Abstract

The paper focuses on the assessment of indoor comfort and energy consumption of a university building in Cyprus, during winter and summer of 2012 and 2013. The aim was to make a comparative study of the occupants' behaviour and its effects on the building's energy consumption, along with the indoor thermal and visual comfort between the two seasons. American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air conditioning Standards are used through a questionnaire campaign and the thermal comfort of occupants is analysed with the indicators of predicted mean vote and predicted percentage dissatisfied. The answers are analysed using SPSS software. The air temperature, the relative humidity and the lighting levels of the building are monitored using temperature, humidity and lux meter tools. The monthly energy consumption cost is also calculated. The results are analysed and comparative studies of the occupants' behaviour conclude to various patterns of effects on the thermal and visual comfort of the building, as well as on its energy consumption.

A review of human thermal comfort in the built environment

“…Results indicate that during most of the year, users are in thermal comfort without using air-conditioning [223]. Serghides et al [224] identified the inappropriate use of cooling and heating systems (very low temperatures in summer and very high temperatures in winter) in a university building in Cyprus. In the field study carried out in buildings of a university in Malaysia, the results of measurements and questionnaires showed that most of the buildings failed to provide a thermally comfortable environment and that the HVAC system should be changed [8].…”

Determinants of Energy Saving: Evidence from a Vocational School in Greece

“…Azar and Ansari [29] summarized that "contextual factors, which include the ability of occupants to perform a particular action such as changing thermostat set point temperatures, can partially explain why motivation/intent to save energy did not necessarily translate into actions" (Azar and Ansari [29], p. 571). Serghides et al [45] paid particular attention to the equipment, stating that the "number of equipment in use turned out to be one of the most important variables, determining energy consumption" (Serghides et al [45], p. 548), however occupant's intervention on temperature control also affects energy consumption. Lourenço et al [43] analyzed the need to improve energy use management in schools in addition to the building's design and systems.…”

“…Azar and Ansari [29] collected data from students, faculty, researchers, and staff. Serghides et al [45] collected data from occupants of university buildings, Lourenço et al [43] selected eight secondary schools for their study, and Tornelli [44] researched schools, looking at existing equipment, new construction designs, and behavioral modifications.…”

Energy-Related Occupant Behaviour and Its Implications in Energy Use: A Chronological Review

“…Figure 7 depicts the chronological evolution of the main milestones reviewed in this investigation, as well as the impacted energy uses in a building. affects occupant behaviour and energy use [94,96,97]; energy-related occupant behaviour surveys [98,99]; etc. Finally, Hong et al [13] discussed the ten main questions affecting occupant behaviour.…”

“…They underlined the recommendation of a deeper understanding and interconnection in these fields. Other authors developed studies not only to deepen the knowledge but also to develop new research studies in order to support the different subtasks that are defined by the IEA, represented in Table 2, of the predictability of presence and movement of occupant in buildings [89][90][91]; window opening behaviour in the residential sector [92][93][94] and light switching action [95]; indoor comfort and how it affects occupant behaviour and energy use [94,96,97]; energy-related occupant behaviour surveys [98,99]; etc.…”