The Interaction Effect of Occupant Behavior-Related Factors in Office Buildings Based on the DNAS Theory

Abstract

Occupant behavior is acknowledged as a main contribution to building energy consumption. Many efforts have been devoted to identifying the impact of occupant behaviors on building energy consumption. However, the lack of understanding of the interaction effects among occupant behavior-related factors, to some extent, can lead to inaccurate results. To decode these complex interactions, this study was conducted to investigate the interaction effects of occupant behavior-related factors. A survey based on the Drive-Need-Action-System (DNAS) theory was used to describe the occupant behaviors. Then, based on the survey, a simulation model of an office building was applied for estimating the energy consumption led by different occupant behaviors. Finally, an orthogonal design of experiments (DOE) method combined with Pareto analysis was used to quantify the interactions of occupant behavior-related factors on energy consumption. Results show that factor combinations with strong interaction effects include: (1) lighting control and lighting fixture type and (2) computer control and tolerance of temperature range. The results provide important reference for building designers and facility managers toward a better understanding of the influences of occupant behaviors on building energy consumption.

Survey-based Exploratory Factor Analysis of Building-Occupant Behavior Interaction: A Case Study in Panama

“…The interdisciplinary data collection through the questionnaire contributes to transforming the discovered knowledge into behavior-based energy efficiency solutions, taking into account not only energy metrics and physical properties of building characteristics but also the contextual aspects related to the energy and profile of the OB within the workplace. Most research related to OB defines it based on occupan t movements [40][37] and control actions on the equipment or control devices of the building [14] [9]. Likewise, it has been indicated that they can be divided into two aspects: Occupancy, which refers to the rate within the building; and occupant control behaviors on building devices, including windows, doors, shades, air conditioning terminals, lights, and equipment (TVs, computers, printers, etc.).…”

“…Similarly, in other research [42], a group of buildings was classified by algorithms, where each group contained a very similar type of occupant behavior. In addition to the occupant behaviors described above by classification, [9][10] presented a DNAS theory to describe occupant behaviors. The DNAS theoretical framework provides a standardized way of representing occupant behaviors from four perspectives, namely drivers, needs, actions, and systems, Figure 1; that can be applied to guide behavior program design, implementation, and evaluation, and facilitate the integration of occupant behavior models with building simulation tools.…”

“…The DNAS theoretical framework provides a standardized way of representing occupant behaviors from four perspectives, namely drivers, needs, actions, and systems, Figure 1; that can be applied to guide behavior program design, implementation, and evaluation, and facilitate the integration of occupant behavior models with building simulation tools. The resulting self-report characteristics questionnaire is a combination of key questions, arising from an exhaustive review of the survey literature whose occupant behavior questionnaire [9], the Humphreys principle of occupant interaction with control systems in buildings [43] [44], traditional theories [24], and adaptive comfort [11] merged with social science theories [4][10] [36]. The questionnaire explores the extent to which behavior related to the indoor environment and building control devices are intertwined in workspaces and at the same time how this is driven by an individual motivational sphere influenced by i) comfort requirements, ii) habits, iii) intentions and iv) actual control of building systems (Table 1).…”

“…On the other hand, OB drives occupant interactions with building systems, strongly influencing building operations and thus energy use/cost and interior comfort, which in turn influences the behavior of the occupants thus forming a closed circuit. At the moment that the scope is structured in the form and substance of the behavior context , [9][10] [11], Figure 1.…”

Design Thinking in Lighting Design to Meet User Needs

“…However, these standard assumptions sometimes do not fulfil user comfort and satisfaction [6,7]. Because people spend most of their time in buildings and interact with building systems to reach desired comfort, these interactions lead to different energy usage [8][9][10][11]. The impact of user actions on various systems, including cooling, heating, etc., has been tested many times [12][13][14].…”