Conference Paper

Proceedings of Building Simulation 2021: 17th Conference of IBPSA

Comparative window use study: habits versus deliberative actions in residential buildings

Silke Verbruggen, Marc Delghust, Jelle Laverge, Arnold Janssens
Research Group Building Physics, Ghent University, Belgium

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26868/25222708.2021.30847
Abstract: Occupant behaviour can be deliberative, with actions based on conscious reasoning, however, occupant behaviour can be as well habitual (without conscious reasoning), especially in residential settings. Most current models are focussed on deliberative actions. In this study the deliberative window use as simulated with four different window use models from literature is compared to observed habitual window use. The window use models based on indoor temperatures are highly sensitive to the heating set-point in the rooms. For low setpoints, very few window opening actions are predicted. Additionally, even tough most of the existing window use models are stochastic, these models still underestimate the interindividual diversity. Consequently, these models can be applied to predict average window use, but are not capable of predicting the high diversity in window use observed in the building stock, with that neglecting the variety in energy use.
Keywords: Window use, Occupant behavior, residential energy use, habits
Pages: 3639 - 3645
Paper: