Logo image
Back
Influence of occupancy on building energy performance: a case study from social housing dwellings in Perth, Western Australia
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Influence of occupancy on building energy performance: a case study from social housing dwellings in Perth, Western Australia

Parisa Esmaeilimoakher, Tania Urmee, Trevor Pryor and Garry Baverstock
Renewable energy and environmental sustainability, Vol.2, p.44
2017
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/rees/2017018
pdf
Influence of occupancy on building energy performance: a case study from social housing dwellings in Perth, Western Australia916.04 kBDownloadView
Published (Version of Record)CC BY V4.0,  Open Access
url
Influence of occupancy on building energy performance: a case study from social housing dwellings in Perth, Western AustraliaView
Published (Version of Record)CC BY V4.0,  Open

Abstract

Appliances Audits Breakdowns Cooking Dwellings Efficiency Electricity Energy audits Energy consumption Energy economics Energy efficiency Household appliances Households Housing Lighting Minimum cost Occupancy Public housing Refrigeration Residential areas Residential energy Solar energy Solar panels Space heating Time of use User behavior Water heating
Worldwide, the residential sector is a substantial energy consumer mainly due to the requirements of space heating and cooling, lighting and electronic appliances in the building. In Australia, the residential sector accounts for a significant proportion of final energy consumption, with a significant proportion of this energy attributed to space conditioning. Appliances including lighting, refrigeration, water heating, cooking and standby power also factoring into the energy used in Australian households. In response to sharp rises in energy prices in recent years, many households are taking steps to reduce their energy consumption. Many are investing in energy efficient appliances, home upgrades, installing rooftop solar panels, etc. However, low income can become a barrier, preventing many people from investing in energy efficiency as a way of reducing costs. This paper is a part of a broader study aiming to identify the areas of energy inefficiency in social housing dwellings, and improve the overall efficiency through modifying occupants’ energy use culture. The firsthand information on where and how energy is used in the dwellings was collected through conducting walk-through energy audits in the sample dwellings. This information was then combined with the information provided by the households’ representatives on the time of use of their appliances as well as direct observations to calculate energy consumption in these households. Practical guidelines were then proposed, taking into account their energy use behaviour to minimize their energy consumption at a minimum cost.

Details

Metrics

34 File views/ downloads
80 Record Views
Logo image