Gill, Z M; Tierney, M J; Pegg, I M and Allan, N (2010) Low-energy dwellings: The contribution of behaviours to actual performance. Building Research & Information, 38(5), pp. 491-508. ISSN 0961-3218
Abstract
The UK Government's Building a Greener Future: Policy Statement (2007) announced that all new homes must be zero carbon from 2016. To date, a number of housing sites around the UK have strived to reduce carbon emissions by following sustainable design principles and utilizing renewable technologies. On paper, these sites exceed regulatory compliance and are regarded as high-performance buildings. However, their actual performance is seldom validated from the perspective of either the design engineer or the occupants. Findings are presented from an on-going post-occupancy evaluation of a UK EcoHomes site with an 'excellent' rating (the highest rating of the predecessor to the current standard, the Code for Sustainable Homes). The detailed post-occupancy evaluation investigated the energy performance of the buildings (as well as water consumption) and the comfort and satisfaction of users. A bespoke behavioural survey and interview were developed and implemented to distinguish between and quantify frugal and profligate patterns of consumption. Results indicate that energy-efficiency behaviours account for 51%, 37%, and 11% of the variance in heat, electricity, and water consumption, respectively, between dwellings. Human factor issues need to be addressed more adequately as standard practice in low-energy/carbon design.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | building performance; consumption assessment; housing; low-energy building; occupant behaviour; post-occupancy evaluation; theory of planned behaviour |
| Index terms: | low-energy building, renewable technology, engineer, efficiency, post-occupancy evaluation, survey, comfort, housing, water consumption, regulatory compliance, consumption, sustainable design, occupant behaviour, variance, building performance, planned behaviour, carbon emission, energy performance, satisfaction, human factor, interview |
| Subjects: | performance management, project delivery, climate science, energy systems, behavioral psychology, environmental resource management, energy efficiency, consumer economics, construction type, evaluation methods, occupational health and safety management, quality assurance, design process, data collection methods, measurement and scaling, health behaviours and lifestyles, environmental policy, profession, sustainable design |
| Topics: | Sustainability, Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Design Practice, Stakeholder Management, Quality Management, Project Management, Construction Technology, Health and Safety |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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