Ramos, G; Lamberts, R; Abrahão, K C F J; Bandeira, F B; Barbosa Teixeira, C F; Brito de Lima, M; Broday, E E; Castro, A P A S; de Queiroz Leal, L; De Vecchi, R; De Zorzi, L D M; Dornelles, K A; Duarte, S; Faisca, R G; Fontenelle, M; Freitas, T; Gregorio Atem, C; Grigoletti, G; Maciel, L; de Moraes, C M; Mueller, C M; Sartori, T; Silva, B; Silva, C; Vilar da Silva, M; Silveira, A L; Souza, R V G and Xavier, A A (2021) Adaptive behaviour and air conditioning use in Brazilian residential buildings. Building Research & Information, 49(5), pp. 496-511. ISSN 0961-3218
Abstract
This paper aims to understand and characterize occupant behaviour from a perspective of air conditioner (AC) usage. Therefore, it analyses data collected via a questionnaire applied throughout the Brazilian territory, which resulted in 3,259 valid answers explored by non-parametric statistical methods. The main results obtained were: (i) 89% of interviewed occupants prefer naturally ventilated environments at home; (ii) their preference impacts their behaviour, as those who prefer naturally ventilated environments tend to ventilate their house instead of turning on the air conditioner; (iii) climate and family income influence the availability of appliances, i.e. 93.2% of the high-income groups have at least one AC at home in extremely hot climates; (iv) there are groups with a tendency of high AC use, especially those who use AC often, also use it for a longer period of time; and (v) there is a significant difference between the setpoint temperature used in different climates; for instance, the lowest setpoint temperature is used in the hottest climate. This paper intends to contribute to a better understanding of occupants' preferences and behavioural tendencies, especially in Brazilian residences and hot climates, while showing the influence of variables like family income and climate on such issues.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | adaptive behaviour; air conditioning; occupant behaviour; thermal comfort |
| Index terms: | occupant behaviour, hot climate, income, statistical method, thermal comfort, adaptive behaviour, residential building, preference, air conditioning, questionnaire |
| Subjects: | decision-making and reasoning, statistical analysis, environmental engineering, climate science, health behaviours and lifestyles, human factors, data collection methods, construction type, economic analysis |
| Topics: | Sustainability, Construction Technology, Business Strategy, Engineering Principles, Research Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here