Occupancy behaviour and patterns: Impact on energy consumption of high-rise households in southeast China

With the rapid urbanization in China, energy consumption and corresponding carbon emissions in residential buildings are growing. Because occupant behaviour plays a significant role in building energy performance and occupant comfort, understanding the crucial links between occupant lifestyles and energy use is the key. Most studies on the relationship between occupancy behaviour and energy usage have been conducted in public or commercial buildings. Because data is difficult to obtain and key information about existing houses is required, research on high rise residential buildings is limited. To acquire information on thermal satisfaction, residential equipment ownership and usage habits and attitude to smart meters, this paper conducted a comprehensive survey of 112 metropolitan families living in a typical booming city. A case study high-rise residential building is modelled in a building energy simulation tool. The results are compared with the actual energy bills acquired from occupants or smart meters to better understand the energy usage in this area. The results showed that a large variation in energy use could exist in different households, which is influenced by several factors such as occupancy patterns and habits, as observed in the survey. At the same time, it shows the challenge of predicting the energy use of such a building with varying internal heat gains, set points and window opening behaviours across the different households.