The influence of occupation modes on building heating loads: the case of a detached house located in a suburban area

ABSTRACT: Occupants’ behaviour is known to have a great influence on energetic demand, management and consumptions of a building. However, parameters related to inhabitants’ lifestyle are often neglected in energetic studies and researches that often focus on insulation, ventilation or climate. In this context, the aim of the paper is to investigate the influence of three parameters related to human behaviour (the family size and the modes of occupations, the management of the heating system and the management of the heated area) on the housing heating loads of a standard dwelling. The case study chosen for this analysis is a detached house located in a suburban area. Five levels of insulation are tested (no insulation, an intermediate level corresponding to 3 cm of insulation, the current standard for new buildings in the Walloon region of Belgium, the low energy standard and the passive house standard) in order to highlight the impact and the interactions between occupation modes and insulation levels. The relevance of the adaptation of the living area of the house according to the evolution of the family size is finally discussed