Building occupants and the lack of awareness in energy conservation measures

Occupant behaviour (OB) is one of the most impacting variables in the energy intensity in buildings. Several interdisciplinary factors: psychosocial, economic, environmental, and cultural, impact how occupants interact with the building’s systems and features. This paper provides the results from a case study performed on two University buildings from Western Sydney University in Sydney: a green-rated and non-rated building. The patterns of the occupants interacting with cooling, heating, lighting, equipment, shading, and windows were studied using questionnaire surveys and building simulation. Results have shown that the lack of awareness in energy conservation measures may represent a difference of 72% in the energy performance of these buildings. The green rating had no impact on the occupants’ awareness related to the efficient use of energy. Moreover, 81% of the occupants had no information concerning the building systems and/or features and how to use them efficiently. Finally, this paper discusses several solutions to address the lack of occupant’s awareness in terms of energy use