Innovative Energy Policies
Onyango and Ciaran, Innovative Energy Policies 2015, 4:1 http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2090-5009.1000112
Research Article Research Article
Open Access Open Access
Impact of User Behavior in Office Building on Energy Reduction Strategies Onyango J 1 * and Ciaran R 2 1 Department of Architecture, School of Architecture, University of Miami, USA 2 School of Planning, Architecture and Civil Engineering, Queens University Belfast, UK
Abstract There has been a lot of emphasis placed on the assessment of energy use in buildings as a means to the reduction in CO 2 emissions. Smart meter technology that captures and displays not only the energy usage but also the quality of indoor environment are currently used widely within the UK, however, there exists a disconnection between the energy management systems (EMS) technology and the user behavior that could SRWHQWLDOO\DIIHFWWKHFRQVXPSWLRQSUR¿OH7KLVVWXG\ZDVFDUULHGRXWLQ1RUWKHUQ,UHODQGDQGUHYHDOHGWKDWHQHUJ\ data was hardly shared with the users, which affected their energy conservation strategies.
Keywords : Energy management system; Sustainability; Carbon dioxide emissions; Energy usage; User profile; Northern Ireland Introduction Over the last couple years there has been interest s in the creation of a Low carbon Society (LCS). The concept of Low Carbon Society, (LCS) first appeared in use in Japan in 2007 to mean one that aspires to make an equitable contribution to the global effort of reducing greenhouse gases to a safe level combining both a high level of energy efficiency and security [1]. Prior to the use of the LCS concept the UK government had published an Energy White Paper “Our Future Energy: Creating a Low-Carbon Economy” (DTI, 2003) [2] that argued for a strategy of achieving more economic outputs and better quality living standards, that results in less environmental pollution and minimizes the use of natural resources. Strachan, Foxon & Fujina, [1] point out LCS could be achieved through the choice of use of low carbon technologies and changes to social models and lifestyles that target energy efficiency and requires consumer responses, very much similar to those in the DTI white paper of 2003. In practical terms, the emphasis on the assessment of energy use in buildings as a means to the reduction in CO 2 emissions is one of the outcomes of LCS strategy. Smart meter technology that captures and displays not only the energy usage but also the quality of indoor environment are currently used widely within the UK, however, there exists a disconnect between the energy management systems (EMS) technology and the user behavior that could potentially affect the consumption profile, which is another important strategy of the LCS concept. The United Kingdom, UK is a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol and has made great efforts towards the targets set under the Protocol post 2012. The Climate Change Act (2008) [3] proposes to lower net Green House Gas, GHG emissions by 80% or less by the year 2050 based on 1990 baseline levels. Figure 1, illustrates the respective GHG emission reduction targets for the UK as a whole and the sub targets for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland respectively (DECC, 2011b) [4]. The initial estimates of GHG emissions for 2009 and 2010 as indicate notable reduction of 28.3% from the baseline and are indicative of possible targets being met, in the meanwhile, over the same period there was a reduction in CO 2 emissions of 19.4% as indicated in Figure 2 above. Energy efficiency in non-domestic buildings Literature review reveals that there are 1.8 million non-domestic
*Corresponding author: Onyango J, Assistant Professor of Architecture, School of Architecture, University of Miami, USA, Tel: 305-284-4443; E-mail: j.onyango@miami.edu Received July 26, 2014; Accepted November 25, 2014; Published January 02, 2015 Citation: 2Q\DQJR-&LDUDQ5 ,PSDFWRI8VHU%HKDYLRULQ2I¿FH%XLOGLQJRQ Energy Reduction Strategies. Innovative Energy Policies 4: 112. doi:10.4172/2090- 5009.1000112 Copyright: © 2015 Onyango J, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. buildings in the UK contributing an estimated 17% of the total emissions (UKGB, 2011) [5] and the Carbon Trust (2009) [6], argue that it is possible to achieved 70-75% reduction in CO 2 emissions of by 2050 at minimal or zero net costs if systems that employ intelligent metering were in place. They however, ignore the impact of occupier behavior and control related issues, a view supported by Bordass et al. [7], Steemers and Manchanda [8] who found out that actual energy demands in office buildings are typically significantly higher than modeled and the annual CO 2 emissions are often two to three times the expected values [9] (Figures 1 and 2). The UK government set in place a roll out schemes for smart meters from 2014 to 2019 for both domestic and non-domestic buildings, despite the fact that the there is dearth of research on feedback on their impact on building performance in use as aptly pointed out by Stevenson & Leaman: “…it makes it difficult to ascertain whether targets are being achieved in reality, whether the design, procurement, and management strategies are actually working and whether occupants are actually reducing their demands and expectations (particularly in relation to so-called ‘efficiency gains’)…” (2010, 437) Darby [10] agrees and pointed out that primary cause of much of energy wastage was the invisibility of its consumption and that consumer behavior could be affected by effective feedback that included support in both interpreting the information as well as advice on the what to do with it. It is estimated that this is likely to result in reductions in the range of 5-15% however; other studies have shown that there is a distinct decrease in level of energy savings that was originally made after a few months if habits are not formed [11]. Consumer behavior is affected by culture; for example, a study by Isaacs, Saville-Smith, Camilleri and Burrough [12] in New Zealand
ƜƼƼƽDŽƯǂƷDŽƳƘƼƳǀƵLJƣƽƺƷƱƷƳǁ ƜƦƦơ ƜƘƣƯƼƽƾƳƼƯƱƱƳǁǁƸƽǃǀƼƯƺ
ƩƽƺǃƻƳǚƜǁǁǃƳǚ
Made with FlippingBook Annual report maker