Development of Dutch occupancy and heating profiles for building simulation

Building simulations are often used to predict energy demand and to determine the financial feasibility of the low-carbon projects. However, recent research has documented large differences between actual and predicted energy consumption. In retrofit projects, this difference creates uncertainty about the payback periods and, as a consequence, owners are reluctant to invest in energy-efficient technologies. The differences between the actual and the expected energy consumption are caused by inexact input data on the thermal properties of the building envelope and by the use of standard occupancy data. Integrating occupancy patterns of diversity and variability in behaviour into building simulation can potentially foresee and account for the impact of behaviour in building performance. The presented research develops and applies occupancy heating profiles for building simulation tools in order create more accurate predictions of energy demand and energy performance. Statistical analyses were used to define the relationship between seven most common household types and occupancy patterns in the Netherlands. The developed household profiles aim at providing energy modellers with reliable, detailed and ready-to-use occupancy data for building simulation. This household-specific occupancy information can be used in projects that are highly sensitive to the uncertainty related to return of investments.     

Materialities shape practices and notions of comfort in everyday life

ABSTRACT

The development of residential energy technologies aims to ensure thermal comfort in an increasingly energy-efficient manner. This development influences everyday practices related to comfort in everyday life in dwellings. Therefore, an empirical analysis of interviews with residents in three types of Danish detached houses, related to the building age, is used to understand how changes in technologies influence residents’ practices and notions of comfort. Detached houses are the most widespread type of housing in Denmark, constituting 44% of the housing stock. The analysis focuses on differences in heating systems between the housing types and shows how changes in technologies and material structures shape the practices of heating and airing. A shift in technology from radiators to underfloor heating was found to make a clear difference in both how houses are heated and thermal comfort is perceived. It is found that changes in material structures of houses consequently change residents’ perceptions of comfort and the related everyday practices. A more nuanced set of notions of comfort is developed in relation to different practices, and specifically the relation between airing and heating practices, as well as the context of seasons and the outdoors.     

Investigating the performance of everyday domestic practices using building monitoring

The monitoring of buildings can enhance the understanding of everyday life, yet it has sparsely been used in social practices research. Monitoring usually provides context (e.g. differences in performing practices) for more prominent qualitative enquiry. The potential of building monitoring is investigated for studying the performance of domestic practices. A Passivhaus development is examined for its applicability. Monitoring data include temperature, humidity, CO₂ and electricity sub-metering. These data provide a good basis for investigating how technologies relate to the other elements (influences) of practice in shaping everyday life. The benefits and limitations of integrating monitoring with qualitative data are considered (e.g. residents' enthusiasm for co-investigating monitoring data; monitoring data having insufficient richness without accompanying qualitative data). Monitoring and qualitative data are shown to be complementary, and capable of producing insights beyond those of non-integrated approaches. Building monitoring can be further utilized in researching practices, particularly when considering the everyday implications of technological changes.     

Occupants' behaviour: determinants and effects on residential heating consumption

What are the key determinants and effects of occupants' behaviour on energy use for space heating? Statistical analyses were carried out on energy use and self-reported behaviour data from a household survey in the Netherlands. Results showed that the number of usage hours for the heating system have a stronger effect on energy consumption than temperature setting. Small correlations were found between energy use and the ventilation system, since most households barely use the ventilation system. The main building characteristic determining behaviour is the type of temperature control. Households with a programmable thermostat were more likely to keep the radiators turned on for more hours than households with a manual thermostat or manual valves on radiators. In relation to household characteristics, the presence of elderly persons in the household proved to be a determining factor in the use of the heating system and ventilation. As a result of wide variations in preferences and lifestyle, occupant behaviour has emerged as an important contributor to energy use in dwellings. The results indicate that the type of heating and ventilation system has an influence on occupant behaviour.

Quels sont les principaux déterminants et effets du comportement des habitants en matière d'utilisation d'énergie pour le chauffage des locaux ? Des analyses statistiques ont été réalisées sur l'utilisation de l'énergie et sur les données comportementales autodéclarées issues d'une enquête menée aux Pays-Bas auprès des ménages. Les résultats ont montré que le nombre d'heures d'utilisation du système de chauffage a un effet plus important sur la consommation énergétique que le réglage de la température. Il n'a été trouvé que peu de corrélations entre l'utilisation d'énergie et le système d'aération, dans la mesure où la plupart des ménages utilisent très peu le système d'aération. La principale caractéristique des bâtiments qui détermine le comportement est le type de réglage de la température. Les ménages équipés d'un thermostat programmable étaient plus susceptibles de maintenir les radiateurs allumés pendant davantage d'heures que les ménages équipés d'un thermostat manuel ou de robinets manuels sur les radiateurs. S'agissant des caractéristiques des ménages, il a été démontré que la présence de personnes âgées dans le ménage est un facteur déterminant dans l'utilisation du système de chauffage et du système d'aération. Du fait des grandes variations existant dans les préférences et les modes de vie, le comportement des occupants est apparu comme étant un facteur important dans l'utilisation de l'énergie dans les habitations. Les résultats indiquent que le type de système de chauffage et d'aération a une influence sur le comportement des occupants.

Mots clés: comportement, confort, demande énergétique, ménage, logement, comportement des habitants, parc de logements résidentiels, chauffage des locaux     

Moving home: houses,new occupants and the formation of heating practices

This paper examines the formation of heating practices at the time of moving house. Interviews on occupant changes in Finnish single-family houses with a focus on heating arrangements and thermal comfort reveal that practice formation in and around occupant changes is a complex process of aligning elements where the house stands out as a coordinative and coordinated aggregate. As houses pass from one set of occupants to the next, they carry practices and delineate new ways of operation to the new occupants. The study demonstrates the temporal unfolding of the hidden complexity to what seems like a straightforward process of residents interacting with a new heating system and home. The findings contribute to the understanding of the domestic sphere as a space for practice formation.     

辐射供暖房间耗热量分析

比较了辐射供暖与散热器供暖方式下房间外围护结构内表面温度的差异，指出辐射供暖房间在某些条件下由于耗热量较大，将会影响供暖的节能性。通过对辐射供暖方式节能率的分析，认为外围护结构内表面辐射吸收因数是影响节能效果的关键因素，给出了其取值范围。     

The conditioning of comfort

This commentary considers how the insights from the Building Research & Information 2008 special issue on ‘Comfort in a Lower Carbon Society’ impact upon our understanding of the nature of comfort demand; their importance and relevance to the theory and policies of building comfort; and the commentary draws upon changing comfort practices in other parts of the world. One of the most important contributions of the collection is to situate comfort historically and technically, but also to give attention to the social consequences of air-conditioning. Air-conditioning has brought with it an encapsulation of home within house and has led to significant changes in the social geography of home and neighbourhood. The social, material and discursive facets of air-conditioning are globalizing at a rapid pace, fostered by the spread of inappropriate building practices, faith in modern scientific solutions to achieving comfort, and new ideas about the human body. Local knowledge about climate and comfort is waning in many parts of the world, and cooling comfort increasingly relegated to technical experts. This collection makes an important contribution to understanding how air-conditioning has become pervasive and suggests new lines of thinking in the crucial effort to move towards a less carbon-intensive comfort regime.

Ce commentaire explique comment les informations contenues dans le récent numéro spécial de Building Research & Information consacré au confort dans une société sobre en carbone ont une influence sur la nature de la demande de confort, sur son importance et sur sa pertinence par rapport à la théorie et aux politiques de confort; il s'appuie également sur des pratiques de confort qui évoluent dans d'autres parties du monde. L'une des contributions les plus importantes de cette collection est de resituer le confort sur le plan historique et technique mais aussi de prêter attention aux conséquences sociales de la climatisation. Avec la climatisation, le foyer se trouve encapsulé dans la maison, ce qui a conduit à des changements significatifs de la géographie sociale du foyer et du voisinage. Les aspects sociaux, matériels et discursifs de la climatisation se mondialisent à un rythme rapide, favorisés par des pratiques de construction inappropriées qui se répandent, par la foi dans des solutions scientifiques modernes pour obtenir le confort et de nouvelles idées sur le corps humain. Les connaissances locales sur le climat et le confort s'estompent dans de nombreuses parties du monde et le confort par le refroidissement est de plus en plus remis dans les mains d'experts techniques. Cette collection est une contribution importante qui explique comment la climatisation est envahissante et suggère de nouveaux axes de réflexion concernant l'effort à faire pour évoluer vers un état de confort exigeant moins de carbone.

Mots clés: comportement adaptatif, agence, climatisation, confort, consumérisme, demande d'énergie, satisfaction des occupants, géographie sociale, consommation durable     

Changing Demographics and Housing Space Demand: The Case of Seoul Metropolitan Region in Korea

The aim of this paper is to estimate the future medium and large housing needs of low-income renter households of Seoul Metropolitan Region (SMR), and to recommend housing policy responses to these needs. Using demographic methods, this study first projects the total housing needs of SMR, then decomposes them into the needs for different housing sizes by tenure and household expense using the household–housing size matrix. Between 2005 and 2015, approximately 360 000 medium and large rental housing units are needed. We argue that the Korean government should prioritise rental housing policy, and diminish the polarisation in housing conditions between the better off and the worse off.

     

Vertical profiles of temperature and contaminant concentration in rooms ventilated by displacement with heat loss through room envelopes

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of heat loss through walls upon the gradients of temperature and contaminant concentration in room with displacement ventilation. It is known that conduction heat loss is governed by outside temperature, heat load inside the room, supply air temperature and overall heat transfer coefficient of walls. Experiments were conducted to measure the temperature gradient and the ventilation efficiency in the room ventilated by displacement ventilation with various combinations of heat load and temperature difference between supply air and outside air. In order to simulate the change of seasons, the supply air temperature was changed instead of the outside air temperature. The effect of supply air temperature and heat generation inside the room on the temperature gradient and the concentration of tracer gas were investigated through the experiments. As a result, it turned out that the higher the heat generation rate and the lower the supply temperature, the stronger the temperature stratification and the lower the concentration in the lower zone. Additionally, ventilation heat loss turned out to be a good index for assessing the concentration in the lower zone. Temperature differences of around 3 degrees C between supply air temperature and exhaust temperature are at least needed for displacement ventilation under the conditions of the experiment presented in this paper.     

低温地板辐射供暖系统在寒冷地区高大空间的应用

介绍了寒冷地区某高大空间地板辐射供暖系统的设计,并对其运行数据进行了测试.结果表明,在寒冷地区高大空间应用低温地板辐射供暖系统,可以满足供暖要求.     

燃气红外辐射采暖系统在高大空间中的应用

燃气红外辐射型采暖作为一种新型的高大空间采暖方式,有着独特的优越性。介绍了燃气红外辐射型采暖方式的机理、论证了无排烟管道采暖方式在高大空间中使用的可行性,并通过设计实例,分析比较了燃气红外辐射型采暖和传统对流方式采暖在能耗等方面的区别及优越性,并对高大空间厂房室内采暖设计温度进行了分析。     

大城市人才保障房居住空间与人才需求偏好的适配性分析——以南京市为例

人才保障房政策对大城市城镇化进程有重要作用。以南京市为例,将大数据(POI等)与小数据(问卷和访谈)结合,利用GIS空间分析和SPSS统计方法,总结已建(在建)人才保障房的居住空间特征和新就业人才居住需求偏好,并探析人才保障房住区和需求偏好的适配与错位;最后透过问题反思讨论人才保障房的发展。主要结论为:(1)人才保障房围绕产业园区布局,选址考虑职住平衡,却远离城市中心;周边配套设施缺乏,而内部配套又不足;住区社会空间流动性高,住户场所感低。(2)在既已形成的功能格局和基于土地财政的经济理性下,当前人才保障房居住空间难以满足人才需求。     

The effect of occupancy and building characteristics on energy use for space and water heating in Dutch residential stock

As a consequence of the improved quality of thermal properties of buildings due to energy regulations, overall energy use associated with building characteristics is decreasing, making the role of the occupant more important. Studies have shown that occupant behaviour might play a prominent role in the variation in energy consumption in different households but the extent of such influence is unknown. The impact of the building's thermal characteristics on space heating demand has been well studied. There is however, little work done that incorporates the impact of consumer behaviour. This study aims to gain greater insight into the effect of occupant behaviour on energy consumption for space heating by determining its effect on the variation of energy consumption in dwellings while controlling for building characteristics. The KWR database from the Ministry of Housing in the Netherlands was used. This study showed that occupant characteristics and behaviour significantly affect energy use (4.2%), but building characteristics still determine a large part of the energy use in a dwelling (42%). Further analysis showed that some occupant behaviour is determined by the type of dwelling or HVAC systems and, therefore, the effect of occupant characteristics might be larger than expected, since these determine the type of dwelling.     

对运用双区域模型计算大空间建筑火灾温度方法的修正

以较为精确的场模拟为参照，对于运用双区域模拟计算出的大空间建筑火灾室内烟气温度与时间的关系曲线进行修正。通过比较计算结果得出，此修正方法提高了计算精度，并在一定程度上扩大了双区域模型计算方法的适用范围和可计算时间。     

Disparities of indoor temperature in winter: A cross-sectional analysis of the Nationwide Smart Wellness Housing Survey in Japan

The WHO Housing and health guidelines recommend a minimum indoor temperature of 18°C to prevent cold-related diseases. In Japan, indoor temperatures appear lower than in Euro-American countries because of low insulation standards and use of partial intermittent heating. This study investigated the actual status of indoor temperatures in Japan and the common characteristics of residents who live in cold homes. We conducted a nationwide real-world survey on indoor temperature for 2 weeks in winter. Cross-sectional analyses involving 2190 houses showed that average living room, changing room, and bedroom temperatures were 16.8°C, 13.0°C, and 12.8°C, respectively. Comparison of average living room temperature between prefectures revealed a maximum difference of 6.7°C (Hokkaido: 19.8°C, Kagawa: 13.1°C). Compared to the high-income group, the odds ratio for living room temperature falling below 18°C was 1.38 (95% CI: 1.04-1.84) and 2.07 (95% CI: 1.28-3.33) for the middle- and low-income groups. The odds ratio was 1.96 (95% CI: 1.19-3.22) for single-person households, compared to households living with housemates. Furthermore, lower room temperature was correlated with local heating device use and a larger amount of clothes. These results will be useful in the development of prevention strategies for residents who live in cold homes.     

Understanding Daily Life of Older People in a Residential Complex: The Contribution of Lefebvre's Social Space

This article contributes to the theoretical and applied understanding of daily life and the meaning of home for older people living in purpose-built, age-segregated complexes. Whilst gerontology has embraced spatial perspectives, it often fails to capture their diverse and changing nature. This article considers findings from a larger qualitative study that explored the geography of residential complexes in Brisbane, Australia, through the lens of Henri Lefebvre's theory of social space. Data relating to Lefebvre's concepts of spatial practice and spaces of representation clearly capture the routines, activities, attachments and imaginations that help or hinder older people connecting to their living environment. Talking with older people gave a rich account of how they use, think about and produce space and highlighted the tensions in providing this form of specialised housing. As well as providing theoretical insights, a nuanced understanding of social space informs policy and public discussion of older people's living environments.     

The effects of changes to the post-socialist urban planning framework on public open spaces in multi-story housing areas: A view from Nis,Serbia

This study considers how changes to the post-socialist urban planning framework have affected the treatment of public open space in the transformation of existing mass-housing areas and newly developed multi-story housing areas for the city of Nis, Serbia. The study focuses on quantitative and qualitative changes as well as the physical characteristics of public open spaces, evaluating environmental comfort, safety, accessibility, privacy and intensity of social interactions. The investigation is based on a comparative analysis of three case studies in Nis, which are representative of different developmental, institutional and planning periods. The research indicates a regressive approach in the planning for and treatment of public open space. It also suggests that within the limited economic capacity of local authorities, investors and buyers, the market-oriented post-socialist urban planning framework can lead to spatial and functional fragmentation in housing areas and the degradation or disappearance of not only the public spaces but of open spaces in general.     

空调大温差研究(2):空调大温差送风系统设计方法

提出用定露点法计算常规空调大温差系统,逐项介绍了设计步骤;认为定露点法不但可以较准确地控制室内设计参数,掌握室内实际空气状态,而且可以利用计算机,使大温差送风的设计计算更加简捷、直观。强调采用定露点法计算时,单个系统不宜过大,热湿比不同的房间宜采用不同的空调系统,空调机组风量或风压较大时,宜采用风机压出式布置。     

The Aesthetics of Air: Experiments in Visualising the Invisible

Malte Wagenfeld tackles the difficult problem of visualising air, and in his physical experiments reveals a world of eddies, swirls and wafting particles circulating around moving bodies. Here he offers a literal and conceptual glimpse at the invisible nature of atmosphere. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.