Low energy residences and their users

Low energy residences and their users

Cowan, A.

Tenpierik, M.J. (mentor)
Broersma, S. (mentor)

Architecture and The Built Environment

Building Technology

Sustainable Design Studio

2014-01-30

In order to meet the requirements set by the national government and European Union concerning energy reduction, the EPC of houses will have to drop to 0.4 by 2015 and 0 by 2020. To achieve these target, it is necessary to gain more knowledge about the real performance of current new realized buildings, to see how these buildings can be improved. This research is focussing on identical low energy residences in Columbuskwartier in Almere-Poort in the Netherlands, with an EPC lower than 0.4 and the difference between the predicted and actual energy use. The research question in focussed on determining occupant behavior and the share of occupant behavior in the difference between the predicted and actual energy use. Occupant surveys in the district (N=15) and detailed monitoring in two identical houses, gave insight in the technical characteristics, household characteristics and occupant behavior. Bivariate and partial correlation test gave insight in the factors of influence on energy use. The resulting conclusions lead to conceptual design solutions that minimize the occupant influence on energy use, which give buildings a more robust character.

occupant behavior
Low energy residences
EPC
predicted energy use
actual energy use
sustainability
Columbuskwartier

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:315b9290-35b0-4e76-b667-0b1f1e30058c

Student theses

master thesis

(c) 2014 Cowan, A.