Occupants’ behavior and activity patterns influencing the energy consumption in the Kuwaiti residences

This paper provides an account on energy use in Kuwaiti residences and attempts to explain the reasons for the high electrical consumption in the country. A sample of 30 residences was selected for the study. Occupancy patterns and operation schedules of electrical appliances used in these residences were surveyed. The results were summarized and presented in bar charts format. The values obtained were then used as input data into the thermal simulation program, ENERWIN, to replace its default data which are primarily based on the Western lifestyle and do not cater for developing countries such as Kuwait. Results showed that the annual electricity consumption would rise by 21% when the new data from the survey was used as opposed to the use of default data. Data analysis also showed that the Kuwaiti occupants tend to leave all lights on even when the rooms are vacant, and that they prefer to keep the rooms cooler with the A/C thermostat set at 22 °C. Simulation runs showed that by matching light schedules with occupancy patterns, and with A/C thermostat set at 24 °C instead of 22 °C, the annual electricity consumption would drop down by 39%. The authors argue that more regional responsive data should be used in energy simulation softwares in order to achieve better-informed predictions, and finally they suggest several strategies to reduce the electricity consumption based on the findings of this study.