SOME TECHNICAL AND BEHAVIORAL ASPECTS OF ENERGY USE IN A HIGH-RISE APARTMENT BUILDING

A study in a 328-unit, 15-story high-rise apartment building in Oakland, California, to investigate energy use patterns in such a structure is reported. A 20 to 1 range in baseload electricity consumption and a 40 to 1 range for space heating in a sample of 207 units were found. Units with an eastern orientation used less electricity for space heating than did those facing other directions. The analysis suggests that some occupants may be using their gas ranges for space heating, although our results are not conclusive. A second major cause of the variations may be differences in occupants' temperature preferences.