Simulation of the effects of window opening and heating set-point behaviour on indoor climate and building energy performance

SUMMARY Simultaneous measurement of occupant behaviour, indoor and outdoor environment was carried out in 15 dwellings in Denmark during the period from January to August 2008. Based on the measurements occupant behavioural patterns were defined and implemented in the building simulation program IDA ICE. A case and a reference simulation were carried out. In the case, the behaviour patterns derived from the measurements were used while the reference used simulated behaviour patterns defined like they might have been by a consultant engineer. The simulated behaviour patterns resulted in large differences in indoor environmental variables between the two simulations. The heat consumption was more than three times as high in the case as in the reference simulation. This underlines the importance of considering the behaviour of the occupants in the design process of buildings.