Causal effects of policy and occupant behavior on cooling energy

Patrick Nzivugira Duhirwe, Jack Ngarambe and Geun Young Yun

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2024, vol. 206, issue C

Abstract: Rising energy consumption in buildings has prompted architectural engineers and policymakers to ask “what-if” questions in the pursuit of energy efficiency. Current simulation and machine learning methods rely primarily on correlations and associations necessitating causal inference techniques. In this research, a causal inferential approach combining double machine learning and domain knowledge using directed acyclic graphs is employed. The utility of this approach is demonstrated on the 2015 United States Residential energy consumption survey to evaluate the impact of energy policies and occupant behavior on cooling energy consumption. The results show that energy policies such as energy audits, proper insulation, access to interval data and Energy Star qualified windows significantly reduce energy use intensity (EUI). Additionally, air conditioning usage by occupants causally affects EUI. For instance, proper insulation reduces EUI by 5.603 kWh/m2 while changing static thermostat settings to automatic adjustments at certain times reduces EUI by 3.542 kWh/m2. This study suggests potential energy-saving policies for balanced building energy efficiency and functionality.

Keywords: Causal inference; Double machine learning; Directed acyclic graphs; Building energy consumption; Energy saving policies; Occupant behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S136403212400580X
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:rensus:v:206:y:2024:i:c:s136403212400580x

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/bibliographic
http://www.elsevier. ... 600126/bibliographic

DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2024.114854

Access Statistics for this article

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews is currently edited by L. Kazmerski

More articles in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().