Impact of Human Actions on Building Energy Performance: A Case Study in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Ahmed Al Amoodi and Elie Azar
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Ahmed Al Amoodi: Department of Industrial and System Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Masdar Institute, Abu Dhabi 54224, UAE
Elie Azar: Department of Industrial and System Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Masdar Institute, Abu Dhabi 54224, UAE

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 5, 1-19

Abstract: There is a growing interest in the literature to understand how actions taken by occupants and facility managers can affect building performance. However, user-centric building energy research: (1) remains understudied compared to design-focused research efforts; (2) overlooks combined effects or uncertainty in multiple parameters; and (3) typically does not cover particular types of buildings (e.g., educational facilities), nor buildings subject to extreme weather conditions. This paper fills an important gap in the literature by proposing a comprehensive energy modeling and analysis framework to quantify the impact of human action on building energy consumption. The framework applies various data analysis methods such as differential, fractional factorial, and Monte Carlo analysis methods, in order to capture potential combined or synergetic effects of human actions on building performance. A case study is then presented on typical educational buildings located in the extreme hot climate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Results indicate that uncertainty in human actions can lead up to a ±25% variation from average energy consumption levels, confirming the significant role that people have in making their built environment more efficient and sustainable.

Keywords: human actions; uncertainty analysis; building operation; energy consumption; educational buildings; United Arab Emirates (UAE) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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