Smart Zero-energy Buildings and Communities for Smart Grids

4On the Comparison of Occupancy in Relation to Energy Consumption and Indoor Environmental Quality: A Case Study

4.1. Introduction

The energy performance of all dwellings and the quality of the indoor environment has been the topic of research of many groups all over the world. This is of importance for many countries with tropical climatic conditions, where buildings account for over 36% of the total electricity sales in recent years and this percentage is expected to grow in the future (Kwong et al. 2014). Τhe present research focuses on the case study of a typical building which operates on the campus of the National University of Singapore (henceforth NUS). Singapore Island experiences a warm and moist climate with a rate of rainfall that averages 2,381 mm per annum. The diurnal variation of temperature is low and ranges by about 7°C. At the same time the mean annual relative humidity is about 84%, with typical daily maxima approaching saturation in the cooler early mornings (de Dear et al. 1991). This type of climate may have an adverse impact on occupant comfort (Wong and Khoo 2003). Similarly, the occupants’ number, alongside their environmental adaptation and activity in the building, their comfort and the energy consumption, is still a subject of research. Recent research work has reported results on lighting, ventilation and air conditioning energy consumption in different climatic and cultural areas (Langevin et al. 2016). Both theoretical and experimental work ...