The influence of occupant’s behaviour in a high performing building

Green buildings are now at the forefront of building research and climate change mitigation scenarios. The successful delivery of green buildings requires balancing energy and resource efficiency while providing a comfortable and healthy environment. Since the success of a high-performance building (HPB) depends on how it is designed, built, and managed, occupant comfort and behaviour can have a significant impact on the green building performance. Individual occupants and the choices they make (opening and closing windows, turning up and down the thermostats, etc.) directly affect the amount of energy used in every type of building. This paper focuses on the possible profiles of occupant behavior and their resulting effects on energy consumption in a high performing building. Stochastic profiles of window opening and indoor temperature preferences were implemented in a dynamic building energy simulation tool. The study mainly addresses at the evaluation of the impact of probabilistic occupants profiles on energy consumption in HPB comparing the obtained results with a regular deterministic use of the building energy imulation tool.