Correlation Study on User Satisfaction from Adaptive Behavior and Energy Consumption in Office Buildings

Sustainable Building Assessment Tools have not yet measured the association between user satisfaction with adaptive behavior and energy efficiency. The current research aims to rectify this problem by testing the hypothesis that user satisfaction with adaptive behavior affects building energy consumption. To test the hypothesis, the staff’s overall satisfaction with adaptive behavior in response to tenant energy-efficiency features was used as the independent variable, while office unit energy consumption was used as the dependent variable. A set of conceptual variables and measured variables were identified for both the dependent and independent variables. A total of nine possible combinations of measured variables were investigated through a survey fielded in ten office units. The survey analysis determined that the building users are not satisfied with the tenant energy efficiency features and that they may adapt the indoor environment cooling and lighting qualities. An expert input study was conducted to validate the results with respect to the hypothesis. Seven experts who had experience in building assessments were invited to participate in the input study. Grounded group decision making analysis method confirmed the hypothesis testing results. The research results indicated that user adaptive behaviors directly affect building energy performance. Sustainable Building Assessment Tool developers along with energy efficient building design consultants and contractors could make use of these research findings.