The Human Dimension of Building Energy Performance

The human factor has significant effect on actual energy performance over a building’s life cycle. The incorporation of behavioural insights into building design and operation is becoming recognized as a key topic. Research efforts are therefore needed to fully integrate human dimensions into building energy performance: data on occupant behaviour have to be collected and properly evaluated; drivers and motivations have to be understood; indexes describing users’ comfort preferences and the impact on health and productivity have to be identified; new modeling approaches and tools need to be developed; design and operating strategies centered on occupants have to be defined. This paradigm shift, based on occupants more than on advanced systems and technologies in order to reduce energy costs, initiates a virtuous cycle, where not only occupants can benefit from it but also building owners, building operators and energy managers, enhancing comfort conditions and productivity, and making the whole process more cost effective and energy efficient.

This Research Topic welcomes all article types on the effects of human factors on building energy performance, with a special focus on innovative design, systems and/or control domains that can enhance a building’s energy sustainability consistently with its indoor environmental quality.