Simulation Study on Student Residential Energy Use Behaviors: A Case Study of University Dormitories in Sichuan, China

Abstract

Studying the energy use behavior of occupants is crucial for accurately predicting building energy consumption. However, few studies have considered the impact of occupant behaviors on energy consumption in university dormitories. The objective of this study is to establish an agent-based model of energy consumption for university dormitories based on energy use behavior. The dormitories of a typical university in Sichuan, China, were subdivided into three clusters using a two-step cluster analysis. Subsequently, the energy use behaviors of occupants in each type of dormitory were characterized to establish a stochastic energy use behavior model. On the basis of the above, NETLOGO was used to construct an agent-based model for dormitories’ energy consumption to dynamically simulate energy use behavior. The accuracy of the model was verified by comparing the simulated values with the measured data. Finally, a building-energy-friendly retrofit scheme was proposed, and it was found that the optimized dormitory reduced energy consumption by 16.07%. Therefore, the results can provide information support for energy-saving decisions during the early design and retrofit phases of buildings. With the popularity of centralized supply, the research methodology may provide an extensive reference for energy management policies and sustainable strategies in the building sector.

Keywords

• university dormitory
• building energy consumption
• occupant behavior
• agent-based model
• energy conservation retrofit design