Energy consumption influenced by occupant behavior: A study in residential buildings in Panama

Abstract

To propose a framework to assess the influence of occupants’ behavior in the energy consumption within the residential sector in a case study in Panama, this work investigates the actual situation regarding building internal characteristics and energy consumption of two types of residential buildings to help built a database. An experimental study was carried out in Panama City, tropical climate, where four houses and three apartments were instrumented in terms of indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity, employing wireless data loggers. As a complement, to collect general households' data and energy consumption, i.e., electric bills, a survey constituted of 43 questions accompanied with small incentives was implemented. With a return response rate of 39.6%, it was possible to show that occupants’ behavior and preferences were the critical causes of higher electrical consumption since ACs were frequently set at temperatures within the lower values of standard comfort limits.