PEOPLE POWER


T


he construction industry is currently faced with an increasing demand for higher effi ciency buildings with lower carbon dioxide (CO2


)


emissions. However, extensive research into the operational performance of buildings continually demonstrates that energy-effi cient designs don’t always result in energy effi ciency in practice. In fact, the associated CO2


emissions of buildings


are frequently up to three times the initial design calculations, a discrepancy that has been termed the ‘performance gap’. This situation should be largely unsurprising as typical energy modelling calculations focus on compliance with Building Regulations, rarely considering the actual in-use performance, and


in particular the behaviour of the building occupants. The reality is that the energy consumption of a building is heavily infl uenced by how people interact with their environment, although the extent of this impact is not well understood. In a recent study undertaken by Aecom,


New research suggests that giving occupants greater control over their environment is likely to result in lower electricity bills. Anna Menezes and Richard Tetlow from Aecom explain all


40 CIBSE Journal September 2013


two research engineers aimed to assess the effect of occupant behaviour on the electricity consumption for lighting and small power in a multi-tenanted offi ce building. Prior investigation into the building’s electricity consumption for lighting and small power demonstrated signifi cant variations between different


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