Exploring the Relationship between Window-Related Occupant Behaviors and Human Comfort in Buildings: Establishing Opportunities for Future Research

Helia Taheri (North Carolina State University)

While people spend 90% of their time in buildings (Huang, 2012; Frontczak, 2011), buildings are responsible for 40% of the energy consumption in the US (EIA, 2017). Studies show that actual energy consumption in buildings can be three times more than the predicted energy consumption modeled in the design phase; unpredictable occupant behaviours such as opening/closing windows, switching on/off lights, etc. during operation noticeably contributes to creating this huge gap (Delzendeh et al., 2017). The desire for comfort in buildings drives various occupant interactions with different building elements. ASHRAE Guideline 10P (2010) states that the comfort level for each individual can be different from others. Comfort level drives from the interrelationship between the factors of two groups: (i) personal factors such as psychological, physiological and cultural, and (ii) environmental factors such as built environment and climate. Thus, the interactions between different humans and building elements are different, considering the differences between their comfort levels.

ASHRAE Guideline 10P (2010) states that there are four major conditions that impact human comfort: thermal, visual, indoor air quality, and acoustics. The guideline also establishes that windows have the highest effect on occupant comfort, impacting all four of these comfort conditions Windows have various features affecting human comfort level such as glazing system, openness, shading system, etc. This paper synthesizes literature on the opportunities and challenges for window-related occupant behaviors such as opening/closing both windows and shading in buildings. Through this synthesis, this paper creates a foundation for further exploration at the intersection of occupancy comfort, and occupant behaviors, and suggests future studies around windows and sustainability.