Behaviors and adaptation of households living in an off-grid house

Zapata-Lancaster, Maria ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3239-131X, Lannon, Simon Charles ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4677-7184 and Jenkins, Huw Geraint ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1900-9449 2015. Behaviors and adaptation of households living in an off-grid house. Presented at: 31th International PLEA Conference ARCHITECTURE IN (R)EVOLUTION, Bologna, Italy, 9-11 September 2015.

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Abstract

In the United Kingdom, the low carbon policy aspirations aim for new domestic buildings to be nearly zero carbon by 2020. In the past, the prevalent approach to low carbon performance has relied on the application of energy-efficient systems and low zero carbon technologies to offset the carbon emissions of buildings. However, research on performance gaps suggests that despite the good intentions of designers, the expected energy performance is rarely achieved during operation. Significant discrepancies have been found between as-designed and in-use performance, some of which may be the result of users’ behaviours. Off grid buildings can give an insight into the potential onsite energy generation, storage and demand reduction. This article presents a study that analysed an off-grid house built in 2013 as a working farm house to Code for Sustainable Homes level 3 (level 5 energy). The off grid systems in this case study are analogous to an intermittent future energy supply. The study identified the energy-efficiency behaviours of the households and their adaptation in the off-grid house that has been occupied for over a year. The monitored data of in-use performance has informed the analysis of households’ routines and practices that affected the energy and water consumption in the dwelling. The study suggests that the reductions in carbon emissions from the occupants’ behaviour were limited in their impact as the parasitic loads of the systems dominate. The findings bring attention to a number of aspects that could affect the success of carbon reduction measures in dwellings.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Architecture
Subjects:	N Fine Arts > NA Architecture
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	22 April 2020
Last Modified:	28 Oct 2022 10:27
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/78377

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