Interdisciplinary survey to investigate energy-related occupant behavior in offices – the Hungarian case

What is it about?

In recent years, both legislative instruments and market demand drive the construction industry towards high-performing, low-energy consuming buildings. However, without considering the human dimension, technologies alone do not necessarily guarantee high performance in buildings. Occupant behavior is a leading factor influencing energy use in buildings. To investigate and quantify the human dimension in a building’s energy use, an international research study has been launched as part of project ANNEX66, organized by the International Energy Agency using an interdisciplinary framework. The framework is a synthesis of theories from building physics and social psychology including social cognitive theory, the theory of planned behavior, and the drivers-needs-actions-systems ontology for energy-related behaviors. As a research tool, an online survey was designed to collect cross-country responses from office occupants among 14 universities within 6 countries from 4 continents. This paper introduces results and findings of the Hungarian data collection campaign conducted among 207 occupants in 6 universities across the country.

Featured Image