Radiators Adjustment in Multi-Family Residential Buildings—An Analysis Based on Data from Heat Meters
Energy is consumed in buildings through the use of various types of energy systems, which are controlled by the occupants via provided interfaces. The quality of this control should be verified to improve the efficiency of the systems and for the comfort of the occupants. In the case of residential...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Energies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/22/7485 |
| _version_ | 1797459503319351296 |
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| author | Karol Bandurski Andrzej Górka Halina Koczyk |
| author_facet | Karol Bandurski Andrzej Górka Halina Koczyk |
| author_sort | Karol Bandurski |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Energy is consumed in buildings through the use of various types of energy systems, which are controlled by the occupants via provided interfaces. The quality of this control should be verified to improve the efficiency of the systems and for the comfort of the occupants. In the case of residential buildings, due to privacy reasons, it is problematic to directly monitor human–building interactions using sensors installed in dwellings. However, data from increasingly common smart meters are easily available. In this paper, the potential use of data from heat meters is explored for the analysis of occupant interactions with space-heating (SH) systems. A pilot study is conducted based on a one-year set of daily data from 101 dwellings. First, the identification of an indoor temperature and a strategy for thermostatic radiator valve (TRV) adjustments for all the investigated dwellings is presented. Second, the performed analysis suggests that 96% of the households did not use the automatic adjustment function of the TRVs since adjustments using the on–off mode were the most common, which could be empirical evidence for Kempton’s theory on mental models of home heating controls. The reasons for this could be the weakness of the TRV as an SH interface and the technical specificity of the analyzed SH (its supply temperature). The preliminary investigation confirms the potential of the proposed methodology, but further research is needed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:52:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e9aeda820faf43fcb1442f76467424f5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:52:19Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj.art-e9aeda820faf43fcb1442f76467424f52023-11-24T14:39:56ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732023-11-011622748510.3390/en16227485Radiators Adjustment in Multi-Family Residential Buildings—An Analysis Based on Data from Heat MetersKarol Bandurski0Andrzej Górka1Halina Koczyk2Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Energy, Institute of Environmental Engineering and Building Installations, Poznań University of Technology, Berdychowo 4, 60-965 Poznań, PolandFaculty of Environmental Engineering and Energy, Institute of Environmental Engineering and Building Installations, Poznań University of Technology, Berdychowo 4, 60-965 Poznań, PolandFaculty of Environmental Engineering and Energy, Institute of Environmental Engineering and Building Installations, Poznań University of Technology, Berdychowo 4, 60-965 Poznań, PolandEnergy is consumed in buildings through the use of various types of energy systems, which are controlled by the occupants via provided interfaces. The quality of this control should be verified to improve the efficiency of the systems and for the comfort of the occupants. In the case of residential buildings, due to privacy reasons, it is problematic to directly monitor human–building interactions using sensors installed in dwellings. However, data from increasingly common smart meters are easily available. In this paper, the potential use of data from heat meters is explored for the analysis of occupant interactions with space-heating (SH) systems. A pilot study is conducted based on a one-year set of daily data from 101 dwellings. First, the identification of an indoor temperature and a strategy for thermostatic radiator valve (TRV) adjustments for all the investigated dwellings is presented. Second, the performed analysis suggests that 96% of the households did not use the automatic adjustment function of the TRVs since adjustments using the on–off mode were the most common, which could be empirical evidence for Kempton’s theory on mental models of home heating controls. The reasons for this could be the weakness of the TRV as an SH interface and the technical specificity of the analyzed SH (its supply temperature). The preliminary investigation confirms the potential of the proposed methodology, but further research is needed.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/22/7485heatingsmart metersTRVoccupant behaviorresidential building thermostats |
| spellingShingle | Karol Bandurski Andrzej Górka Halina Koczyk Radiators Adjustment in Multi-Family Residential Buildings—An Analysis Based on Data from Heat Meters Energies heating smart meters TRV occupant behavior residential building thermostats |
| title | Radiators Adjustment in Multi-Family Residential Buildings—An Analysis Based on Data from Heat Meters |
| title_full | Radiators Adjustment in Multi-Family Residential Buildings—An Analysis Based on Data from Heat Meters |
| title_fullStr | Radiators Adjustment in Multi-Family Residential Buildings—An Analysis Based on Data from Heat Meters |
| title_full_unstemmed | Radiators Adjustment in Multi-Family Residential Buildings—An Analysis Based on Data from Heat Meters |
| title_short | Radiators Adjustment in Multi-Family Residential Buildings—An Analysis Based on Data from Heat Meters |
| title_sort | radiators adjustment in multi family residential buildings an analysis based on data from heat meters |
| topic | heating smart meters TRV occupant behavior residential building thermostats |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/22/7485 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT karolbandurski radiatorsadjustmentinmultifamilyresidentialbuildingsananalysisbasedondatafromheatmeters AT andrzejgorka radiatorsadjustmentinmultifamilyresidentialbuildingsananalysisbasedondatafromheatmeters AT halinakoczyk radiatorsadjustmentinmultifamilyresidentialbuildingsananalysisbasedondatafromheatmeters |