The use of intelligent systems for monitoring energy use and occupancy in existing homes

In the UK, carbon dioxide emissions from existing domestic building stock account for a significant percentage. The UK Government has set ambitious targets for reducing UK carbon dioxide emissions by 80% by 2050. These targets will require significant changes to the existing buildings. To understand and quantify the benefits of refurbishment solutions, it is vital to monitor exemplar buildings and bring them to an energy efficiency standard with lower associated carbon emissions, by finding the most efficient way to refurbish them. The case study considered is a 1930s replica three-bed semi-detached house located in the University of Nottingham campus. The house is fully monitored, including monitoring of the occupants' patterns, environmental monitoring, electricity use and energy associated with space and hot-water heating. The results presented in this article show that energy consumption profiles are related to the occupants. The study shows that it is not enough just to improve building performance in order to improve energy efficiency; it is also important to understand and influence occupant behaviour because in domestic buildings occupants exert complete control of the appliances, lights, heating and ventilation. General behavioural trends and patterns can be extracted from long-term collected data.