Enhancing Building Sustainability: Integrating User Behaviour and Solar Orientation in the Thermal Performance of Houses

The literature highlights the importance of building orientation for energy efficiency. However, assessing its impact without considering user behaviour is insufficient. This study aims to evaluate the influence of user behaviour on the impact of solar orientation on the thermal performance of a single-family house. The research methodology involved five steps: monitoring a house in Goiânia (Brazil), calibrating the model, determining use patterns to identify user behaviour, conducting computer simulation, and performing data analysis. Questionnaires were applied in 66 houses to understand how occupants use rooms, operate doors and windows, and use electrical appliances, lighting, and air-conditioning. The use patterns were applied in simulations across eight main orientations. The thermal performance was measured by hours of thermal discomfort. Findings reveal that solar orientation individually does not define thermal performance. A house with low internal thermal loads, oriented east or west, can outperform a house oriented north or south with high internal thermal loads. Among the use patterns assessed, window operation, occupancy, and the electrical equipment in operation were the ones that most influenced the thermal performance of the monitored house. The study concludes that modifying user behaviour can significantly modify the thermal effects of solar orientation, influencing building sustainability.