Measuring the impact of occupancy numbers on energy consumption in a high-density building

Alfalah, B., Shahrestani, M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8741-0912 and Shao, L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1544-7548 (2025) Measuring the impact of occupancy numbers on energy consumption in a high-density building. Buildings, 15 (19). 3598. ISSN 2075-5309 doi: 10.3390/buildings15193598

Abstract/Summary

Buildings significantly impact the environment, accounting for 36% of global final energy consumption and 37% of total carbon emissions. Therefore, reducing energy consumption and mitigating carbon emissions in the building sector is of paramount importance. To achieve this, several factors should be considered. Among them, building occupants are key drivers in the operation of building services that directly influence energy consumption and energy-related emissions. In this paper, one year of raw energy consumption data from a high-density higher education building in the UK was processed to study the correlation between energy consumption and occupancy level. Additionally, a simulation model was developed to measure the impact of occupancy numbers on building energy consumption. Various data analyses were performed, including correlation, regression, and sensitivity analysis. The results demonstrate a strong correlation between occupancy numbers and electricity consumption of 71.5%. Conversely, 18% was found between occupancy numbers and heat energy consumption, indicating no correlation. The sensitivity analysis results on the impact of changing occupancy numbers in the simulated model, ranging from –30% to +30%, aligned with the results of the analyses performed.