Analysis of User Behavior Profiles and Impact on the Indoor Environment in Social Housing of Mild Climate Countries

An enhanced knowledge of the users’ behavior is critical for an effective design, since their presence and activities have a strong effect on indoor climate. They on one hand produce thermal loads, moisture loads and pollutants and, on the other hand, perform control actions for shaping the indoor environmental conditions according to their demands. This paper contributes to a methodology for the definition of user behavior, by exploring opportunities and limitations of in-situ investigations. As part of a wider investigation, a dwelling surveyed for one year provided an example of how temperature, relative humidity and CO2 concentration combined with user actions logs can be used for qualitatively draw user profiles and account for the impact on the indoor environment. A connection between moisture production activities and window opening was established. Also in this example, the poor ventilation during winter, with limited window opening, lead to excessive CO2 concentration as a trade of for relatively acceptable indoor temperature.