Interaction between building design, management, household and individual factors in relation to energy use for space heating in apartment buildings

• Multidisciplinary model for ranking of relevant factors for energy use for heating.
• Greater attention on management and maintenance will explain energy use for heating.
• Airing have minor impact on energy use for heating if all other factors are equal.
• Perceived thermal comfort are associated with energy use for space heating.
• The gender distribution in apartment buildings may affect energy use for heating.

In Stockholm, 472 multi-family buildings with 7554 dwellings has been selected by stratified random sampling. Information about building characteristics and property management was gathered from each property owners. Energy use for space heating was collected from the utility company. Perceived thermal comfort, household and personal factors were assessed by a standardized self-administered questionnaire, answered by one adult person in each dwelling, and a proportion of each factor was calculated for each building. Statistical analysis was performed by multiple linear regression models with control for relevant factors all at the same time in the model. Energy use for heating was significantly related to the building age, type of building and ventilation, length of time since the last heating adjustment, ownership form, proportion of females, and proportion of occupants expressing thermal discomfort. How beneficial energy efficiency measures will be may depend on the relationship between energy use and factors related to the building and the property maintenance together with household and personal factors, as all these factors interact with each other. The results show that greater focus should be on real estate management and maintenance and also a need for research with a gender perspective on energy use for space heating.