ASHRAE Journal - March 2023 - 52

TECHNICAL FEATURE
An International Review
Occupant Aspects of
Building Energy Codes
And Standards
BY WILLIAM O'BRIEN, PH.D., P.ENG., ASSOCIATE MEMBER ASHRAE; FARHANG TAHMASEBI, PH.D.; TIANZHEN HONG, PH.D., P.E., FELLOW ASHRAE
Occupants are recipients of building services, and they have direct influence on
building operation and performance. However, they are often addressed in simplified
ways in building energy codes and standards that do not reflect the latest knowledge
and scientific literature. This article describes an international review the
authors performed on 23 regions' building energy codes and standards. It took two
approaches: one quantitative focused on comparing occupant-related schedules,
densities and other values and one qualitative that analyzed written requirements.
Building codes and standards are a necessary and
effective means to elevate the performance aspects
of new building designs. Indeed, the past several
decades have seen great strides regarding the continuous
improvement in energy efficiency requirements.
ASHRAE Standard 90.1, for example, has decreased its
energy use intensity requirements by about 50% since
the first edition in 1975.1 Assuming they are properly
enforced, building energy codes and standards (herein
referred to as codes) are one of the most effective ways
to improve the energy performance of buildings.2-4
As for most building energy codes around the world,
energy savings have mainly been achieved through
building envelopes, HVAC and lighting requirements.
However, occupants remain a challenging aspect of
building codes. On one hand, occupants play a greater
role in high-performance buildings as building features
approach practical or cost-optimal limits. On the
other hand, the number, type and nature of occupants
is uncertain during design, and we cannot necessarily
count on them to behave " well " in the sense of energy.
However, the challenge lies in the fact that occupants
not only affect building energy use, but they can skew
how energy efficiency measures affect performance. For
example, the energy savings from demand-controlled
ventilation depends heavily on occupancy patterns.5
In the past decade, a growing contingent of international
researchers have assessed the state of occupant
William O'Brien, Ph.D., P.Eng., is a professor at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. Farhang Tahmasebi, Ph.D., is a lecturer at University College London, UK. Tianzhen Hong, Ph.D.,
P.E., is a senior scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Labs.
52
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ASHRAE Journal - March 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ASHRAE Journal - March 2023

Contents
ASHRAE Journal - March 2023 - Intro
ASHRAE Journal - March 2023 - Cover1
ASHRAE Journal - March 2023 - Cover2
ASHRAE Journal - March 2023 - 1
ASHRAE Journal - March 2023 - Contents
ASHRAE Journal - March 2023 - 3
ASHRAE Journal - March 2023 - 4
ASHRAE Journal - March 2023 - 5
ASHRAE Journal - March 2023 - 6
ASHRAE Journal - March 2023 - 7
ASHRAE Journal - March 2023 - 8
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ASHRAE Journal - March 2023 - Cover3
ASHRAE Journal - March 2023 - Cover4
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