An interdisciplinary model for behaviour in residential buildings: Bridging social sciences and engineering approaches

Abstract

In this paper, we develop a comprehensive behaviour model for residential buildings that considers the diversity among households. While existing behavioural theories from social and psychological sciences have been used in building research, they often lack technical detail, contextual aspects, and focus primarily on behavioural change. The authors propose an interdisciplinary theoretical model that integrates insights from behavioural science and engineering dimensions. This model aims to link measurable drivers directly to energy outcomes, consider building-related contexts, and reflect the complexity of high-performance buildings.

The research consisted of the quantitative analysis of building monitoring data and the analysis of interviews using thematic analysis. The mix-methods approach allowed to obtain new insights into the relationship between the aspects that affect occupants' behaviour. An interdisciplinary model is developed based on the results from the analysis, existing theoretical models used in building research, and previous studies on occupants' behaviour. The model is intended to support the identification of occupants' behaviour drivers, inform user-centric and energy-efficient building design, enhance decision-making for building monitoring and simulations, and aid in various practical applications such as performance assessment and energy contracting.