Effect of spatial and temporal factors on occupants' blind use behaviors in multifamily residential buildings

Abstract

Existing studies show that occupants’ behavior contributes to fluctuations in energy consumption of residential units within the same building configuration. Window blinds are one of the interior design elements that the occupants use to control indoor environmental conditions. The way that occupants adjust their blinds could affect the energy performance of buildings. Thus, the purpose of this research was to identify spatial and temporal explanatory variables that correlate with occupants’ use of the blinds and determine whether those variables relate to building design and surrounding sites. Data were collected by observing how occupants in apartment buildings located in a multifamily residential complex adjust their blinds. Descriptive statistics were used to define the effect of floor level, window orientation, day of observation, hour of observation, and weather conditions on the blind status. In addition, a generalized linear mixed model was used to predict the effect of floor level and window orientation on the occupants’ adjustment of blinds. The results revealed that occupants’ use of the blinds correlated significantly with spatial factors, such as the apartment buildings’ floor level and windows’ orientation. Interesting blind use patterns were related to temporal factors, such as the day and hour of observation.