Living room and bedroom temperatures in homes: recorded values,occupant preference and energy conservation potential

Abstract

The effect of additional thermal insulation as an energy conservation measure in buildings has been the subject of extensive theoretical research, mainly by use of computer simulation techniques. However, the results of field studies show that not all of the predicted savings are being realised and savings in individual cases vary considerably. It has also been suggested that substantial energy savings would accrue if temperatures in homes were lowered, but there is a dearth of information about the range of temperatures that occupants prefer, or consider tolerable, and what motivates their choice.

In order to learn how living room and bedroom temperatures are influenced by variations in insulation levels and occupier preference (which may be dependent on the expenditure on fuel and hence also on insulation) and also to provide a guide to a rational choice of design temperatures, temperature records obtained in the course of two field studies have been analysed. The first field study (33 houses) was carried out in an approximately equal sample of existing uninsulated (original condition) and ‘retrofit-insulated’ homes; the second in 7 new, well-insulated houses. All houses had individual central heating controlled by the occupants.

The results of the analysis reported in this paper concentrate on the variation, with external temperature and with retrofit insulation, of living room and bedroom temperatures. In conclusion, the energy conservation potential of retrofit insulation and of additional individual bedroom temperature controls as well as the relationship between satisfaction levels and design temperature are discussed.

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