How people use and misuse buildings
26 January 2009, London
Buildings use 45 per cent of total UK energy use that is the same as all transport and manufacturing combined. The UK will never achieve the aims for 60 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2050 without reducing energy and water use in buildings (potable water requires high energy use to purify it to drinking quality).
The current Government regulatory targets for zero-carbon homes by 2016 and zero-carbon commercial buildings by 2019 are creating a need to better understand occupant behaviour. In particular we need an insight into what technologies and innovations in our buildings are allowing and encouraging users to be more environmentally sustainable in buildings.
We need this insight because often buildings don't perform as expected, partially because occupants behave in more complex ways than designers account for; they open windows, leave doors open, generate body heat, keep tropical fish tanks and install plasma TV screens.
The aim of this public policy seminar is to understand the principal drivers to user behaviour in buildings.