Use-phase memory: A tool for the sustainable construction and renovation of residential buildings

Residents' usages and behavior play a determining role in the variability of the energy consumption and environmental impact of residential buildings during their use-phase. At present, however, they are inadequately documented and understood, as well as being highly variable. In this paper, we propose a use-phase memory model for residential buildings, whose aim is to store energy consumption and usage patterns. This storage can be done automatically or voluntarily. We give examples of useful information extracted from the data captured. The objective of this data analysis and synthesis is to provide building experts two specific use-cases: designing a new sustainable building, and renovating an existing one. Our model is deployed on a residential building, integrating the beneficial services for all stakeholders to demonstrate a sustainable relationship between designers, the residential building and the users. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.