Energy Use and Occupant Behavior: An Agent-Based Modeling Approach

Abstract

To date, the main tools that have been applied to improving energy efficiency or reducing the energy use have been mostly technological or economical. However, there is a broader approach that has been overlooked; one that draws on insights from behavioral science. In other words, encouraging the uptake of effective energy-efficient measures demands the understanding of not only the techno-economic aspect, but also of how people use energy and thereby behave in their spaces. To that end, this paper merits a new approach that tackles energy efficiency from the occupant’s point of view and tests different ways for applying behavioral insights using Agent-Based Modeling (ABM). Accordingly, the objective of the proposed ABM model is three-fold: (1) exploring how to encourage people to be green and energy-efficient, (2) simulating several ways in which information can help people reduce their energy consumption, and (3) testing various levels of interventions (i.e. policy, physical environment, sociocultural, etc.) that can potentially prompt an environmental behavior change.