Analysis of Temperature Control Strategy on Energy Consumption in Buildings with Intermittent Occupancy

The increase in energy costs has led researchers and practitioners to investigate the energy consumption of buildings and propose solutions for its improvement. This research aimed at estimating the effect of different temperature control strategies on the energy consumption of a building. This study belongs to the field of research that considers both the structural characteristics and the conditioning systems incorporated into the design or renovation of buildings. The objective was to identify the optimal settings that led to the maximization of energy performance under intermittent occupancy considering the building’s structural and conditioning system characteristics and environmental conditions. To reach this objective, it was necessary to use simulation software that considered all these characteristics simultaneously in a dynamic environment. Specifically, the effect of the geometric and structural characteristics on the thermal profile of the building was investigated by implementing a dynamic hourly regime with temperature fluctuations around an assigned set-point. The study showed that for models with heavy masonry walls, the annual thermal dispersion of the hourly regime was much lower than for the corresponding models with light masonry walls. These results and the related method could be considered by researchers and practitioners for the design and/or renovation of buildings.