ABSTRACT
This paper aims to understand and characterize occupant behaviour from a perspective of air conditioner (AC) usage. Therefore, it analyses data collected via a questionnaire applied throughout the Brazilian territory, which resulted in 3,259 valid answers explored by non-parametric statistical methods. The main results obtained were: (i) 89% of interviewed occupants prefer naturally ventilated environments at home; (ii) their preference impacts their behaviour, as those who prefer naturally ventilated environments tend to ventilate their house instead of turning on the air conditioner; (iii) climate and family income influence the availability of appliances, i.e. 93.2% of the high-income groups have at least one AC at home in extremely hot climates; (iv) there are groups with a tendency of high AC use, especially those who use AC often, also use it for a longer period of time; and (v) there is a significant difference between the setpoint temperature used in different climates; for instance, the lowest setpoint temperature is used in the hottest climate. This paper intends to contribute to a better understanding of occupants’ preferences and behavioural tendencies, especially in Brazilian residences and hot climates, while showing the influence of variables like family income and climate on such issues.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Brazilian agencies Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES) – Finance Code 001; and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq).
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).