Influence of occupants on the energy use of balanced ventilation

In this paper we give an overview of the ways occupants use ventilation systems and describe the results of interviews conducted in households equipped with balanced ventilation. An attempt is made to quantify the effects of occupant behaviour on the final energy use of the household for heating. This energy use is studied for several behaviour scenarios, leading to the conclusion that occupant behaviour may easily reduce the predicted savings to zero, or even may increase the energy use when compared to natural ventilation.