Sensitivity analysis of inhabitant behaviour on the performance of ventilation systems

In this study, a sensitivity analysis on the effects of inhabitant behaviour on the performance of ventilation systems is carried out. Inhabitants behave differently in terms of presence at home, window opening, door opening, etc. Relating to the ventilation system, this is reflected in the ventilation demand and consequently the energy consumption, but also in the indoor air quality. Therefore, care should be taken to compare ventilation systems to each other as the inhabitants can be the most determining factor for the performance. In this study, the effect of inhabitant behaviour, and more specifically the window opening behaviour, on the ventilation system is evaluated with a focus on the ventilation demand and indoor air quality. A model-based approach is used which includes stochastic inhabitant behaviour together with models of the dwellings, heating systems and ventilation systems in order to obtain simulations close to reality. Furthermore, real measurements in occupied residential dwellings are analysed to validate the simulation results. By exposing the dominance of the window opening behaviour on the performance of ventilation systems, this study aims to show that the way ventilation systems are compared at the moment are arguable.