FEELings - User Feedback for Energy Efficiency in Buildings

Energy efficiency plays an important role in the building sector. According to the European Commission, buildings account for 40 % of energy consumption and 36 % of CO2 emissions in the European Union. To meet the EU’s energy efficiency targets, the energy consumption of buildings must be reduced. User behavior is a key factor for the energy consumption and the actual energetic performance of a building. Studies have shown that a change in user behavior can reduce energy consumption by up to 15 %. To date, users and their behavior have not been given enough consideration. Initial research projects already analyzed and influenced user behavior. However, the subjective well-being of building users has only been considered rudimentarily so far. The objective of the FEELings research project is to allow building users to give comprehensive feedback about the room quality. The obtained feedback is used to optimize the settings of building services systems. The overall objective is to demonstrate the proof of concept of the new user feedback system and to investigate its potential for increasing energy efficiency and comfort in buildings. New approaches enabling intuitive user feedback are implemented. On this basis, appropriate algorithms for the optimization of the operation of building services are developed. The proof of concept of the new system is undertaken by evaluating the developed solutions in pilot buildings (use cases). Individual needs of different groups of people (e.g. women, elderly people) will be considered in this context. This research project will show how feedback on the sensed room quality can be obtained in an intuitive way and processed further. As a result, the project should demonstrate to what extend building users are willed to accept and to apply the developed methods and where barriers and reservations exist. In addition, it will be shown how this feedback can be used to optimize the operation of building services. Main projects results will emerge from the application of the developed methods in practical use cases.