Energy and Environmental Effects of Human Habits in Residential Buildings Due to COVID-19 Outbreak Scenarios in a Dwelling near Rome

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting containment measures have shown that energy consumption in buildings is linked to several factors, such as living habits, occupancy profiles, and heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. This paper addresses the influences of such factors on energy consumption in a residential building, analysing different scenarios (pre-COVID-19, lockdown, post-COVID-19), in terms of discomfort and energy needs, through the new hourly calculation method (UNI EN ISO 52016). Energy and environmental effects were studied in a real case study near Rome by varying occupancy profiles, lighting and appliance schedules, and HVAC systems. Results show that, during the heating period, the lockdown scenario led to the lowest hours of discomfort (−29% on average), but the highest in the cooling period (up to +154%, +28% on average). The same scenario led to reasonable reduction of energy needs for heating (−14%), but also highlighted a significant increase (+60%) for the cooling period. This study underlines how the pandemic has influenced the energy and environmental behaviours in buildings. Moreover, the new hourly calculation method points out the importance of analysing HVAC systems, in terms of hours of discomfort, which could provide results that are more reliable.