Understanding the influence of orientation, time-of-day and blind use on user’s lighting choices and energy consumption using immersive virtual environments

ABSTRACT In addition to its influence on lighting energy consumption, lighting systems also impact the cooling and heating energy consumption, which originates from the use of artificial lighting and/or blinds. In this paper, we focus on understanding participants’ lighting choices and the influence of user’s lighting choices on energy consumption. We conducted an experiment using an immersive virtual environment in a single occupancy office and collected 120 participants’ choices, of which 60 participants were placed in a north facing office and the other 60 participants were placed in a south facing office. The participants were asked to select their desired room lighting setting at 9am, 1pm and 5pm. The results indicate that the choices were dependent on the room conditions. The time-of-day influenced blind use choices in both orientations, however, it was a significant factor influencing lighting choices in the south facing office. In addition, participants’ choices resulted in less energy consumption than the baseline settings in EnergyPlus, since the maximum lighting option was rarely used. The influence of office orientation, and time-of-day also influenced the energy savings, with the north facing office saving more energy than the south facing office based on the participants’ choices.