Energy and housing for the elderly: preliminary observations

Conference · Thu Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1983

OSTI ID:5619462

Diamond, R C

Two recent housing projects for the elderly - one rural, one urban - are examined for how factors relating to design, construction, and occupation affect energy consumption. The study focuses on this population both because the fixed-income elderly are particularly vulnerable to rising energy prices and because little is known about the energy and comfort needs of this group. The approach is interdisciplinary, drawing on the architects, housing authorities, utility companies, and the residents themselves. The goal of the project is to determine what information is needed when and by whom to provide energy-efficient housing for the elderly. The methods used in the study include building energy modeling with the computer program CIRA; interviews with the architects, builders, and managers; measurements of indoor temperatures and outdoor weather conditions; and analysis of utility bills. Also, the author lived at one of the housing projects for two weeks, interviewing sixty residents about their use and knowledge of energy conservation as part pf a general housing questionnaire. Preliminary results from the study point out the importance of studying the context in which architects design buildings - how they obtain, process, use, and discard information on energy. Utility data show how much gas and electricity are used, but say nothing of how this affects comfort and habitability. Because occupant behavior tends to dominate variations in energy use for these projects, studying occupant acitivities has been crucial to understanding the patterns of energy use.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-76SF00098
• OSTI ID: 5619462
• Report Number(s): LBL-16644; CONF-8310110-1; ON: DE84003036
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320101* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Residential Buildings-- (-1987)
AGE GROUPS
BUILDINGS
DESIGN
ELDERLY PEOPLE
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
ENERGY EXPENSES
HOUSEHOLDS
HUMAN POPULATIONS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MINORITY GROUPS
POPULATIONS
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS