The influence of energy use visualization on the energy consumption in municipal multi-apartment buildings : The case of Nynäshamnbostäder

Abstract: This thesis investigates the influence of energy visualization on hot water consumption, as well as builds up the framework for the analysis of electricity consumption, of multi-apartment buildings in Sweden, . 115 apartments in Nynäshamn have been scheduled to be equipped with feedback visualization, through the use of television sets, allowing the monitoring of electricity and hot water consumption on a monthly basis. One year of consumption data prior to this feedback introduction was acquired for statistical analysis. The results were then displayed and analysed, allowing for the composition of a generalized conclusion whilst revealing the need for further investigation and future work. To achieve this end, clustering was performed on the 115 apartments according to the following characteristics: Number of tenants per apartment, Area of the apartment, Location of the apartment, and age of the tenants. Principal Component Analysis was used to select dominant characteristics, through eliminating highly correlated components, after which trend analysis was performed on each of the separate clusters revealing a seasonal change model. Finally, a Multivariate Analysis of Variance utilized on the paired clusters to identify any significant change, along with post-analysis tests to specify the groups in which significant change was detected, is presented to be applied in future work. The preliminary results clearly show that the characteristic data can be grouped into three distinct clusters of which the consumption trend of hot water consumption is distinct. Moreover the data reveals a correlation between the apartment’s characteristics and its hot water consumption. However further monitoring and data collection will be required before any strong trend can be identified, as well as power analysis will have to be applied to conclude any significant change. Nonetheless the initial results demonstrate promising signs that ought to be further investigated in the future. 2