Analyzing Energy Culture on High-Rise and Low-Rise Residences in Hot and Humid Climate

To address the threat of global climate change, our energy systems will need to be transformed on a large scale. Globally, the building industry is one of the largest energy consumers and the residential sector accounts for more than one-third of the energy produced. One of the significant contributions to increased energy usage is the way occupants deal with the energy. Past studies showed that there is a difference between predicted energy and real energy use. Stephenson et al.’s energy culture framework is used to define and discuss the social, economic, and material energy system of the selected sample (n = 50) to discover more about the energy usage pattern of high-rise and low-rise residences in a hot and humid climate (Chennai, Tamil Nadu). The energy culture framework focuses on interactions between norms, energy practices, and material culture as well as the external influences that are shaping the energy systems. The selected samples revealed several energy cultures, which were classified based on the overall energy consumed, even with equal number of appliances purchased with an equal number of occupants. The influence of electrical appliances on energy consumption is discussed, and clusters are established based on electrical appliance ownership and energy consumption. The study concludes with a discussion of the various energy cultures identified and alternative energy conservation methods to investigate. Key findings: Different energy consumption patterns, Energy culture clusters.