Occupant behaviours and environmental preferences in home-office environments versus conventional office environments; reflections from the pandemic.

Abstract

This paper focuses on differences in thermal comfort perceptions and behaviours between home- based and conventional office settings and discusses the consequences of its findings on domestic energy use in the UK in the context of extreme circumstances and beyond. Data were collected using a web-based questionnaire and online follow-up interviews. The 106 responses to the questionnaire captured the frequency of some adaptive behaviours. The in-depth interviews revealed a wide range and diverse adaptation strategies that people exercise when working from home, while these coping strategies were very limited in conventional offices. Moreover, discussions with energy and built environment experts shed light on the potential implications of working from home. The findings of this study indicate that occupants were satisfied with working from home, and the main elements they prefer for a future home office are energy-efficient airtight windows and good ventilation. Further research could usefully propose an energy-efficient home office with the technological and personal behaviours and the upgraded standards revealed in this study.

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ORCID for Stephanie Gauthier: orcid.org/0000-0002-1720-1736

ORCID for Philip Turner: orcid.org/0000-0002-8146-0249

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