Investigation on occupant presence and appliance operation schedules for university campus in south China sub-tropical area

Building occupant presence during varying periods is crucial to the performance studies of buildings and city regions. However, the understanding of the building occupancies on the university campus remains limited. To address this gap, our study employs field measurements, payment records, course arrangements, and building access systems to depict the occupancy patterns of the canteen, dormitory, library, and teaching and lab buildings during weekdays and weekends. We found that the occupancy rates across different buildings are somehow interrelated, given that the total number of occupants on campus is generally constant. Notably, dormitory occupancy rates tend to be low during the morning and afternoon course hours, which inversely correlates with the high occupancy rates in the teaching and lab buildings during these periods. Similarly, canteens experience surges in occupancy during meal times, which coincide with a decrease in library usage. Moreover, we established appliance operation schedules for dormitories through surveys and on-site investigations. Water dispensers and electronic devices were identified as the primary energy consumers for both male and female occupants, with desk-top fans and hairdryers being significant energy users for male and female occupants, respectively. These findings are essential for energy studies within a campus setting, underlining the importance of considering occupant behaviors on a regional scale.