Relationship between the architectural and constructive characteristics of dwellings and the adaptive actions of their occupants

Abstract

People spend most of their time in enclosed spaces, doing activities, which is why habitable spaces that meet minimum environmental comfort for occupants are sought. In Chile, high levels of energy consumption are needed to reach acceptable comfort levels and, therefore, high costs. For this reason, people use other strategies to maintain comfort, such as actions to adapt, changing elements in the space, or making personal changes such as wearing a sweater before turning on the heating. This study looks to analyze the relationship between the adaptive actions of occupants of dwellings in the Biobío Region and the architectural and constructive characteristics of their homes. Data collection was made using a survey where 72 households took part. The data analysis explored correlations between the studied variables. The results indicated that people perform personal actions before using any environmental ones, with the main factor behind this being the insulation level of the dwellings. This suggests that, in these contexts, people innately employ adaptive actions, generating energy savings.