Enhancing energy efficiency and thermal satisfaction in office buildings: A comprehensive evaluation of space match strategy

Efforts have been made to balance energy efficiency and thermal comfort in buildings. Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) strategies incorporating occupant-based predictive models and personal comfort systems, have been proposed based on conventional workplaces with fixed workstations. However, the growing popularity of flexible working arrangements, where occupants can choose their preferred workstations, presents new challenges. Recent studies have explored personalized space match strategies that leverage occupant preferences and the varying thermal conditions within a building, aiming at optimizing thermal satisfaction without excessive energy consumption through reallocating occupants. However, the overall impacts of these strategies at the whole building level have not been quantified in existing literature. This study aims to comprehensively evaluate the energy performance and thermal satisfaction of space match strategies in typical office buildings. We generate 660 occupant profiles and integrate them into EnergyPlus for analysis. Our findings indicate energy savings ranging from 2.2% to 25.3% and comfort improvements ranging from -0.9% to 15.7%. Furthermore, we introduce two setpoint strategies: energy-driven and comfort-driven, which provide quantitative insights into the tradeoffs between energy and comfort. These findings not only assist operators in making informed decisions but also support the adoption of space match strategies in real-world office spaces.