Occupancy and equipment usage prototype schedules for building energy simulations of office building types in China

The accuracy of occupancy and energy-consuming equipment schedules significantly influences building energy simulations. Existing standards provide generalized schedules that do not fully capture variations across different office building types and periods. This study utilizes questionnaire data from office buildings across four Chinese cities to extract refined prototypes for occupancy and equipment usage schedules using hierarchical clustering analysis. Specific schedules are developed for summer workdays, winter workdays, summer weekends, and winter weekends, covering HVAC, lighting, and office equipment. For instance, the extracted lighting schedule increases annual energy consumption intensity by 25.35% compared to standard schedules. Additionally, XGBoost models identify key factors influencing equipment usage; for HVAC, floor number emerges as most significant. The study's prototypes offer more realistic inputs for building energy simulations, enhancing accuracy and guiding energy-efficient building design and management strategies in China.