The UK Government is committed to reducing CO2 emissions by 80% of 1990 levels by 2050. To
meet this target significant reductions in energy consumption are required from the UK housing stock.
Space heating is the most significant end use of energy in residential buildings. Behaviour that relates
to the direct interaction of residents with heating systems is termed occupant heating practice (OHP).
More empirical evidence is required to determine if OHPs relate to socio-demographic and economic
status of households. Improved knowledge of OHP will aid policy makers in successfully targeting
energy efficiency measures. To build the evidence base for OHP, a large-scale city-wide housing
survey was carried out in Leicester, UK in 2009-2010. Internal temperature measurements and details
about household composition were collected in over 300 dwellings. These data are used to explore
the links between OHP and the age of occupants. Results of the initial analysis suggest that older
occupants demand higher living room temperatures but may heat a lower proportion of their dwelling.
36% of dwellings were observed to have lower than average temperatures. Continued analysis is
required to find out if energy efficiency measures could improve the thermal comfort of occupants or if
low temperatures are a result of short daily heating periods. A more detailed monitoring study is
required to investigate the variation in internal temperatures throughout dwellings and to gain further
insight into OHP
