Changes in energy consumption according to building use type under COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea

Hyuna Kang; Jongbaek An; Hakpyeong Kim; Changyoon Ji; Taehoon Hong; Seunghye Lee

doi:10.1016/j.rser.2021.111294

Changes in energy consumption according to building use type under COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea

Renew Sustain Energy Rev. 2021 Sep:148:111294. doi: 10.1016/j.rser.2021.111294. Epub 2021 Jun 4.

Authors

Hyuna Kang¹, Jongbaek An¹, Hakpyeong Kim¹, Changyoon Ji², Taehoon Hong¹, Seunghye Lee³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Architecture and Architectural Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
² Green Building Research Institute, Korea Appraisal Board, Seoul, 06225, Republic of Korea.
³ Department of Architectural Engineering, Sejong University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Abstract

An unprecedented global lockdown has been implemented for controlling the spread of COVID-19 in many countries. These actions are reducing the number of coronics, but with the prolonged COVID-19 outbreak, the restrictions on the activities of people are having a significant impact on all industries. Accordingly, this study aimed to statistically analyze changes in building energy consumption under the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea, as well as identify the relationship between COVID-19 and building energy consumption according to the building use type. As a result, the average rate of changes in electricity and gas energy consumption decreased -4.46% and -10.35%, respectively, compared to the previous year. The energy consumption in most facilities has tended to decrease while energy consumption in residential facilities increased during COVID-19. The rate of change in building energy consumption had a significantly positive correlation with COVID-19 related factors in various facilities (e.g., neighborhood, religious, educational, and research facilities). Significant findings of this study that social distancing by the COVID-19 outbreak, has changed energy consumption according to building use type indicates the need for new energy systems to effectively manage the energy demand at the community level in the Post COVID-19 era.

Keywords: Building energy consumption; Building use type; COVID-19; Global lockdown; Social distancing.