How can energy saving culture of a company influence energy behaviors and consumptions in its offices? A simulation and optimization model

Office buildings consume a significant amount of energy. Driven by social responsibility and economic cost reduction, many companies are dedicated to greening their offices and reducing their operational energy. Improving the energy saving culture is recognized as an effective measure for companies to reduce office energy consumption. However, few studies have focused on quantifying the relationship between company culture and energy consumption. The influences of culture optimization strategies on energy reduction have not been evaluated quantificationally. This study follows the chain of “culture–intention–behaviors–energy consumption” and builds a system dynamic model to simulate and quantify the influences of a company's energy saving culture on energy consumption. This work was conducted in four steps: factors identification, data collection, an system dynamic model development, and optimization strategies simulation. An application study demonstrated the simulation steps and proved the operability of the model. The results showed that improving the energy saving culture of a company can effectively reduce energy consumption in its offices, the influences of various culture optimization strategies differ, and the initial states of company culture and energy consumption behaviors of employees play distinct roles. This study can assist companies in formulating scientific and effective measures to achieve energy saving goals and promote green offices.