Ryerson University
350 Victoria Street
Toronto, Ontario
M5B 2K3
April 13, 2009
** Finish the survey for a chance to win one of the six CDN $100 cash prizes. **
Dear Survey Interviewees:
You are invited to participate in our survey “Potential cost and energy savings in heating and cooling systems in Residential houses”. As concerns for a limited energy future continues to grow, decreasing energy consumption is of utmost importance. Studies conducted in other parts of the world, such as Finland and Denmark have concluded that occupant’s behaviour plays a critical role in energy consumption in households. Such a study has not yet been conducted in Canada and this survey aims to fill that gap.
In this survey, approximately 1000 residential home tenants will be asked to complete a survey that asks questions about their living habits and general feeling towards existing envelope and heating, ventilating and cooling (HVAC) systems installed at their houses. The results of this survey will help researchers, policy makers, and engineers to better understand how HVAC systems are being operated and thereby suggesting potentials for energy savings.
Thank you very much for your time and support. Please start with the survey now by clicking on the Continue button below. Please finish the questionnaire by July 30th, 2009.
Respectfully Yours,
Dr. Zaiyi Liao, Dr. Lian Zhao, Surinder Jassar, and Ka Long Ringo Ng
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science, Department of Architectural Science
P.S. For entering the contest to win one of the six CDN $100 cash prize, you will be asked to provide your E-mail address at the end of the survey.
We would let you know if your house is consuming more or less energy for heating in comparsion to an average Canadian house by the end of the process by email.
The following conditions apply to this survey:
• Identities and individual responses would be confidential and data from this research will be reported only in the aggregate. Your information will be coded and will remain confidential.
• There are no foreseeable risks associated with this project. However, if you feel uncomfortable answering any questions, you can withdraw from the survey at any point. It is very important for us to learn your opinions.
• Please be noted that participation of this survey is completely voluntary.
• If you have questions at any time about the survey or the procedures, you may contact M.A.Sc Candidate Ka Long Ringo Ng or Ph.D candidate Surinder Jassar at 416 979 5000 X4223 or by email at the email address specified below.
• Work carried out will be in conjunction with a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) funded project, entitled “Inferential sensors and inferential control scheme for use in building automation” by Dr. Zaiyi Liao, Associate Professor, Department of Architectural Sciences, Ryerson University, Toronto.
Is this dwelling owned by a member of this household? Which City is your dwelling located at? (e.g. Toronto, Brampton, Markham etc. ) On an average weekday, do you stay at home most of the day? (e.g. homemaker, work at home etc.) Household total income per annum (please check one):
Year of construction of the dwelling? Number of stories (excluding basement)? Total floor space of the dwelling (excluding basement and garage)? What type of heating equipment provides most of the heat for the dwelling? Age of the heating system? In addition to the furnace / main heating system, which type of supplementary heating equipment does your household use more often? When was the last time your heating system is checked and maintained by a certified technician? How frequently the heating system is checked and maintained? How many programmable thermostats do you have in your dwelling? Weekday thermostat settings: During winter time, at what temperature (in degrees Celsius) do you usually maintain your dwelling in the weekday? Weekend thermostat settings: During winter time, at what temperature (in degrees Celsius) do you usually maintain your dwelling in the weekend? Occupancy Characteristics What do you tend to do when you feel thermally uncomfortable (cold) in winter? Please check the most predominant action. How satisfied are you with room temperature in winter? How well do you feel you can personally control room temperature in winter? During winter time, there might be occasions of overheating in certain locations of your dwelling (e.g. cooking in kitchen or one room being overheated due to bad air circulation etc.), would you then open the windows if you feel hot or stuffy? If so, how frequently? How often do you use your thermostat to regulate temperature in your dwelling? On an average weekday, would you open your window blinds or shades and let the sun shine in for illumination when you are at home? If your answer to the previous question is "Yes", how much time on average do you rely on the natural sunlight for illumination? If you answer "No", you can skip to the next question. What is the most predominant usage of your windows? Rank from 1 to 3, with 1 being the most predominant. Ventilation Visual connection to the outside Natural Day-lighting During the summer when the air conditioner is turned on, would you open the windows for more air circulation or a fresh breeze? If you don't have air conditioner at home, you can leave the next two questions blank. If your answer to the previous question is "Yes", how frequently would you open the windows for more air circulation? If you answer "No", you can skip to the next question. During summer time, there might be occasions of overcooling in certain locations of your dwelling (e.g. one room being overcooled due to bad air circulation), would you then open the windows if you feel cold? If so, how frequently? On an average weekday, how much time (in hours) do you spend in your bedroom (including sleeping)? On an average weekday, how much time (in hours) do you spend in the living room? On an average weekday, how much time (in hours) do you spend in the dining room? On an average weekday, how much time (in hours) do you spend in the kitchen? On an average weekday, how much time (in hours) do you spend in the basement? This is the last section of the survey. It will be helpful if you are accessibile to your energy bills in answering the following questions.
If energy bills are not readily accessibile at the time of filling in the survey, simply answer the following questions to your best ability. Annual expenditure on natural gas for heating? ($CDN) Annual consumption of gas? (Note: This can be generally be found out in monthly gas bills. Please be encouraged to contact your gas suppliers if you could not locate this information.)
* You have to complete this question if you wish to know how is your heating energy consumption when compared to an average Canadian house. Annual expenditure on electricity? ($CDN) Annual consumption of electricity? (kwH) (Note: This can be generally be found out in monthly hydro bills. Please be encouraged to contact your electricity suppliers if you could not locate this information.) If you would like to be considered in the lottery, please fill in your email address so we can notify you if you win the lottery. |
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