A focus group study on occupants’ behaviours and preferences for ideal showering environment

Abstract

Hot water showering accounts for 20 % of residential energy consumption, and optimizing showering energy usage is a key element in pursuing carbon neutrality. This study explores occupants’ showering behaviours and preferences for the ideal showering environment using a mixed-methods investigation that included a questionnaire survey and focus group discussion (FGD). In total, 86 participants finished the questionnaire. Among them, 21 participated in the following FGD and completed the collages on the ideal showering environment. Both qualitative and quantitative data (including transcripts of the collage presentation) were analysed using SPSS and QDA Miner Lite, respectively. The questionnaire results indicated that participants, on average, showered 6.2 times per week, and each time lasted around 15 minutes. They placed greater importance on air temperature, water flow rate, and water temperature during showering, while shower duration and cost were relatively less important. The participants were willing to change their behaviour for sustainability without sacrificing thermal comfort. The collage-making results revealed that participants prefer natural decorations, scents, and background music in showering spaces. These findings inform sustainable designs of shower spaces that reduce energy consumption while maintaining occupants’ comfort.