Thermal Energy Impact of Bioclimatic Techniques Applied to Low-income Housing in a Hot Dry Climate

Abstract

AbstractHousing built for low-income population in the City of Mexicali, uses local building systems that lack bioclimatic techniques to provide solutions for the impact of a hot, dry, desert climate, with the presence of average high temperatures of 44.0° C in the summer. This article identifies the bioclimatic design of a house with passive techniques and construction solutions analyzed individually, with the intent to be adapted into affordable low-income housing, and to achieve thermally adequate spaces in accordance to the extreme climate of the region, and as a result, to extend the period of thermal comfort. The bioclimatic diagnostic was performed based on the Szokolay graph, the main techniques used are: thermal mass, protection from solar heat gain, patio generated microclimates and cross-ventilation, which favored the achievement of environmental adequacy. In order to achieve the aforementioned diagnostic, it was necessary to thermally and energetically evaluate the effects of each technique individually and then as a whole. The evaluation was performed using Energy Plus 7.1.0, with support of the DView and Google Sketchup, the results obtained from simulation were indoor temperatures, heat gains, energy consumption, and hours of discomfort that occurred in the house, resulting from each technique for representative periods of time, monthly and annually. The results of this research provide information for decision making, and shows which bioclimatic techniques can be adapted to existing low-income housing that lack adaptations to the environment