Adaptive Comfort Models Applied to Existing Dwellings in Mediterranean Climate Considering Global Warming

Abstract

Comfort analysis of existing naturally ventilated buildings located in mild climates, such as the ones in the Mediterranean zones, offer room for a reduction in the present and future energy consumption. Regarding Spain, most of the present building stock was built before energy standards were mandatory, let alone considerations about global warming or adaptive comfort. In this context, this research aims at assessing adaptive thermal comfort of inhabitants of extant apartments building in the South of Spain per EN 15251:2007 and ASHRAE 55-2013. The case study is statistically representative housing built in 1973. On-site monitoring of comfort conditions and computer simulations for present conditions have been carried out, clarifying the degree of adaptive comfort at present time. After that, additional simulations for 2020, 2050, and 2080 are performed to check whether this dwelling will be able to provide comfort considering a change in climate conditions. As a result, the study concludes that levels of adaptive comfort can be considered satisfactory at present time in these dwellings, but not in the future, when discomfort associated with hot conditions will be recurrent. These results provide a hint to foresee how extant dwellings, and also dwellers, should adapt to a change in environmental conditions.

Adaptive Comfort Control Implemented Model (ACCIM) for Energy Consumption Predictions in Dwellings under Current and Future Climate Conditions: A Case Study Located in Spain

“…The typology of the case study is, therefore, statistically representative. This dwelling was studied in a previous research paper [32]. In this study, the simulation model met the limits of 10% and 30% on Mean Bias Error (MBE) and Coefficient of Variation of the Root Square Mean Error (CV (RSME)) as per ASHRAE Guideline 14 [47] and, thus, the simulation model was validated.…”

“…These adaptive setpoint temperatures could be established using external probes or weather stations [30]. Many studies on this field were conducted, covering topics ranging from the development of comfort models [31] to the evaluation of comfort conditions of the main standards in those future scenarios influenced by climate change [32].…”

Natural Ventilation Strategy in a Social Housing with Sub-humid Warm Climate Based on Thermal Comfort

“…To achieve the primary objective of this study, a quantitative study was conducted [13]. The process of obtaining the results followed the correlational method steps [14] between the operative temperature and the time-dependent adaptive comfort range from the ASHRAE Standard 55 thermal comfort model [15] for natural ventilation. The data analysis used the Auliciem's equation [16] and the amplitude comfort range was determined by Szokolay's equation [17] considering the adaptation of users to low occupancy housing.…”

Window Design of Naturally Ventilated Offices in the Mediterranean Climate in Terms of CO2 and Thermal Comfort Performance

“…Researchers in Spain [49] investigated the potential of adaptive thermal comfort for existing dwellings in the Mediterranean climate. The authors declared that both EN 15251:2007 and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) 55-2017 are applicable to the considered conditions and both standards presented comparable results, noting that EN 15251:2007 standard can predict worse conditions than the American model.…”