Performance Analysis of Energy Saving Strategies and the Risk of Occupant Thermal Discomfort in Residential Buildings in Warm Humid Climate

Abstract

The discomfort faced by occupants of buildings in warm humid climate are effect of high solar radiation, high humidity levels and less effective air flow; which cannot ensure occupant thermal comfort. As a result, these have contributed to use of artificial means to provide a comfortable thermal environment at high energy consumption. The thermal comfort of the occupants, a measure of the satisfaction with the indoor environmental conditions, is thus of great importance, and has been linked to the health, well-being, and productivity of occupants. To reduce energy use and costs, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, buildings continue to be targeted through energy efficient retrofits and natural ventilation design. Therefore, this paper reports on the evaluation done using questionnaire and physical measurement to determine the effect of energy saving strategies on occupant's thermal perception in residential buildings. Data on the indoor air flow in five different window openings in purposively selected rooms were used. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test conducted at 95% confidence level showed that there was significant statistical difference between the occupant's thermal perception for the different window openings thus: F=65.555; p=.000. The sliding window had a mean value of 29.25; projected 28.14; casement 27.00; louvre 26.23 and casement with vent 24.97. The result shows that the ability to achieve a comfortable indoor environment for occupants by applying energy saving strategies is influenced by window design variables. Recommendations were made for energy saving strategies to be applied both in the design phase of a building and when renovating existing buildings to achieve low energy consumption and occupant thermal comfort.