The Significance of Occupants’ Interaction with Their Environment on Reducing Cooling Loads and Dermatological Distresses in East Mediterranean Climates

Abstract

Global endeavors to respond to the problems caused by climate change and are leading to higher temperatures inside homes, which can cause skin conditions (such as eczema), lethargy, and poor concentration; disturbed sleep and fatigue are also rising. The energy performance of buildings is influenced by interactions and associations of numerous different variables, such as the envelope specifications as well as the design, technologies, apparatuses, and occupant behaviours. This paper introduces simple and sustainable strategies that are not dependent on expensive or sophisticated technologies, as they rely only on the actions practiced by the building’s occupants (movable window shading, and nighttime natural ventilation) instead of completely relying on high-cost mechanical cooling systems in buildings located in the main Eastern Mediterranean climates represented in the country of Jordan. These low-energy solutions could be applied to low-income houses in hot areas to avoid health problems, such as dermatological diseases, and save a significant amount of energy. The final results indicate that window shading has significant potential in reducing the cooling load in different climate zones. Natural ventilation exhibits high energy-saving abilities in climates that have cool nights, whereas its abilities in hot climates where nights are moderate is limited.

Critical Review on the Energy Retrofitting Trends in Residential Buildings of Arab Mashreq and Maghreb Countries

“…The final screening process yielded 41 relevant studies in the AMM countries, with 32 studies found in Mashreq countries and 9 in Maghreb countries, as shown in Figure 7. In the Mashreq countries, there were 18 studies in Jordan [64,65,[69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84], 9 in Egypt [85][86][87][88][89][90][91][92][93][94], 2 in Palestine [95,96], 2 in Iraq [97,98], 1 in Lebanon [99], and no study was presented for Syria. In the Maghreb countries, there were 5 studies in Algeria [100][101][102][103][104], 3 in Morocco [105][106][107], 1 in Tunisia [67], and no study was presented for Libya.…”

Influence of the Advancement in the LED Lighting Technologies on the Optimum Windows-to-Wall Ratio of Jordanians Residential Buildings

“…A parameter that has significant importance is building air infiltration, as it refers to the volume of cold air that is carried from the external environment inside the building, which can lead to a significant rise in the heating load in the winter months. An airtight building can generate considerable savings in both energy and cost [41,42]. Based on ASHRAE codes, a value of 0.35 air changes per hour was adopted, using the updated version of the DesignBuilder software (DesignBuilder Software Ltd.: Gloucs, UK) [43].…”

Water Energy Food Nexus to Tackle Future Arab Countries Water Scarcity

“…A research paper entitled “The Water-Energy-Food Nexus and Process Systems Engineering: A New Focus” stated that 1.2 billion people globally do not have clean drinking water (Garcia & You, 2016). Climate change, socio-economic rise, dependency on foreign resources, and political conflicts all have an impact on the water-food link in the MENA region (McDonnell, 2014; Muhaidat et al, 2021). Therefore, it is necessary to study the relationship between all sectors and understand the factors that affect water-energy-food sectors to ensure a sustainable life.…”