• Energy Research

Most of the operational energy needed by the housing sector is used to compensate energy losses or thermal gains through the building’s envelope. As a result, any improvement in the thermal behavior will provide important opportunities to reduce energy consumption. This research analyzes improvements in the thermal envelope in social housing in the Greater Concepción area in Chile using adaptive thermal comfort models and thermal insulation investments. The objective set out is to evaluate the economic reduction of thermal envelope improvement costs for dwellings, which entails using the adaptive thermal comfort model obtained through monitoring and the surveys applied to the users of social housing in Concepción (CAS), against the international adaptive thermal comfort models established by the EN 15251:2007 and ASHRAE 55-2017 standards. Finally, it is concluded that, on having applied the social housing adaptive thermal comfort model (CAS), execution costs are reduced by between 28.8% and 58.2%, reaching a time of comfort in free oscillation similar to that obtained from applying the models of the EN 15251:2007 (74.2%) and ASHRAE 55-2017 standards (59.9%).

Ecuador faces a significant housing deficit, prompting government policies aimed at improving access to social housing for vulnerable families. Despite its relatively small geographic size, the country exhibits substantial climatic diversity, encompassing ten distinct Köppen–Geiger climate zones. These range from tropical rainforests to high-altitude Andean regions, each requiring specific housing strategies. However, social housing units are typically designed using a standardized model that disregards regional climatic variations, leading to suboptimal thermal performance and energy inefficiencies. This study evaluates the thermal comfort performance of standardized free-running social housing across six distinct cantons, using the ASHRAE 55-2020 adaptive comfort model. Dynamic simulations were conducted for both current climatic conditions and future scenarios for 2050 and 2100, employing tools such as Meteonorm 8.1 (for weather data), EnergyPlus 9.4.0, and DesignBuilder 7.0 (for thermal modeling). The findings reveal significant differences in indoor comfort levels among identical housing units due to localized climate conditions. Notably, high-altitude regions showed improved thermal performance under future scenarios, whereas coastal lowland areas experienced increased discomfort. These results underscore the urgent need for climate-responsive, adaptive housing designs tailored to local climatic realities across all regions of Ecuador.

The design and construction of buildings is currently subject to a growing set of requirements concerning sustainability and energy efficiency. This paper shows a case study of the Torre Sevilla skyscraper, located in the city of Seville (in the south of Spain), which has high-tech energy-efficient features and which uses air-conditioning systems during most of its operating hours. The analysis carried out starts from a simulation in which occupants’ thermal comfort are obtained, based on the adaptive comfort model defined in the standard EN 15251:2007. With this approach, it is possible to determine the number of hours during operation in which the building has adequate comfort conditions only with the help of the envelope and natural ventilation. Consequently, the remaining useful hours require the use of air-conditioning systems. The results show that it is possible to improve the thermal performance of the building due to its location in the Mediterranean climate. To do this, advanced mixed mode (through manual-opening or mechanically-controlled opening windows) and active air-conditioning are suggested. This experimental proposal provides a reduction of the occupation hours which require the use of air-conditioning equipment by 28.57%, reducing the air-conditioning demand and, consequently, the energy consumption of the building.

Solar protections are often designed as passive strategies in buildings, both for thermal and lighting performance. In this sense, the importance of the balance between these two parameters could be crucial in the early stages of design. The purpose of this research is to compare the variation solar protection strategies (glazing with solar protection, and the length of overhangs) have on energy and lighting, using as reference, the value defined by the Modified Solar Factor (MSF), used in some countries like Spain and Chile, to restrict solar contributions. Simulations were carried out to understand the potential of solar protections with the same MSF and the implications on thermal and lighting performance. The case study is a classroom located in Talca, in central-southern Chile, with a climate of marked seasons, including cold winters and hot summers. The results showed that the use of solar protection strategies with the same and similar MSF values do not provide comparable energy performance. Specifically, the differences in energy consumption are 0.62 kWh (East (E) - MSF 0.14) for heating, in cooling 42.28 kWh (Northeast (NE) - MSF 0.47), in lighting 5.30 kWh (Northwest (NW) - MSF 0.11), and 39.77 kWh in the total consumption (Northeast (NE) - MSF 0.47). According to the results obtained, suitable solar protection requires evaluating different alternatives that allow balancing both performances, while attaining significant energy savings

Currently, the knowledge of energy consumption in buildings of new and existing dwellings is essential to control and propose energy conservation measures. Most of the predictions of energy consumption in buildings are based on fixed values related to the internal thermal ambient and pre-established operation hypotheses, which do not reflect the dynamic use of buildings and users’ requirements. Spain is a clear example of such a situation. This study suggests the use of an adaptive thermal comfort model as a predictive method of energy consumption in the internal thermal ambient, as well as several operation hypotheses, and both conditions are combined in a simulation model: the Adaptive Comfort Control Implemented Model (ACCIM). The behavior of ACCIM is studied in a representative case of the residential building stock, which is located in three climate zones with different characteristics (warm, cold, and mild climates). The analyses were conducted both in current and future scenarios with the aim of knowing the advantages and limitations in each climate zone. The results show that the average consumption of the current, 2050, and 2080 scenarios decreased between 23% and 46% in warm climates, between 19% and 25% in mild climates, and between 10% and 29% in cold climates by using such a predictive method. It is also shown that this method is more resilient to climate change than the current standard. This research can be a starting point to understand users’ climate adaptation to predict energy consumption.

In southern European countries, summer temperatures could contribute to a high cooling energy consumption. Family units with fewer economic resources living in social dwellings could suffer from fuel poverty if they want to use air conditioning systems. Otherwise, they could face discomfort hours because of a natural ventilation without clear control criteria. This study analyses quantitatively and qualitatively the possibilities of natural ventilation through mixed-mode and the possibility of reducing fuel poverty for family units living in social dwellings. For this purpose, the application of a natural ventilation approach was analysed through an adaptive behaviour based on EN 16798-1: 2019. A case study of 51 social dwellings was analysed by using various operation hypothesis between 2015 and 2019. The results showed the potential of using mixed-mode approaches based on the categories from EN 16798-1:2019 to achieve savings in the energy consumption and to remove cases of fuel poverty in low-income families. Likewise, surveys in which families living in these cities participated reflected the great awareness of the natural ventilation use, although there is not a clear criterion of the need of this ventilation for thermal comfort, as well as the need of a supportive use of air conditioning systems. Finally, the similarity of the climate conditions of the city analysed and the coastal cities from various countries in the south of Europe shows the possibility of using ventilation strategies as energy saving measures in other regions.

The poor maintenance of social dwellings causes the possible building deficiencies to be significantly increased, especially when most of these dwellings have been built before any thermal standard...