Effect of Tree Shading on the Thermal Load of a House in a Warm Climate Zone in Mexico

Abstract

This paper presents the effect of the shade of a tree on the indoor temperature and thermal loads of a house (test house) located in the State of Morelos, Mexico, 18° 50′ 43″ north latitude and 99° 10′ 44″ west longitude. Energy Plus was used to simulate different geometries of the shadow of a tree and the simulation results were compared with experimental measurements of the house without air-conditioning, for one warm and one cold week of the year 2011. The results showed that the maximum temperature difference between the measured and simulated temperatures with both geometry models of tree-shading was 1.7°C. When the effect of tree shading is not considered, it was found that there is a maximum temperature increase of 4°C in the warm week compared with the measured results. In the cold week, the temperature increase was 1.3°C compared with the measured results. Simulation results for an air-conditioned tree-shaded test house show that total annual energy consumption for cooling and heating to achieve thermal comfort represents a substantial energy savings of 76.6% when compared with an unshaded house.