Thermal Performance Evaluation of Vernacular Houses: A Case of Himachal Pradesh

Abstract

Vernacular buildings are well known for their climate-responsive and sustainable behavior. Solar Passive approaches used in them enhance the thermal performance of the interiors. The entire functionality of an interior space is influenced by the thermal comfort of those working in the built area. The current study emphasizes the evaluation of the thermal performance of the old slate-roofed mud houses in the hilly regions of Himachal Pradesh. The field study entails measuring environmental parameters on 35 houses in each of the state’s sub-humid mid-hills and Wet temperate high hills. The study undertakes both qualitative and quantitative aspects of thermal comfort through a questionnaire-based survey and interrelates them. The thermal analysis examined indoor outdoor temperature, humidity, and wind speed for the two months of January and April 2022, representing the two major seasons in the area: winter and spring. The study also included the resident’s votes on the ASHRAE thermal sensation scale. The study establishes a stronger dependence of thermal sensation votes on temperature and humidity as compared to wind velocity. A range of 16°C to 19°C and 14.76 °C to 22.1°C was established as thermal comfort ranges for zone 1 and zone 2 respectively. The study further determines the neutral temperatures for the zones and concludes that these traditional houses function admirably over the state’s harsh winter months, and the majority of residents are contented and satisfied in a wider range of temperatures.