Thermal Performance of Partially Bermed Earth-Sheltered House: Measure for Adapting to Climate Change in a Tropical Climate Region

Ivan Julio Apolonio Callejas,Raquel Moussalem Apolonio,Emeli Lalesca Aparecida Da Guarda,Luciane Cleonice Durante

doi:10.3390/wef-06919

Ivan Julio Apolonio Callejas, Raquel Moussalem Apolonio + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/wef-06919

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Publication Date: Sep 11, 2020
Citations: 4	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso

Abstract

This study addresses passive adaptation strategies to reduce the effects of global warming on housing, focusing on low-income houses, for which passive adaptation strategies should be prioritized, aiming for environmental sustainability. The passive strategy chosen is thermal mass for cooling, through the adoption of earth-sheltered walls in contact with the ground. Thus, the goal of this study is to evaluate the thermal load and thermal impact of implementing a thermal mass strategy for cooling, using bermed earth-sheltered walls in bedrooms, for a building located in a tropical climate region. For that, a base scenario (1961–1990) is considered alongside two future scenarios: 2020 (2011 to 2040) and 2050 (2041 to 2070), both considering the effects of climate change, according to the Fourth Report (AR4) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The methodologies adopted are (i) the computational simulation of the annual thermal load demand and (ii) the quantification of the Cooling Degree-Hours (CDH) with the subsequent comparative analysis. The results show that in both the 2020 and 2050 scenarios there will be an increase in the thermal loads for cooling and the CDH, regardless of using a bermed earth-sheltered wall. Nonetheless, it is shown that this passive strategy works as a global warming adaptation measure, promoting building sustainability in tropical climate regions.

Highlights

Building geometry and orientation, construction materials, and climate conditions are important factors to consider when designing new buildings, especially in order to achieve adequate energy and thermal performance
Energy consumption should be noticed that thermal loads values refer to the thermal energy required for cooling; they are not the real consumption of an HVAC system in operation
This research studies the impact of incorporating bermed earth-sheltered walls to improve the thermos-energetic performance of a low-income building to counterattack climate change in regions of a tropical climate

Summary

Introduction

Construction materials, and climate conditions are important factors to consider when designing new buildings, especially in order to achieve adequate energy and thermal performance. Used to adequate a building to its implantation climate, the thermal inertia of the walls can be used to accumulate and retain heat during the day and return it to the exterior environment at night. This behavior reduces the indoor air temperature fluctuations, which oscillate in a damped. Proceedings 2020, 58, 32 manner [1,2] This bioclimatic measure may reduce the use of active air conditioning systems during hot days, potentially saving energy and improving thermal comfort in an indoor environment

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