One-year Measurement of Indoor Climate and Energy Consumption of Super-insulated Houses in a Mild Climate Region of Japan

Two super-insulated houses were constructed near Sendai City in accordance with the Canadian R-2000 manual (Canadian Home Builders' Assoc., 1987). Shelter performance, thermal environment, air quality and energy consumption of these two houses were investigated for one year. The two super-insulated houses were very airtight compared with other houses. The one-year measurement of room temperature and humidity for one super-insulated house showed that the daily mean temperature for the dining-living room and the master bedroom was 15°C-20°C during the winter and 22°C-28°C during the summer. Absolute humidity for these rooms was less than 5 g/kg (DA) during the winter. The indoor environment of the two super-insulated houses during the heating season was more thermally comfortable, compared with that of ordinary houses in Japan. During the summer, the indoor temperature in these two houses was stable during the day and did not decrease at night even if the outdoor air temperature dropped. The CO₂ concentration in these two houses was lower than that of other airtight houses due to continuous mechanical ventilation. The space heating energy consumption for one super-insulated house was less than that of ordinary houses in Tohoku District in which only the living-dining room was heated.     

Comparative thermal performance of new and old houses

The commitment to reduce energy consumption in buildings has focused attention on improving thermal insulation by employing measures such as the use of insulated cavity walls, double glazed sealed windows and insulated lofts. The energy consumption and thermal performance of two different types of house, an old and a new detached house are compared. Attention was focused on the living areas. The rate of air in-flow as determined by tracer gas, the air velocity and temperature distribution at two levels of 0.15 and 1.2 m were measured. The results show that in the new house the temperature difference between a seated person's head and ankle is more than 3 °C. This difference is increased when the central heating is switched on. In both houses the gap under the entrance door is large and contributes to a high internal air velocity. Despite the inadequacy of the installed air ventilator, the energy efficiency of the new house is demonstrated.     

Disparities of indoor temperature in winter: A cross-sectional analysis of the Nationwide Smart Wellness Housing Survey in Japan

The WHO Housing and health guidelines recommend a minimum indoor temperature of 18°C to prevent cold-related diseases. In Japan, indoor temperatures appear lower than in Euro-American countries because of low insulation standards and use of partial intermittent heating. This study investigated the actual status of indoor temperatures in Japan and the common characteristics of residents who live in cold homes. We conducted a nationwide real-world survey on indoor temperature for 2 weeks in winter. Cross-sectional analyses involving 2190 houses showed that average living room, changing room, and bedroom temperatures were 16.8°C, 13.0°C, and 12.8°C, respectively. Comparison of average living room temperature between prefectures revealed a maximum difference of 6.7°C (Hokkaido: 19.8°C, Kagawa: 13.1°C). Compared to the high-income group, the odds ratio for living room temperature falling below 18°C was 1.38 (95% CI: 1.04-1.84) and 2.07 (95% CI: 1.28-3.33) for the middle- and low-income groups. The odds ratio was 1.96 (95% CI: 1.19-3.22) for single-person households, compared to households living with housemates. Furthermore, lower room temperature was correlated with local heating device use and a larger amount of clothes. These results will be useful in the development of prevention strategies for residents who live in cold homes.     

Performance details of a rotating prism solar wall

The “kinetic wall” discussed in the First International Symposium in this series has been incorporated into a passive solar house that was built at Sede Boqer, Israel. The house has been lived in and monitored since October 1982. The present paper shows an analysis of the first winter's thermal performance figures of the rotating prism wall and compares it with some more conventional passive heating methods that are employed in the other rooms of the house.During the heating period from November 1st 1982 until March 31st 1983, the average ambient temperature at Sede Boqer was 10.5°C with a mean diurnal temperature swing of ±5.0°C. By contrast, the average air temperature in the room heated by the kinetic wall was 18.0°C with a mean diurnal temperature swing of magnitude less than ±1.0°C. No backup heating was necessary in this room.The rotating prism wall has proved to be easy to realize, convenient to live with and a remarkably effective space heating device.     

A national field survey of house temperatures

Information about temperatures in houses is of importance in assesing the value of various energy conservation measures and gives an indication of the standards of thermal comfort enjoyed by the occupants. In the present paper results are discussed of the most extensive survey of domestic dwelling temperatures to have been taken in the U.K. During February and March 1978, when the outside temperature was close to the average for the heating season, spot measurements of the wet- and dry-bulb temperatures were made in each room of 1000 homes nationwide. On the same occasion, an interview was conducted with an adult member of the household to obtain information on thermal comfort conditions and heating patterns. The globe temperature was measured in the room where the interview took place (usually the living-room). Interviews were conducted both during the daytime and in evenings, and at weekends as well as on weekdays. The mean of the living-room temperatures recorded was 18.3°C, mean kitchen temperature 16.7°C and mean temperature of the warmest bedroom 15.2°C. The average dwelling temperature was 15.8°C. The major sources of variance in temperature were the type and operation of the heating system, the dwelling age, household income, the time of day and geographical location. Household composition was a minor factor. The living-room temperature was relatively insensitive to the above-mentioned factors and had the appearance of being held at a level more or less independent of that in the rest of the dwelling. Centrally-heated houses ran 3°C warmer on average than non-centrally-heated houses. However, the difference in mean temperatures in the living-rooms between the two categories was only 1.5°C dry-bulb and 0.9°C globe temperature. Although strong correlations between a number of the explanatory variables, such as dwelling age and heating system type, means that a deeper analysis is required before a firm causal model can be proposed, the results provide an important new basis for assessing energy conservation options in domestic space heating.     

湘西传统木构民居节能效果测试与研究

对湘西传统木构民居进行了实地考察和温湿度测量,运用Origin软件分析典型木构建筑室内外热环境温湿度数据,以及分析传统木构建筑节能优势与不足,并在此基础上提出优化夏热冬冷地区传统木构民居改造和新建木构民居的节能设计策略。     

Decreased humidity improves cognitive performance at extreme high indoor temperature

In this study, we examined the cognitive performance of subtropically acclimatized subjects at an extreme high indoor temperature and the effect of decreased humidity on the cognitive performance at the high temperature. Forty-eight healthy subjects experienced the three exposure conditions: 26°C/relative humidity (RH) 70%, 39°C/RH50%, and 39°C/RH70% in a climate chamber. During 140-minute-long exposures to each thermal condition, they were required to perform cognitive tests that assess the perception, spatial orientation, concentration, memory, and thinking abilities. Meanwhile, their heart rate, core temperature, skin temperature, blood pressure, and body weight were measured and subjective responses, that is, thermal comfort, perceived air quality, and acute health symptoms were investigated. At the relative humidity of 70%, increasing indoor temperature from 26°C to 39°C caused a significant decrease in the accuracy of these cognitive tests. However, when the relative humidity decreased from 70% to 50% at 39°C, the accuracy of the cognitive tests increased significantly. Accordingly, the physiological and subjective responses of the subjects changed significantly with the changes in indoor temperature and humidity, which provided a basis to the variation in the cognitive performance. These results indicated that decreasing indoor humidity at extreme high temperature could improve the impaired cognitive performance.     

Thermal comfort,perceived air quality,and cognitive performance when personally controlled air movement is used by tropically acclimatized persons

In a warm and humid climate, increasing the temperature set point offers considerable energy benefits with low first costs. Elevated air movement generated by a personally controlled fan can compensate for the negative effects caused by an increased temperature set point. Fifty‐six tropically acclimatized persons in common Singaporean office attire (0.7 clo) were exposed for 90 minutes to each of five conditions: 23, 26, and 29°C and in the latter two cases with and without occupant‐controlled air movement. Relative humidity was maintained at 60%. We tested thermal comfort, perceived air quality, sick building syndrome symptoms, and cognitive performance. We found that thermal comfort, perceived air quality, and sick building syndrome symptoms are equal or better at 26°C and 29°C than at the common set point of 23°C if a personally controlled fan is available for use. The best cognitive performance (as indicated by task speed) was obtained at 26°C; at 29°C, the availability of an occupant‐controlled fan partially mitigated the negative effect of the elevated temperature. The typical Singaporean indoor air temperature set point of 23°C yielded the lowest cognitive performance. An elevated set point in air‐conditioned buildings augmented with personally controlled fans might yield benefits for reduced energy use and improved indoor environmental quality in tropical climates.     

Indoor Climate and the Performance of Ventilation in Finnish Residences

The purpose of the study was to gather information about the actual ventilation and indoor air quality and to evaluate the differences between houses and apartments with different ventilation systems. A sample of 242 dwellings in the Helsinki metropolitan area was studied over periods of no weeks during the 1988-1989 heating season. The mean air-exchange rates had a high variation (average 0.52 l/h, range 0.07-1.55 l/h). The ASHRAE minimum value of 0.35 l/h was not achieved in 28% of the dwellings. The air-exchange rates were significantly her in the houses than in the apartments (averages 0.45/0.64 l/h, p < 0.001); in the natural ventilation systems they, were slightly her than in the mechanical systems. The average temperature in the bedrooms was approximately 22 °C (range 18–27 °C), slightly but significantly higher in the apartment than in the houses. The average dust depositions were higher in the balanced ventilation systems than in the other systems. The median radon concentration was 82 Bq/m³ (range 5-866 Bq/m³); the Finnish target value of 200 Bq/m³ was exceeded in 17% of the houses but in none of the apartment. The measurements indicate that the indoor air quality in Finnish dwellings is not always satisfactory with reference to human health and comfort.     

苏南地区村镇住宅建筑室内热环境实测分析

室内热环境是影响人体冷热感的环境因素,适宜的室内热环境可使人体易于保持热平衡。为了了解苏南地区村镇既有非节能住宅建筑室内热环境现状,笔者对该地区冬夏季的典型住宅非采暖空调房间的室内、外热湿环境进行了测试,系统地分析了该地区室内热湿环境的特征和变化规律。测试结果表明:该地区非空调房间夏季室内空气温度高,冬季室内空气温度低,冬夏季室内、外空气相对湿度大;室内热环境远偏离热舒适范围,达到了较恶劣的程度。开展节能建筑建设和对既有建筑实施节能改造是改善室内环境、提高热舒适度的有效途径。     

Effects of increased humidity on physiological responses,thermal comfort,perceived air quality,and Sick Building Syndrome symptoms at elevated indoor temperatures for subjects in a hot-humid climate

Recently, studies suggest that the average indoor temperature is typically >30°C and that the maximum temperature can reach 37.5°C in hot-humid areas. However, the effects caused by increasing the humidity at high indoor temperatures are not clear. In this study, twelve female and twelve male subjects were exposed to different operative temperature (26.6, 30.6, and 37.4°C) and relative humidity (50% and 70%) in a climate chamber. Data concerning thermal sensation, perceived air quality, and Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) were collected during 190-min-long exposure to each thermal condition. Heart rate, respiration rate, respiratory ventilation rate, mean skin temperature, and eardrum temperature were measured. It was found that increasing the relative humidity from 50% to 70% at 26 and 30°C had no significant effects on the physiological responses, thermal comfort, perceived air quality, or SBS symptoms of the subjects. However, when the temperature was elevated to 37°C, the heart rate, respiration rate, respiratory ventilation rate, mean skin temperature, and eardrum temperature increased significantly as a result of the increase in the relative humidity from 50% to 70%. The subjects felt hotter and more uncomfortable, and they found indoor air quality was more difficult to accept. The subjects are acclimatized to hot environments and more tolerant to heat. Therefore, the results are applicable to the acclimated people living in hot-humid climate.     

西北地区生态民居及室内热环境

我国西北荒漠地带,生态环境脆弱,可持续发展面临巨大的资源和环境压力。以银川市碱富桥村新农村建设为研究对象,科学规划合理设计,依据当地丰富的太阳能资源提出了被动式太阳能新型生态民居设计,新民居综合利用了被动式太阳房、草砖、稻壳板等多种生态建筑技术。建成后对太阳辐射、室内外温湿度、平均辐射温度以及预计平均热感指数PMV等进行了现场测试,对室内热环境的形成原因进行了分析,并对夏季室内通风进行了模拟分析。测试和模拟表明,新民居冬季温暖、夏季凉爽,具有较好的室内热环境质量,对于西北地区新农村建设具有重要借鉴意义。     

东北地区太阳能农宅设计和研究

针对东北地区的气候特点和农村的自然条件,根据太阳能房的工作原理,通过对农村住宅进行合理的户型设计和构造设计,有效利用太阳能解决冬季农宅采暖和夏季降温,并对太阳能产生的经济效益进行分析,通过试点工程表明,太阳能住宅设计大大提高了农宅的热工性能,既降低了冬季农宅的采暖能耗,也调节了夏季的室内温度,达到了节能、环保、经济的目的,走可持续发展的道路是可行的。     

藏族民居中采暖与不采暖房间热环境研究

对香格里拉藏族民居冬季室内的热环境进行了热环境测试,具体对冬季香格里拉藏族民居室内温度、围护结构各壁面温度等参数进行了测试,比较分析,测试结果反映香格里拉藏族民居室内的温度变化现状与特征,该测试结果可为香格里拉藏族民居的热环境改善提供依据.     

Research on seasonal indoor thermal environment and residents' control behavior of cooling and heating systems in Korea

Indoor thermal environments and residents' control behavior of cooling and heating systems were investigated in Seoul, Korea and compared with the results of previous studies. Twenty-four houses in summer, six houses in autumn and 36 houses in winter were used in this study. The measurement of temperature, humidity and air conditioner usage behavior was carried out. The clo-value, thermal comfort, sensation and basic data of the houses were also investigated. The indoor thermal environment in the summer had a high temperature and a high humidity ratio compare to standard comfort zone. Most of the indoor thermal environments at the time of starting the air conditioner in the summer were out of the comfort zone. Some of the data recorded while the air conditioner was stopped were in the comfort zone, but in many cases the temperature was relatively higher than comfort zone. Most indoor climate distributions in the winter were in the comfort zone and the indoor climate in autumn coincided well with the criteria of the comfort zone. Compared with results of previous studies in these 25 years, indoor ambient average temperature in winter has increased and the comfort temperature has increased in the heating period and decreased in the cooling period. This result indicates that the development of an HVAC system has created an expectation of comfort for residents and has shifted their thermal comfort zone warmer in winter and cooler in summer.     

草砖房在北方农村地区适宜性研究

选择适宜的墙体材料可有效地降低房屋在使用过程中的能耗,以在建的草砖作为墙体填充材料的房屋为研究对象,通过对建筑室内外温湿度、墙体表面温度的测试分析及其全年采暖能耗模拟分析,对比在其他同等条件下使用普通黏土砖和草砖的能耗情况,结果表明,草砖具有良好的隔热性能,并有一定的湿度调节作用,且其保温特性优异,在大同地区较之于黏土砖节能61.69%。此外,还对比了不同地区草砖房较之于普通黏土砖建筑的能耗状况,结果显示,哈尔滨、大同、西安地区草砖房的节能率分别为56.59%、61.96%、65.55%。据此提出草砖墙体材料应用于严寒、寒冷地区的农村住宅,其节能效果明显,具有普遍的适应性。     

海口火山石民居气候适应性设计研究 #

“火山石”民居以火山石为主要建造材料,是海口当地一种典型代表性的乡土民居,是宝贵的民居历史遗存,具有较高的研究价值。为了解海口市当地乡村民居夏季热环境差异,分析当地火山石民居的气候适应性策略、营建方法和生态经验,研究选取海口市典型火山石村落中的传统火山石传统民居,从空间布局、平面形制、墙体、门窗、屋顶等方面通过空间和构造解析,并采用热成像的方法进行定性分析,从室内外空气温度、相对湿度和围护结构内外壁面温度等热环境参数,与现代住宅作对比研究,进行实地热环境测试进行定量分析。通过所测参数定性与定量分析,发现传统火山石民居的夏季室内热环境优于现代民居,其轴线式建筑布局、厚重的外围护结构、通透轻质材料的门窗、双层瓦屋面等设计策略均对当地热湿气候环境有良好的气候适应性。现代乡村住宅在进行更新设计时,应当传承传统民居的气候适应性设计策略,能够起到优化室内热环境的作用。     

Adaptive thermal comfort in Australian school classrooms

This survey of thermal comfort in classrooms aimed to define empirically the preferred temperatures, neutral temperatures and acceptable temperature ranges for Australian school children, and to compare them with findings from adult populations. The survey was conducted in a mixture of air-conditioned, evaporative-cooled and naturally ventilated classrooms in nine schools located in three distinct subtropical climate zones during the summer of 2013. A total of 2850 questionnaires were collected from both primary (grade) and secondary (high) schools. An indoor operative temperature of about 22.5°C was found to be the students’ neutral and preferred temperature, which is generally cooler than expected for adults under the same thermal environmental conditions. Despite the lower-than-expected neutrality, the school children demonstrated considerable adaptability to indoor temperature variations, with one thermal sensation unit equating to approximately 4°C operative temperature. Working on the industry-accepted assumption that an acceptable range of indoor operative temperatures corresponds to group mean thermal sensations of ?0.85 through to +0.85, the present analysis indicates an acceptable summertime range for Australian students from 19.5 to 26.6°C. The analyses also revealed between-school differences in thermal sensitivity, with students in locations exposed to wider weather variations showing greater thermal adaptability than those in more equable weather districts.     

Study of thermal environment inside rural houses of Navapalos (Spain): The advantages of reuse buildings of high thermal inertia

The main purpose of a residential building is to provide a comfortable environment for human activities. Nowadays this objective is the responsible for the consumption of more than 40% of total energy demand in European Union. The construction sector in Spain has been in rapid growth in the last decades, yet there exists many abandoned buildings in rural areas. In this article we try to analyze the environmental advantages of reuse abandoned rural buildings. Due to their thick exterior walls of high thermal inertia, the indoor environment inside them can be comfortable with less energy consumption than new buildings. Here we show the monitoring results of three different houses, two traditional and one modern building, constructed of different building materials. The aim of this work is to analyze and compare the thermal behaviour of existing constructive solutions in a Spanish district, not to improve them. The field test results show better indoor conditions inside the traditional houses. In summer, thermal comfort is achieved with no energy supply inside traditional houses but not inside the modern one. In winter, the indoor environment is more stable inside the traditional houses, however none of them were able to provide thermal comfort naturally. In the case studied, the only inhabitant of a small village lives in a prefabricated wooden house, and it is demonstrated that the indoor conditions of traditional houses in the same location are of higher quality.     

People who live in a cold climate: thermal adaptation differences based on availability of heating

Are there differences in thermal adaptation to cold indoor environments between people who are used to living in heating and non‐heating regions in China? To answer this question, we measured thermal perceptions and physiological responses of young men from Beijing (where there are indoor space heating facilities in winter) and Shanghai (where there are not indoor space heating facilities in winter) during exposures to cold. Subjects were exposed to 12°C, 14°C, 16°C, 18°C, 20°C for 1 h. Subjects from Beijing complained of greater cold discomfort and demonstrated poorer physiological acclimatization to cold indoor environments than those from Shanghai. These findings indicate that people's chronic indoor thermal experience might be an important determinant of thermal adaptation.