Thermal Assessment of Low-Cost Rural Housing—A Case Study in the Ecuadorian Andes

Date
2016-09-05
Authors
Mino-Rodriguez, I.
Naranjo-Mendoza, C.
Korolija, Ivan
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
ISSN
2075-5309
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI AG
Peer reviewed
Abstract
The aim of this research is to assess the indoor thermal performance of rural dwellings in the Ecuadorian highlands through both experimental and numerical analysis. A three-step methodology was applied to conduct the research: (a) field data collection, (b) building thermal model development and calibration, and (c) comparison analysis and assessment of traditional improvement strategies. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from two representative rural dwellings under typical usage conditions. The first is a traditional construction, medium-exposed thermal mass dwelling (Case A). The second is a local common, uninsulated, lightweight construction (Case B). The thermal model was calibrated by comparing hourly temperature values of the observed and the predicted indoor air temperature. A high correlation level (R2) was achieved between the observed and predicted data; 0.89 in Case A and 0.94 in Case B. The results show that the roof, floor, and the airtightness are the critical building parameters affecting the indoor thermal environment. Likewise, the indoor air temperature is increased up to 4 °C through the implementation of traditional strategies. However, despite the rise in indoor air temperature, acceptable thermal comfort ranges were only reached for 25% of the total hours
Description
The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.
Keywords
rural housing, low-cost housing, earthen architecture, indoor environment, thermal performance
Citation
Mino-Rodriguez, I., Naranjo-Mendoza, C. Korolija, Ivan (2016) Thermal Assessment of Low-Cost Rural Housing—A Case Study in the Ecuadorian Andes. Buildings, 6(3), 36.
Research Institute