Thermal comfort in a tropical savanna climate: The case of home occupants in Darwin, Australia

S. Safarova; J. van Hoof; L. Law; K. K. Zander; S. T. Garnett

doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2022.112074

Thermal comfort in a tropical savanna climate: The case of home occupants in Darwin, Australia

S. Safarova, J. van Hoof, L. Law, K. K. Zander, S. T. Garnett

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

7 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Housing construction and operating costs can be reduced if building codes are designed to meet local expectations of thermal comfort ─ expectations that can vary across cultures and climates. We analysed the energy and thermal comfort performance of 38 recently-built houses in the tropical savanna (Aw) climate of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia with 4 to 7 star ratings according to the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS). Thermal comfort and personal adaptive behaviours of the 69 occupants were assessed using a questionnaire while, simultaneously, indoor environmental parameters were monitored. Perceptions of thermal comfort were then compared to those predicted from modelling. We found that many people were comfortable in warmer and more humid conditions than is assumed by national building codes, with many people opting for use of fans at set at high speeds instead. Large lots close to parks had the lowest use of air conditioners in the warm seasons, with very little air-conditioner use at other times.

Original language	English
Article number	112074
Pages (from-to)	1-12
Number of pages	12
Journal	Energy and Buildings
Volume	266
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2022.112074
Publication status	Published - 1 Jul 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors are grateful to Edward Halawa for his contributions through this project. SS also acknowledges the generous scholarship provided by Defence Housing Australia (DHA) (Grant ID RIEL192HS) through the partnership with Investa Land and Power and Water Corporation that makes this research on thermal comfort in the tropical housing of Darwin possible.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier B.V.

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title = "Thermal comfort in a tropical savanna climate: The case of home occupants in Darwin, Australia",

abstract = "Housing construction and operating costs can be reduced if building codes are designed to meet local expectations of thermal comfort ─ expectations that can vary across cultures and climates. We analysed the energy and thermal comfort performance of 38 recently-built houses in the tropical savanna (Aw) climate of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia with 4 to 7 star ratings according to the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS). Thermal comfort and personal adaptive behaviours of the 69 occupants were assessed using a questionnaire while, simultaneously, indoor environmental parameters were monitored. Perceptions of thermal comfort were then compared to those predicted from modelling. We found that many people were comfortable in warmer and more humid conditions than is assumed by national building codes, with many people opting for use of fans at set at high speeds instead. Large lots close to parks had the lowest use of air conditioners in the warm seasons, with very little air-conditioner use at other times.",

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note = "Funding Information: The authors are grateful to Edward Halawa for his contributions through this project. SS also acknowledges the generous scholarship provided by Defence Housing Australia (DHA) (Grant ID RIEL192HS) through the partnership with Investa Land and Power and Water Corporation that makes this research on thermal comfort in the tropical housing of Darwin possible. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 Elsevier B.V.",

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Thermal comfort in a tropical savanna climate: The case of home occupants in Darwin, Australia

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