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With rapid global economic growth and a rise in disposable household income, particularly within a progressively warming planet, the escalating demand for energy to achieve thermal comfort has become a salient concern in the Global South, notably in emerging economies like India. This burgeoning need for cooling solutions has not only underscored the vital role of energy consumption but has also accentuated the imperative of comprehending the ensuing implications for electricity policy and strategic planning, particularly within the ambit of the Global South. This study explored the nuanced landscape of active cooling within an intentional community, Auroville, in southern India, aiming to discern the factors underpinning household preferences and practices in the pursuit of thermal comfort. Employing a mixed-methods approach, this study contributed empirically and methodologically to the interdisciplinary discourse by analysing residential electricity consumption patterns and cooling practices within selected households in the specified community. The study unfolded in three methodological stages: firstly, an analysis of climatic data coupled with an environmental stress index (ESI) assessment; secondly, the monitoring of end-user electricity consumption followed by rigorous data analysis; and lastly, the utilisation of qualitative in-depth interviews and observational techniques. This study’s outcome yielded empirical insights into the unprecedented shifts in the ESI for Auroville since 2014. Furthermore, the study unravelled the intricate complexities inherent in occupant behaviour within residential structures, thereby offering valuable insights into the practices that shape householders’ cooling preferences. This research enriched the understanding of the dynamics of energy consumption in the pursuit of thermal comfort and contributes to the broader discourse on sustainable development and energy policy in the context of climate change.

With rapid global economic growth and a rise in disposable household income, particularly within a progressively warming planet, the escalating demand for energy to achieve thermal comfort has become a salient concern in the Global South, notably in emerging economies like India. This burgeoning need for cooling solutions has not only underscored the vital role of energy consumption but has also accentuated the imperative of comprehending the ensuing implications for electricity policy and strategic planning, particularly within the ambit of the Global South. This study explored the nuanced landscape of active cooling within an intentional community, Auroville, in southern India, aiming to discern the factors underpinning household preferences and practices in the pursuit of thermal comfort. Employing a mixed-methods approach, this study contributed empirically and methodologically to the interdisciplinary discourse by analysing residential electricity consumption patterns and cooling practices within selected households in the specified community. The study unfolded in three methodological stages: firstly, an analysis of climatic data coupled with an environmental stress index (ESI) assessment; secondly, the monitoring of end-user electricity consumption followed by rigorous data analysis; and lastly, the utilisation of qualitative in-depth interviews and observational techniques. This study's outcome yielded empirical insights into the unprecedented shifts in the ESI for Auroville since 2014. Furthermore, the study unravelled the intricate complexities inherent in occupant behaviour within residential structures, thereby offering valuable insights into the practices that shape householders' cooling preferences. This research enriched the understanding of the dynamics of energy consumption in the pursuit of thermal comfort and contributes to the broader discourse on sustainable development and energy policy in the context of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the global environmental crisis, the energy performance of buildings does not correspond to the necessary changes. The Cuban regulatory framework does not consider urban-architectural design as a resource to reduce the energy demand of buildings, where solar protection of openings is essential. The objective of the work was to propose design recommendations based on the influence of the urban context and orientation on solar protection and energy demand for cooling. The Energy Plus tool was used to simulate different urban scenarios and orientations, evaluating their impact on solar protection and energy demand. It is shown that by considering these factors, it is possible to reduce solar protection costs and energy demand. The importance of designing each portion of the vertical envelope considering its orientation and its relationship with the immediate context to achieve greater energy efficiency is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and growing energy demands have put maintainability in the limelight for the long-term performance of green building envelopes, especially for warm-humid regions with intense weathering. This study proposed a framework for predicting the maintainability performance of such envelopes in the Indian context. The country is a key player in the global energy sector because green certification is mandatory for large commercial projects. Design-related envelope defects with their precise causes and effects were collated from the literature, field study, and a questionnaire survey to determine their criticalities. The defects of green and conventional buildings portray similar profiles due to common weathering agents. Furthermore, for the envelope components under the broad groupings of wall, fenestration, and roof, a maintainability attribute checklist was developed from the existing standards and guidelines. Common design alternatives for each component were weighted according to their ability to mitigate both critical and noncritical defects. The maintainability performance of a suitably chosen demo building was predicted. Despite its high energy efficiency class and careful maintenance, defects were prevalent, indicating average maintainability. This explains why landmark green projects also deviate from their energy-saving targets. The accuracy of the proposed framework was found to be satisfactory by tallying predicted and actual defects. The work can contribute to the achievement of long-term envelope performance and resource saving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The data contained in this article refers to the measurements of climatic factors during an entire year in low latitudes regions with warm and humid climates, in Santa Rosa city from Ecuador. Since the geographical location and the importance of cloudiness in these regions, these measurements have focused on the solar radiation flux, cloud cover and sky temperature. The data obtained have been configured in a weather file for energy calculations, which has been used in the research article “Assessment of the reflectivity and emissivity impact on light metal roofs thermal behaviour, in warm and humid climate” [1].

Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Government of India, initiated energy conservation building codes (ECBCs) in 2007 to enhance building energy efficiency in the country. ECBC, 2017, for commercial buildings and Eco-Niwas Samhita, 2018, (Part-1) for residential buildings are the latest codes introduced. Anticipating the enormous potential of energy savings in the energy-intensive urban residences, the present study attempts to assess the energy performance of typical high-rise residential apartments in the warm-humid climate of Kolkata following implementation of envelope norms specified in these codes through whole building energy simulation. Energy performance index for total and cooling energy of four code compliant design cases is compared with the actual conventional design showing significant improvement (7.88–25.57% and 11.35–36.34%, respectively). Statistical association of each of the compliance parameters is studied showing a strong correlation of the indices with residential envelope transmittance value, roof thermal transmittance and visible light transmittance. The uncertainty in the variables influencing energy performance is probed into sensitivity analyses. Solar heat gain coefficient of the non-north window glazing is found to influence the residential envelope transmittance value and thus the cooling and overall energy consumption most, demanding special attention during material selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

En el acondicionamiento natural de una vivienda en clima cálido-húmedo juegan un papel importante factores tales como la inercia térmica, el aislamiento, las diferentes tipologías constructivas y la ventilación. En este contexto, hay diversidad de opiniones sobre las funcionalidades de la inercia térmica y del aislamiento, por lo que este trabajo plantea revisar dichos factores en una localización geográfica representativa de este tipo de clima como es la de La Habana (Cuba). Se estudia la amortiguación y el desfase de la onda térmica; la evolución libre de las temperaturas interiores mediante simulación por ordenador, tomando como ejemplo una vivienda de aproximadamente 60 m2 y sistema constructivo habitual de los bloques de viviendas de La Habana; y la incidencia del aislamiento aplicado a los cerramientos exteriores en el acondicionamiento natural de la vivienda, teniendo en cuenta las características concretas del clima cálido-húmedo que nos ocupa. Abstract For the natural conditioning of a dwelling in warm-humid climate, factors such as thermal inertia, insulation, different building typologies and ventilation play an important role. In this context, there are different opinions on the functionalities of thermal inertia and isolation. This paper proposes to review these factors in a representative geographical location of warm-humid climate such as that of Havana (Cuba). Both the damping and the lag of the thermal wave are studied. The free evolution of the inner temperatures by means of computer simulation are also analyzed, in a dwelling of 60 m2 and traditional building system of the housing blocks in Havana. Likewise, the investigation focus on the effects of the insulation layer of the external enclosures in the natural conditioning of the house under the above mentioned conditions and its repercussion in comfort. Appropriate strategies for the environmental conditioning of houses are inferred.

Air temperature in urban street canyons is increased due to the morphed urban geometry, increased surface area, decreased long wave radiation and evapo-transpiration, different thermo-physical properties of surface materials and anthropogenic heat which results in thermal discomfort. Outdoor thermal stress can be mitigated substantially by properly orienting the canyons. It is crucial for the urban planners and designers to orient street canyons optimally considering variable local climatic context. It is important especially for cities in warm humid climatic context as these cities receive higher insolation with higher relative humidity and low level macro wind flow. This paper examines influence of canyon orientation on outdoor thermal comfort and proposes the optimum canyon orientation for the Rajarhat Newtown, Kolkata – a city in warm humid climate zone. Different scenarios are generated with different orientations. Change in air temperature, wind speed, Mean Radiant Temperature (MRT) and Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) of different scenarios are compared to find out the optimum orientation by parametric simulation in ENVI_met. Analysing the simulation results it is observed that orientation angle between 30°–60° to north performs the best for the study area of the Rajarhat Newtown. The findings of this research will be helpful for the planners to orient the street canyons optimally for future development and extension of the Rajarhat Newtown, Kolkata.

According to the India Energy Security Scenario 2047, the number of residential air conditioner (A/C) units may increase seven-fold by 2037 as compared to 2017. Also, the related energy consumption might increase four times in the next two decades, according to India’s National Cooling Action Plan. Therefore, the study of occupant cooling behaviour is essential to reduce and manage the significant electricity demand, helping to formulate and implement climate-specific cooling policies, and to adopt low-energy and low-cost technologies at mass-market scale. The study aims to analyse residential electricity consumption in order to investigate occupant behaviour, especially for thermal comfort by using space cooling and mechanical ventilation technologies. Among the five climate zones in India, this study focuses on the occupant behaviour in a warm-humid climate using Auroville as a case study, where climate analysis of the past 30 years demonstrated progression towards unprecedented warmer weather in the last five years. In this study, electricity consumption data from 18 households (flats) were monitored for seven months (November 2018–June 2019). The study also elaborated the limitations faced while monitoring and proposed a data filling methodology to create a complete daily profile for analysing occupant behaviour through electricity consumption. The results of the data-driven approach demonstrated the characteristics and complexities in occupant behaviour and insight on the operation of different technologies to attain thermal comfort in residential buildings in an increasingly warming climate.

The thermal environment outdoors affects human comfort and health. Mental and physical performance is reduced at high levels of air temperature being a problem especially in tropical climates. This paper deals with human comfort in the warm-humid city of Guayaquil, Ecuador. The main aim was to examine the influence of urban micrometeorological conditions on people’s subjective thermal perception and to compare it with two thermal comfort indices: the physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) and the standard effective temperature (SET*). The outdoor thermal comfort was assessed through micrometeorological measurements of air temperature, humidity, mean radiant temperature and wind speed together with a questionnaire survey consisting of 544 interviews conducted in five public places of the city during both the dry and rainy seasons. The neutral and preferred values as well as the upper comfort limits of PET and SET* were determined. For both indices, the neutral values and upper thermal comfort limits were lower during the rainy season, whereas the preferred values were higher during the rainy season. Regardless of season, the neutral values of PET and SET* are above the theoretical neutral value of each index. The results show that local people accept thermal conditions which are above acceptable comfort limits in temperate climates and that the subjective thermal perception varies within a wide range. It is clear, however, that the majority of the people in Guayaquil experience the outdoor thermal environment during daytime as too warm, and therefore, it is important to promote an urban design which creates shade and ventilation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The data contained in this article refers to the measurements of climatic factors during an entire year in low latitudes regions with warm and humid climates, in Santa Rosa city from Ecuador. Since the geographical location and the importance of cloudiness in these regions, these measurements have focused on the solar radiation flux, cloud cover and sky temperature. The data obtained have been configured in a weather file for energy calculations, which has been used in the research article "Assessment of the reflectivity and emissivity impact on light metal roofs thermal behaviour, in warm and humid climate" [1]., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships which have or could be perceived to have influenced the work reported in this article., (© 2021 The Authors.)

According to the India Energy Security Scenario 2047, the number of residential air conditioner (A/C) units may increase seven-fold by 2037 as compared to 2017. Also, the related energy consumption might increase four times in the next two decades, according to India's National Cooling Action Plan. Therefore, the study of occupant cooling behaviour is essential to reduce and manage the significant electricity demand, helping to formulate and implement climate-specific cooling policies, and to adopt low-energy and low-cost technologies at mass-market scale. The study aims to analyse residential electricity consumption in order to investigate occupant behaviour, especially for thermal comfort by using space cooling and mechanical ventilation technologies. Among the five climate zones in India, this study focuses on the occupant behaviour in a warm-humid climate using Auroville as a case study, where climate analysis of the past 30 years demonstrated progression towards unprecedented warmer weather in the last five years. In this study, electricity consumption data from 18 households (flats) were monitored for seven months (November 2018–June 2019). The study also elaborated the limitations faced while monitoring and proposed a data filling methodology to create a complete daily profile for analysing occupant behaviour through electricity consumption. The results of the data-driven approach demonstrated the characteristics and complexities in occupant behaviour and insight on the operation of different technologies to attain thermal comfort in residential buildings in an increasingly warming climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]