Comparative bioclimatic approach for comfort and passive heating and cooling strategies in Algeria

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Highlights

· The bioclimatic potential of 6 climate zones of Algeria was calculated

· A monitoring-based simulation model was created and calibrated

· A strong correlation exists between the bioclimatic potential and performance

· The average percentage of discomfort hours in Algerian households is between 58-75%

· Our study proves the need for new bioclimatic zoning map for Algeria 

Abstract

The energy consumption and thermal comfort in buildings are heavily affected by weather conditions. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to analyze the bioclimatic potential of Algerian climate zones. This analysis was made based on eight representative locations using recent weather datasets (2003–2017). The thermal comfort and passive design potential analysis were based on a psychometric chart applying the adaptive comfort model ASHRAE 55–2017. In addition, an evaluation of the bioclimatic potential was conducted using simulations of a monitored and calibrated residential building model in Algeria using EnergyPlus. The building model has been tested in eight previously selected locations. The heating and cooling energy load results were calculated for each climatic zone and compared. The results allow architects and urban planners to better understand the climate and provide practical design guidance.

Semahi, S., Zemmouri, N., Kumar Singh, M., Attia, S., (2019) Comparative bioclimatic approach for comfort and passive heating and cooling strategies in Algeria, Building and Environment, August 15, 2019 Vol. 161, p106271, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.106271

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Acknowledgements  

We acknowledge the Algerian Ministry of Higher Education for providing a funded internship to the first author at the University of Liege through the “Programme National Exceptionnel (PNE)” under file no. 23/enseignant/Belgique/2018–2019. This article is published with the financial support of the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique-FNRS. We would like to acknowledge the LACOMOFA Laboratory, University of Biskra, and the Sustainable Building Design (SBD) Laboratory at the University of Liege for the use of the monitoring equipment in this research and valuable support during the experiments and data analysis. Also, the authors thank Arch. Moussi H. for providing the technical drawings of the case study building.