THERMAL COMFORT AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY ANALYSIS OF AFFORDABLE HOUSES IN MERIDA, MEXICO

Abstract

Sustainability and climate change are challenges that our generation has to overcome, in order to ensure the future generations a secure environment. In the particular case of Merida, Mexico, thermal comfort is not considered in the design stages of affordable houses. Designing an affordable house for hot and humid climate becomes a challenge when thermal comfort is required without the use of air conditioning. Merida, Mexico is one example of this type of climate, and to choose a home that ensures thermal comfort in the built environment, a few issues were discussed. An energy analysis of a typical affordable home was performed using Autodesk’s Building Information Modelling (BIM) software to check where the lack of passive system alternatives or a bioclimatic design is affecting the energy efficiency. This project found that minor changes can make a difference between having a high-energy consumer home or an energy efficient one. Besides air conditioning, it was demonstrated that appliances and lighting might not represent high energy consumption. The main problem is the thermal discomfort inside due to the design, so air conditioning equipment is needed to overcome this issue, representing a high energy demand.