Costs and benefits of using passive cooling techniques in Egyptian dwellings

Sheta, Wael, Mayhoub, Mohammed and Sharples, Steve ORCID: 0000-0002-6309-9672 (2015) Costs and benefits of using passive cooling techniques in Egyptian dwellings. In: Proceedings of 31st International PLEA Conference, Passive Low Energy Architecture: Architecture in (R)Evolution, 2015-9-9 - 2015-9-11, Bologna.

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Abstract

This study directs attention towards the New Cairo community, which is one of the new urban settlements that have been developed around Cairo, Egypt. People recently have tended to install or extend mechanical cooling equipment in their dwellings in order to overcome the problem of thermal discomfort from overheating. Although the mechanical cooling significantly raises utilities bills, it is still the preferred choice for the majority of the residents. The lack of awareness about the advantages of Passive Cooling Techniques (PCT), in addition to uncertain about their costs and effectiveness, has made PCT unpopular options for both designers and owners. This study investigates the costs and benefits of two PCT, which include the influence of the thermal transmittance of the walls (U-value), and the attachment of solar shading devices. The Whole Life Cycle Costing (WLCC) evaluation method is used to estimate the payback period of applying the PCT. The PCT were simulated using the dynamic thermal simulation software DesignBuilder to investigate their thermal performance and estimate the cooling load energy savings. The purpose of this paper is to compare the mechanical cooling against the passive cooling alternatives from a financial viability standpoint to enable appropriate solutions to be chosen at the early stages of a design. The study revealed that using thermal insulation can be considered a favourable scenario to achieve the most benefits in terms of the initial costs, the electricity cost savings, the payback period and the life cycle costs.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Additional Information:	9 pages
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	14 Sep 2015 15:55
Last Modified:	17 Dec 2022 01:30
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/2025979