Study of the performance of passive cooling strategies in buildings under arid weather conditions

In Algeria, the building sector accounts for approximately 43% of total primary consumption and accounts for more than one-third of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. It should be a primary focus for reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. The new buildings, particularly in the hot and arid southern regions, are completely unsuitable for the climate. The use of inefficient building materials results in high energy consumption. The goal of this project is to investigate passive cooling solutions in order to reduce discomfort and the use of air conditioning systems inside buildings. A two-pronged approach combined chart-based bioclimatic analysis with building performance simulation. The impact of some passive cooling strategies on typical buildings constructed with conventional and local materials was investigated. The study found that when a building uses passive cooling strategies, total cooling needs can be reduced by up to 27% with conventional materials and up to 40% with local materials. In addition, average daily operating temperatures in local buildings can be reduced by up to 2.5 degrees C and about 1.5 degrees C in conventional buildings.