Assessment of Thermal Comfort in Rural Earthen Building: A Case Study

Abstract

Indoor thermal comfort is recognized as a key
parameter for healthy indoor environment.
Conventionally, indoor thermal comfort has
been achieved at the expense of huge energy use
for heating and/or cooling the indoor dwelling
space. Lowering the external energy use in a
building is vital if a significant reduction in
greenhouse gas emission is the core target. A
well designed building should be able to provide
good indoor thermal comfort, using minimum
external energy. The objective of the study is to
investigate whether the rural earthen buildings
in northern Bangladesh provides a satisfactory
level of indoor thermal comfort and if this
buildings uses less energy, and thus generates
less green house gas emission, than a nearby
comparable
building
of
conventional
construction and operation. A two-storied rural
earthen building and a traditional brick
building in Naogaon district was selected for the
study. Two main thermal comfort parameters
i.e. air temperature and humidity was measured
using meteorological data logging and recording
device. The devices were set up at ground floor,
first floor and ceiling of the earthen building
and some suitable locations of the brick building
to evaluate the thermal performance of earthen
building as compared to brick and concrete
building. Detailed field data were collected and
analyzed and the result reveals the comfort level
and energy efficiency of earthen and brick
building.