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Targeting existing residential buildings for retrofit improvement presents significant prospects for global reduction of energy-usage and carbon footprints. Energy consumption of the existing single-family building in the hot-humid climate zone needs to be targeted for improvement due to their potential energy-savings and sizeable market share. This paper proposes and evaluates energy savings and cost-effectiveness of a whole building retrofit package for single-family residential buildings built between 1950 and 1970. The study outlined a survey conducted using the clustering data mining technique on Florida Single-Family Residential (SFR) homes to determine the essence of the building envelope, patterns of construction, and Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems. The evaluation of the energy efficiency measures (EEMs) effectiveness is performed utilizing Autodesk Revit and a Six-Step modeled framework. This framework consists of baseline model development, validation of the model with an actual case study building, identification of potential EMMs, evaluation of EEMs individually and incorporating the selected EMMs into retrofit package and maximizing the energy-saving and cost-effectiveness of the proposed retrofit package. The study develops proposed retrofit improvement package detailing replacement & improvement EEMs, implementation cost, annual energy savings (kWh), cost-saving ($), and payback period (years) for each individual EEM as well as the combined/total energy improvement package. The paper further explored the usage of solar photovoltaics (PV) energy generation options to offset the remaining energy-use after the implementation of the proposed retrofit package.

It is quite difficult to investigate thermal comfort in hot–humid regions, and there have not been many real case studies or research related to this issue. In this article, four running events held in nearby popular travel spots in Kaohsiung, the largest city in southern Taiwan, were selected to analyze the influence of thermal environment and air quality on thermal comfort. Mostly real time environmental monitoring data were applied for estimating thermal indicators, along with Sky View Factor (SVF) data taken at the sites of the running scheduled routes, to analyze the thermal performance of participants at running events. Compared with runners, walkers (local residents, fans, and staff of the events) would be exposed to a greater risk of thermal discomfort with increasing time spent on the routes. With the integrated analysis, mPET (modified physiologically equivalent temperature) can be viewed as a relatively comprehensive indicator in considering both environmental thermal conditions and the biometrical differences of activities and clothing types. From the results, a good correlation between mPET and solar radiation/SVF was obtained, which indicated that mPET could be sufficiently sensible in revealing the thermal condition variation from one site to another during the route with time. Based on the discomfort risk assessment, for runners, the event held in autumn with lower SVF at the route sites would be less risky of thermal discomfort, while the event held in spring with lower solar radiation would be more comfortable for walkers. As for air quality condition, the inappropriateness of holding winter outdoor activities in Kaohsiung was obviously shown in both real time monitoring data and long term analysis.

As the gymnasiums in subtropical region with hot and humid climate are naturally ventilated during non-competition periods, occupants exercising indoors often feel uncomfortable, especially in summer. In order to provide thermally comfortable and healthy environment for the occupants, the design on architectural form is found to be an effective solution on improving indoor thermal comfort of naturally ventilated gymnasiums. Therefore, a new perspective regarding optimization of naturally ventilated gymnasiums is proposed in the aspect of the architectural form. This paper presents the optimization of architectural form in naturally ventilated gymnasiums in which simulation and orthogonal experiment methods are combined. Through numerical simulation with FlowDesigner software, the significance of architectural form affecting indoor thermal comfort has been given, and the optimal architectural forms of naturally ventilated gymnasium are determined. The results show that the roof insulation type is the most significant factor influencing indoor thermal comfort; thus, it should be considered primarily in optimization. Moreover, the range analysis and variance analysis reveal the rankings of the factors for the gymnasium thermal comfort. In addition, it is demonstrated that the optimal gymnasium model, when compared with the initial gymnasium model, has a satisfactory effect on improving the indoor thermal comfort, as the average value of Predicted Thermal Sensation (PTS) in August decreased from 1.11 (Slightly hot) to 0.86 (Comfortable). This study provides a new insight for the designers in optimizing the architectural form of gymnasiums for achieving the indoor thermal comfort at hot and humid climate.

Building form and facade development for energy saving and generation are of great importance. Further development for natural ventilation purposes is also imperative as it is related to many issues that affect the quality of the living and working environment inside and around the buildings in outdoor and semi-outdoor spaces. In rapidly developing regions experiencing a warm and humid climate, like Saudi Arabia, mechanical cooling and ventilation are commonly used in residential and non-residential buildings. However, this was not the case in traditional structures, like the massive coral buildings of Jeddah, where cooling essentially depended on cross ventilation and heat storage in thermal mass. Further, the building forms in the traditional oriental city were optimized for natural ventilation on the macro- and micro-urban and room scales, respectively. Owing to the advancement in air-conditioning technology, conventional building design approaches tend to encourage sealed indoor spaces that rarely interact with the outdoor environment. Even in such harsh climates, during many months in a year, the outdoor temperature is remarkably low, allowing the utilization of natural ventilation within the rooms, as well as between building complexes and the surrounding spaces. This optimization process requires the integrated planning of many aspects, such as the facade, building form, as well as the intermediate threshold spaces between the indoor and outdoor spaces. Non-residential buildings in Saudi Arabia require a large amount of energy for operation. This is mainly due to the relatively high cooling demand caused by internal loads. A hybrid cooling system that incorporates mechanical and natural cooling and ventilation can be implemented for low-temperature days and nights. This paper presents a method for saving energy in a university faculty building, which is located in Jeddah. Models of the proposed solutions were analyzed using a computational fluid dynamics simulation tools, as well as the dynamic building simulation tool IDA-Indoor Climate and Energy (IDA-ICE) to assess user comfort and the level of reduction in energy demand.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of an air-to-air energy recovery system in terms of latent efficiency and recovered energy. Experimental investigations were carried out under controlled conditions in Energy and IEQ Testing Unit located in School of Industrial Technology, Universiti Sains Malaysia. Tests were performed under different airflow rates ranged from 1.0 to 3.0 m/s and intake relative humidity of 70 %, 80 % and 90 %. The latent efficiency and recovered energy of the system were calculated and evaluated by adopting calculation method by ASHRAE Standard. The latent efficiency of this system ranged from 40 to 74 % and the highest value of recovered energy of 1,456 W was achieved at 2.5 m/s and 90 %. Results indicate that the latent efficiency decreased and in contrast the recovered energy increased with increasing airflow rates.

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, is a typical African city along the Indian Ocean coast, and therefore an important urban area to examine human thermal perception in the hot-humid tropical climate. Earlier research on human bioclimate at Dar es Salaam indicated that heat stress prevails during the hot season from October to March, peaking between December and February, particularly the early afternoons. In order to assess the human thermal perception and adaptation, two popular places, one at an urban park and another at a beach environment, were selected and questionnaire surveys were conducted in August–September 2013 and January 2014, concurrently with local micro-meteorological measurements at survey locations. The thermal conditions were quantified in terms of the thermal index of the physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) using the micro-scale climate model RayMan. The thermal comfort range of human thermal comfort and the local thermal adaptive capacity were determined in respect to the thermal index by binning thermal sensation votes. The thermal comfort range was found to be well above that in temperate climates at about 23–31 °C of PET. The study could significantly contribute to urban planning in Dar es Salaam and other coastal cities in the tropics.

There is still a lack of research on the evaluation of summer thermal comfort for the elderly. This study conducted a questionnaire survey and indoor thermal environment measurement in Nanning, China, with a hot‐humid and less‐windy climate. Six hundred elderly subjects were selected to answer the thermal sensation questionnaire in the naturally ventilated residential buildings during the summer. The analysis results of the collected data show that the neutral temperature for the local elderly is 28.0°C, and the range of operative temperature for 80% thermal acceptability is 26.4°C–29.5°C. An adaptive thermal comfort model was developed using the measured data, and its predicted thermal neutral temperature is 28.1°C, nearly equal to the measured value (28.0°C). The thermal neutral temperatures for the local male and female elderly are 27.7°C and 28.2°C, respectively, which reveals that there are gender differences in the thermal comfort. It was also found that the outdoor air temperature has a significant impact on the thermal neutral temperature, and the developed adaptive thermal comfort model can more accurately predict the indoor thermal comfort of the local elderly. The findings in this study can provide theoretical support and supporting data for the indoor thermal environment design of new old‐age facilities and aging‐adapted renovation of existing buildings in hot and humid climates.

This study addresses the performance limitations of standalone desiccant cooling systems in extreme climates by developing and optimizing a solar‐assisted hybrid desiccant evaporative cooling (SHDEC) system specifically for the hot and humid coastal climate of Saudi Arabia. The novel system configuration integrates a solid desiccant wheel, an indirect evaporative cooler (IEC), a heat pump, and a solar–thermal array for regeneration. Through extensive transient TRNSYS simulations and a detailed parametric analysis, key system parameters were optimized. The final SHDEC system achieved a solar fraction (SF) of 69%, maintained comfortable indoor conditions for 88% of the year, and demonstrated a coefficient of performance (COP) of 2.1, which rose to 4.9 when considering only grid‐supplied energy. Key findings from the parametric study identified an 80 m 2 glazed flat plate (FP) collector array, a 4 m 3 thermal storage tank, a 400 mm desiccant rotor, and a 2‐ton heat pump as the optimal configuration. The results confirm the SHDEC system as a highly viable and sustainable alternative to conventional vapor‐compression systems, offering significant energy savings and a path to reduced carbon emissions for cooling‐demanding regions.

A courtyard is an essential space for natural lighting and natural convective ventilation of residential buildings in hot-humid climates. This study focuses on the internal courtyard configuration on the thermal performance of long strip houses (LSH) in the hot-climate area of Hainan Island, China. The aim is to identify the best design parameters for the courtyard to improve thermal comfort in modern LSH design. Appropriate strategies, including Mahoney table, field investigation, and CFD simulation, are used to determine thermal performance. As a result, the design guidelines of the courtyard are proposed to optimize the thermal comfort towards energy saving. The study reveals the spatial characteristics and climate regulation of internal courtyards in traditional LSH. In addition, the simulation results show that the enclosure with a shaded cover and a high ratio of H/D is conducive to thermal environment and ventilation, and the section of contracted shape from bottom to top is a preferred option in the internal courtyard configuration. This study should, therefore, be of value in designing practical projects with an interior courtyard for architects.

Street vitality has become an important indicator for evaluating the attractiveness and potential for the sustainable development of urban neighborhoods. However, research on this topic may overestimate or underestimate the effects of different influencing factors, as most studies overlook the prevalent nonlinear and synergistic effects. This study takes the central urban districts of humid–hot cities in developing countries as an example, utilizing readily available big data sources such as Baidu Heat Map data, Baidu Map data, Baidu Building data, urban road network data, and Amap’s Point of Interest (POI) data to construct a Gradient-Boosting Decision Tree (GBDT) model. This model reveals the nonlinear and synergistic effects of different built environment factors on street vitality. The study finds that (1) construction intensity plays a crucial role in the early stages of urban street development (with a contribution value of 0.71), and as the city matures, the role of diversity gradually becomes apparent (with the contribution value increasing from 0.03 to 0.08); (2) the built environment factors have nonlinear impacts on street vitality; for example, POI density has different thresholds in the three cities (300, 200, and 500); (3) there are significant synergistic effects between different dimensions and indicators of the built environment, such as when the POI density is high and integration exceeds 1.5, a positive synergistic effect is notable, whereas a negative synergistic effect occurs when POI is low. This article further discusses the practical implications of the research findings, providing nuanced and targeted policy suggestions for humid–hot cities at different stages of development.