ANALYSIS OF THERMO-ENERGY PERFORMANCE IN ARTIFICIALLY CONDITIONED BEDROOMS FROM SOCIAL HOUSING BUILDINGS IN BRAZIL

Brazil, with a territorial extension of approximately 8.5 million km² and diverse climatic conditions, is distributed into eight bioclimatic zones. This study examined the impact of thermal insulation on the envelope of a single-family social housing unit located in bioclimatic zones 3 and 8 in Brazil. Various envelope solutions that incorporate thermal insulation were evaluated to assess the effect on the nighttime energy performance of artificially conditioned bedrooms. The analyses were conducted through computer simulations using EnergyPlus 8.1 software on a housing unit model with two bedrooms, comparing strategies for thermal insulation placement on walls and roofs across four Brazilian cities: Florianópolis, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Natal. The parameters evaluated in the simulations were: types of walls; types of roofs; types of windows; orientation; use of insulation in the envelope; and with or without daytime natural ventilation. The findings indicated that optimal thermal-energy performance is achieved when thermal insulation was applied solely to the internal part of the envelope walls. Furthermore, the analysis conducted in the four cities demonstrated that the building's thermal performance was compromised in the absence of daytime ventilation, even with the presence of thermal insulation. This result emphasized the importance of implementing mechanisms that promote daytime ventilation, such as pivoting windows or ventilated shutters. This study presented important strategies to enhance energy efficiency in artificially conditioned bedrooms, which can be adopted during the design phase of new social housings.