Sustainable Subdivision Design and Energy Consumption of Households in the Hot and Humid Tropical Climate of Darwin

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between sustainable subdivision design principals, local microclimate, and household electricity consumption. The energy-efficient subdivision design principals, energy consumption, and adjustment behaviour of 36 households were investigated in two suburbs of the city of Darwin. The participating households completed a questionnaire on family structure, thermal preferences, and behavioural adjustment to the indoor environment. Electricity consumption of households was recorded at 30-min intervals from Nov 2015 to Aug 2016. The Muirhead suburb, designed with energy-efficiency and climate-responsive design principals, has 16.9 lots per ha in dense areas and a minimum lot area of 450 m2. Another suburb, Lyons, has 14.4 lots per ha and a minimum lot area of 525 m2. Households were divided by lot areas into three categories: category 1 (450–610 m2), category 2 (611–710 m2), and category 3 (>710 m2). In Muirhead, the average daily consumption of category one household in the warmer wet season was 98 Wh/m2 per person compared to 154 Wh/m2pp in Lyons. In the cooler, dry season 48 Wh/m2pp in Muirhead and 87 Wh/m2pp in Lyons. The cooling load calculated using multiple regression analysis showed that the main difference in energy consumption between two suburbs was in the base load. Thus, the energy-efficiency and climate-responsive design principals, applied to the subdivision, mitigate the impact of urban heat on cooling energy consumption in the hot and humid climate of Darwin. These are preliminary results and further investigation of the factors that have an impact on energy consumption of participating households is continuing.