Analysis of thermal comfort in residential buildings in the city of Ha Tinh, Viet Nam

Abstract

The study was performed in Ha Tinh city of Vietnam and aims to investigate the current thermal condition inside houses of different urban neighborhoods by field measurement and survey. This is a starting point to develop sustainable housing and neighbourhood typologies as adaptation to climate change in the city. The survey was conducted in the summer of 2016. The analysis of the survey data showed that the satisfaction level of local inhabitants with actual thermal condition was relatively high, and the perception of those living in various neighborhoods did not differ significantly. To monitor the comfort level during summer in houses of Ha Tinh city, nine houses were selected based on their typologies and locations represented by local climate zones (LCZs). The investigation was conducted from late August to mid-October 2017. With data obtained from the field measurement, psychrometric analysis was performed and based on modified adaptive comfort model for South-East Asian people to evaluate thermal condition of considered houses. The analysis evaluated and showed explicit difference in comfort level between these housing typologies. Result of the analysis also showed a dependence of thermal comfort in different rooms of a house on their position and exposition to solar heat gained, but relation of comfort level to LCZs was not clear.