Bioclimatic building regulations for warm-dry climates

Abstract

In Mexico, regulations on energy efficiency in buildings are in the early stages and have been poorly mixed among the different actors involved in the building processes. This situation results in the fact that economically disadvantaged people cannot have access to comfortable and energy efficient environments. This problem becomes worse in the northern regions of the country, which require air conditioning, because of the dry warm climate, for several months of the year. A proposal of a technical standard about bioclimatic buildings for warm-dry climates is presented in this paper. Also, the process for its development is described. This involves monitoring and analysis of typical dwellings in Hermosillo city in northwest México, a hot-dry climate location. The proposed regulation aims to reduce the environmental impact of the construction industry and energy use in buildings, by incorporating mandatory, optional and incentivized requirements to improve energy efficiency and the building's habitability. The proposal develops a set of articulated provisions in three main areas: efficient energy use; environmental comfort; vegetation with low water consumption in urban areas. It is intended that these regulations will apply to all new buildings, expansions and major refurbishments, once they have been incorporated into municipal regulations. © 2014 WIT Press.