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Due to the increased demand for indoor air conditioning, the residential sector in tropical regions is becoming more and more energy intensive. In this study, several passive cooling strategies in the building sector in Guinea, such as natural ventilation, thermal insulation, and cool coating roof, as well as the coupling between these different solutions, have been evaluated. Therefore, the thermal behaviour of a residential building in two climatic zones of Guinea is evaluated. The building thermal discomfort is assessed by the adaptive and conventional approaches, as well as the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) thermal stress indicators and the PMV-PPD indices. The results show that high levels of discomfort and thermal stress are present in the reference building. The use of the combination of passive cooling strategies allowed a reduction of the thermal discomfort evaluated by an adaptive approach of 74% in Conakry and 65% in Kankan. The WBGT index was improved by 42% in Conakry and 45% in Kankan. The operative temperature also decreased to 4.4°C for Conakry and 3.61°C for Kankan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evaporative cooling pad system permits to cool buildings with less consumption of the electricity and without any use of refrigerant gases. A good evaporative cooling pad system must have a higher coefficient of performance and a lower rate of water consumption. In this study, the Taguchi method is used to investigate the effect of the velocity, the thickness of the pad, and the type of pads on the performances of cellulosic cooling pads. It was found that the velocity has more influence on the coefficient of performance and the water consumption while the pad thickness is the more significant parameter on the outlet temperature. For the three indicators, the best combinations of the influencing parameters are identified. The obtained results are confirmed by ANOVA analysis, and for fast sizing of the considered cooling pads, a regression model was presented for the aforementioned performance indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trend in energy consumption, with a particular focus on heating and cooling demand, is an issue that is relevant to the promotion of new energy policies and more efficient energy systems. Moreover, heating and cooling energy demand is expected to rise in the next several decades, mainly due to climate change as well as increasing incomes in developing countries. In this context, the building sector is currently a relevant energy-intensive economic sector in Morocco; it accounts for 33% of the country's total energy demand (as the sector with the second highest energy demand, after the transport sector), with the residential sector accounting for 25% and the tertiary sector accounting for 8%. Aiming to reduce energy dependence and promote sustainable development, the Moroccan government recently issued a comprehensive plan to increase the share of renewables and improve energy efficiency. This strategy includes novel thermal building regulations promoted by the Moroccan Agency for Energy Efficiency. This paper analyzes the thermal behavior and heating-cooling energy demand of a residential building located in Tangier (Morocco) as a case example, based on the country's new thermal regulations and considering specific climatological conditions. A comparison with common Moroccan residential buildings as well as with those in nearby countries with similar meteorological conditions but significant differences in terms of energy demand regulation and requirements, such as Spain, is also included. Simulations were carried out using the DesingBuilder and EnergyPlus Software packages. According to the results, the last building thermal regulation requirements in Morocco need to be revised and extended in order to achieve the energy efficiency objectives established by the Moroccan government for 2030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]