An Energy Efficient School for A Nature Disposed Population in Arid Lands of Central Argentina

The monitoring and simulated thermal behavior of a passive solar school at the Northwest of La Pampa province (Argentina) and the results of social-environmental surveys are presented. The passive design strategies are direct solar gain, thermal mass, insulated building envelope, daylighting, and natural ventilation. The monitoring is carried out under normal conditions of use (with the heaters working because of students attendance) and during an unoccupied period in winter holidays. The transient thermal simulation is carried out with SIMEDIF for Windows, a software developed at INENCO (Non Conventional Energy Research Institute) and widely used by researchers of Argentina. Northern glazed areas, orientation, internal heat gains, and use of the heating system, are analyzed. The daily heating energy consumption is 0.009 m3/m2 of the building’s useful area. When compared to conventional schools, 90% of heating energy savings are noticed. The surveys show that a predicted percentage of dissatisfied (PPD) is around 5, with mean temperature and relative humidity around 17 C and 27%, 1.6 clo (with jacket), and 1.8 met of metabolic rate (1 met = 58 W/m2). Therefore, ISO 7730 standards are satisfactorily accomplished.