Abstract

This study is part of a main goal, whose aim is to improve the physical quality of those constructive social housing that were built before the Chilean Thermal Regulation (TR). To achieve this objective, it was selected four social housing as case studies. These houses represent a vulnerable sector of south central Chile and those were subject to a physical-constructive diagnostic. The diagnosis was based on three methods: in-situ measurements, dynamic simulations and user perception. The in-situ measurements were: a test of indoor and outdoor temperature, thermal flow of the perimeter wall and windows, and a blower door test to measure the exterior air infiltration. The infiltration performance is a serious problem in the Chilean construction, whose represent a major energy loss. In spite of that is not considered in the current TR. In this study it is shown how the infiltrations influence the energy efficiency of housing and other aspects, such as the quality of indoor air. Dynamic simulations were complemented by the experimental results to bring the simulation near to reality and get reliable outcomes. For the case studies simulations were set certain inputs that are not standardized in Chile: the minimum of natural and artificial ventilation, internal gains, a comfort temperature range for summer and winter, among others. The result of the free running simulations was the temperature frequency, which throw know how many hours are the housing not in comfort. Then, with heating and cooling systems included are delivered results as: energy demand, influence of elements that lose more or less energy, the total sum of ventilation and infiltration, etc. Finally, the results obtained from these two methods were compared with the user's perception, delivered from the surveys of users of the four neighborhoods.