Influence of residents’ behaviour on the thermal environment of a common garden path for detached houses in summer

ABSTRACT

For detached houses sharing a common garden path, the lifestyle of the residents is an important factor to ensure comfort in summer. This study aims to investigate the thermal environment of a common garden path (A) and the potential for improving the path (A) focusing on residents’ behaviour. Measurements of the thermal environment at (A) and an asphalt street (B) showed (A) being cooler than (B) because of the shade by trees and soil ground. However, air conditioner (A/C) outlets along (A) lead to higher temperatures. To address this issue, the effect of watering, less usage of A/C, and solar shading effect by tree growth were investigated through measurement, simulation, and questionnaire survey for residents along (A). The residents that open their windows for longer tended to consume less energy for A/C use and perceive the cooling effects of both tree shade and watering.

KEYWORDS:

• Outdoor thermal environment
• watering
• resident behaviour
• solar shading by trees
• common garden path

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.