Improvement of thermal comfort in residential buildings by passive solar strategies using direct gain techniques

ABSTRACT: Sustainable environment and energy issues have been increasingly in demand in worldwide architecture over recent years. This subject has provoked the architects and developers to deal with renewable energy more and more. Sun as source of energy is clean, endless, as well as human is very familiar with it as daylight. In this regard, passive solar energy as a kind of solar energy can be used for buildings to take advantage of solar power. Moreover, progresses in passive solar technologies accelerate improvement of the building energy quality. To deal with ecological issues such a problem interconnection is required between human and its environment. Housing not only is a place to meet the fundamental demands for shelter, but it also meets other demands related to provide sustainable life. Energy performance of residential buildings according to climatic changes may influence on the building and its environment. A building can be developed by taking advantages of environmental control or might be harmed by it. Apart from all, technology developments in energy usage especially solar use; whether directly or indirectly, provide a ground to harness solar radiations in an easier and more applicable way. In one side, in the case of North Cyprus, considerable potential is seen in solar use and the relevant strategies. On the other side, trend of reducing the dependency trigger a great attention to exploit energy from sun like using solar collectors in North Cyprus as the most outstanding ones. Passive solar energy exploited different sections of buildings through architectural design such as incorporating windows to invite solar light and heat or thermal mass as natural cooling and heating system. This study makes effort to demonstrate scarcities and defects of passive solar elements by surveying on a series of buildings along with discovering their potential areas on Salamis Road, Gazimağusa (Famagusta), North Cyprus. Ultimately, this study will clarify how energy consumption decreases by taking advantages of passive solar strategies result in thermal comfort and more efficient residential buildings as a main objective. Keywords: Renewable energy, Energy consumption, Energy efficiency, Passive solar design, Thermal comfort.