summer

Heatwaves are extreme events that will become more frequent and intense with climate change. Maintaining a comfortable and healthy indoor environment becomes crucial during these periods. The occupants are not just passive individuals who undergo the evolution of their environment. They can act to ensure their thermal comfort, in particular by opening or closing windows in summer.

The Household Energy End-use Project (HEEP) has collected energy and temperaturedata on 397 randomly selected houses throughout New Zealand, providing a statisticallyrepresentative national sample. This database has been used to explore the drivers ofsummer indoor temperatures. The general lack of air-conditioning means that summertemperatures are affected by passive influences (e.g. house design, construction)compared to winter temperatures where space heating is used.