The use of earth tube system as a means of improving indoor thermal comfort in South China.

This paper reports on an investigation of the use of an innovative earth tube ventilation system designed to improve the internal comfort conditions without the need for mechanical cooling. The numerical model and computer simulation developed for the prediction of air and soil temperatures has been made. The paper demonstrates the accuracy of this model and describes the results of analysis. Preliminary conclusions show that the earth tube ventilation system can make considerable improvements to the indoor thermal comfort within buildings in south China, without the expense and energy implications of installing air conditioning.