The evaluation of real-time indoor environment parameters measured in 297 Chilean dwellings

People spend the majority of their time in their own homes and so the indoor environmental conditions are an important determinant of population health and wellbeing and have economic consequences. Chile is undergoing rapid economic growth and is managing its national energy demand to minimize its greenhouse gas emissions. Its housing stock is growing rapidly, and is responsible for 15% of national energy demand. Accordingly, there is a need to understand the performance of the stock by measuring parameters that indicate air quality, thermal comfort, and energy demand. This study is a preliminary examination of real-time indoor and outdoor measurements of air temperature made in 297 dwellings during 2016 and 2017 as part of the Red Nacional de Monitoreo de Viviendas (ReNaM) program, implemented by The Ministry of Housing and Urbanism of Chile. Indoor temperatures are generally found to be cold when compared to the European adaptive model of thermal comfort, EN 15251. However, they are above temperature thresholds found to affect negatively the health of vulnerable groups for 78% of the time. There are significant seasonal differences in indoor air temperature but modest differences between day and night time temperatures. The winter temperatures are low, indicating limited effective heating, and households of low socio-economic status are colder than those of mid and high status. There is no evidence of mechanical cooling in the summer.