ISSN 2278-1447 Volume – 3, Issue – 1 International Journal of Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (IJMSE), March 2014

A Review on Passive Cooling Practices in

Residential Buildings
A. Ramesh Kumar1, KCK. Vijyakumar2, PSS. Sinivasan3
1
Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Erode Builder Educational Trust‟s Group
of Institutions, Kangaym-638 108, e-mail: endrumramesh@yahoo.com
2
Professor and Principal, Vivekanandha Institute of Engineering and Technology,
Tiruchengode-637205, e-mail: vijikck@yahoo.com
3
Professor and Principal, Knowledge Institute of Technology,
Salem-637 504, e-mail: pssmech@yahoo.com
Abstract - This review focused on passive cooling techniques Planting trees, vegetation, water around the buildings, open
through literature study that can be incorporated on residential courtyards and white painted exteriors vary the hot burning
buildings to make them comfort and cuts electricity expenses. Hot micro-climate. Passive design allows buildings to adapt more
arid country like India consumes enormous amount of electricity
appropriately to their local climates and take better advantage of
to maintain comfortness inside the residential buildings. To meet
natural energy resources, such as wind and thermal buoyancy, to
out the cooling load the energy requisite growing year by year
help condition their interior environments. Furthermore, passive,
radically. In particular during summer the need of electricity is
more to provide the cooling load for air conditioners, air coolers
naturally ventilated buildings have potential to provide more
and fans to maintain the temperature in comfort level. pleasant and healthier environments for the occupants compared
Throughout the world research on passive cooling is carried out to their mechanically ventilated counterparts. A well-designed
by many researchers and various techniques are adopted to naturally ventilated building can use just a third of the energy
reduce the temperature inside the room. Each and every degree consumed by an air- conditioned building, while seemingly
temperature drop inside the room with the assist of passive cooling giving an equivalent level of comfort.
technique will considerably reduce the energy consumption by the
Comprehensively, buildings are answerable for acquire 40%
cooling appliances. A review on various practices proposed and
of the whole world's yearly energy utilization. The greater part
experiential by the researchers has been done in this paper.
of this energy is for the procurement of lighting, warming,
Benefits and drawbacks of the techniques are discussed.
Additional work is needed in the area of material science that can
cooling and ventilating. The expanding level of harm to the
be enhancing the efficiency of passive cooling techniques in future. earth has made more excellent mindfulness at the global level,
Keywords- Passive cooling, residential building, temperature drop, which brought about the idea of efficient power vitality building
material science in the infrastructural area. Increasing concerns about worldwide
temperature present the building engineering with a challenge to
I. INTRODUCTION cut its energy utilization. In countries such as the UK and the
The region with arid climate excessive heat is the major US, for example, the building sector consumes of order 40-50%
problem that causes human thermal discomfort. Cooling is the of the total delivered energy [2-3].
basic requirement of occupants of the buildings, in the smart The climate control systems, specifically ventilation, cooling
buildings it can be provided by electro-mechanical equipments and heating can account for as much as 70% of the total energy
like air conditioners. The traditional architecture in hot arid use [4]. On the other hand, this component of the energy
climate had various passive cooling methodologies which consumption can be reduced considerably by utilizing passive
supported the thermal comfort in residential buildings [1]. environmental solutions as an alternative of mechanical ones.

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 ISSN 2278-1447 Volume – 3, Issue – 1 International Journal of Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (IJMSE), March 2014
II. SOLAR PASSIVE TECHNIQUES
Solar passive methods are followed by our ancient people to
fight against the heat entering to the occupant‟s room. Lots of
passive cooling practices are carried out to reduce the heat
penetration inside the building through roof. Passive cooling can
be defined as the removal/restriction of heat from/to the
environment of building by utilizing the natural processes of
rejecting heat to the ambient atmosphere by convection,
evaporation, and radiation or to the adjacent earth by
conduction and convection.
Fig 2.1. Classification of passive cooling methods
Buildings can be designed and oriented in such a way that
windows, doors, indoor spaces etc. are located and oriented to
take maximum advantage of the local climate. The role of
landscaping around the building e.g. trees, vegetation and water
ponds have also been used to maximum effect [5]. The major
classifications of passive cooling are natural ventilation,
thermal mass and evaporative cooling.
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Thermal Mass
Thermal mass depends on the ability of materials in the
building to absorb heat during the day. Each night the mass
releases heat, making it ready to absorb heat again the next day.
To be effective, thermal mass must be exposed to the living
spaces. Residential buildings are considered to have average
mass when the exposed mass area is equal to the floor area. So,
for every square foot of floor area there is one square foot of
exposed thermal mass. A slab floor would be an easy way to
accomplish this in a design. High mass buildings would have
up to three square feet of exposed mass for each square foot of
floor area. Large masonry fireplaces and interior brick walls are
two ways to incorporate high mass.
Evaporative Cooling
Evaporative cooling lowers the indoor air temperature by
evaporating water. In dry climates, this is commonly done
directly in the space. But indirect methods, such as roof ponds,
allow evaporative cooling to be used in more temperate
climates too. Ventilation and evaporative cooling are often
supplemented with mechanical means, such as fans. Even so,
they use substantially less energy to maintain comfort
compared to refrigeration systems. It is also possible to use
these strategies in completely passive systems that require no
additional machinery or energy to operate.
Natural Ventilation
Natural ventilation depends purely on air development to
cool occupants. Window openings on contrary sides of the
building improve cross ventilation determined by breezes.
Since natural breezes can't be planned, architects regularly
decide to upgrade common ventilation utilizing tall spaces
inside structures called stacks. With openings near the highest
point of the stack, warm air can escape, while cooler air enters
the building from openings next to the ground. Ventilation
makes the building to be open throughout the day to permit
wind stream.
 ISSN 2278-1447 Volume – 3, Issue – 1 International Journal of Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (IJMSE), March 2014
Fig 2.2. Schematic diagram for various types of passive
cooling non-architectural techniques used on roofs
III. EVAPO-REFLECTIVE ROOF
Evapo-reflective roof used to improve space cooling in
buildings for hot arid. The analysis examined theoretically the
effectiveness of such roof cooling system in comparison to a
bare roof. The results showed that cooling inside buildings can
be improved by the application of such cooling design [6,7]. It
was also seen that combining evapo-reflective roof with night
ventilation increase more significantly such cooling.
Fig 3.1. Schematic diagram of Evapo-reflective roof
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Fig 3.2. Evapo-reflective roof
The inside air temperature can be reduced by 6 to 10°C, with
an optimum of 22 cm air gap, then the performance of the roof
with cooling system was improved when night natural
ventilation was allowed through the test cell opened window
and door during night time, which decrease the inside air
temperature by 2 to 3°C [8].
IV. PASSIVE EVAPORATIVE COOLING WALL (PECW)
A passive evaporative cooling wall (PECW) which was
constructed of porous pipe-shaped ceramics with high water
soaking-up ability. The air passing through the PECW unit was
cooled and its temperature could be reduced by around 20C
during summer daytime.
Fig 4.1. Passive Evaporative Cooling Wall
This cooling effect from the PECW unit can be quantified in
terms of the cooling efficiency. Experimental results showed
that an average value of the cooling efficiency was 0.17 for a
 ISSN 2278-1447 Volume – 3, Issue – 1 International Journal of Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (IJMSE), March 2014
sunny daytime period in summer [9]. As limitations of this
cooling system, it is not suitable for the extreme humid climate
and locations with a shortage of water for evaporation.
V. RADIANT BARRIERS
Thin metal films, typically stapled to the underside of attic
rafters, will reflect approx. 97% of long-wave infrared heat
radiation. Ceiling insulation improves comfort and cuts
electricity costs [10]. It will enable occupants to feel cooler and
reduce indoor air temperature by 40C in the afternoon. Also
eliminates the “toaster” effect by lowering the ceiling
temperature by 180 C and reduces or eliminate the need for an
air conditioner. The insulation pays for itself in 1 to 2 years.
Fig 5.1. Evapo-reflective roof
Fig 5.2. Types of Radiation Barriers
(a) Cellulose Attic Insulation (b) Radiant Barrier
(c) Foam board ceiling insulation (d) Attic Ventilators
The simplest solution is to let longwave radiation pass
through the insulation by changing its structure [11]. It is
estimated that this roof would remain on average 4.5°C cooler
than a standard roof over a year. The selection of an appropriate
material for the convection guard, which must also function as
4
a solar reflector and a longwave transmitter, is likely to be the
source of the next trade-off to resolve [12].
VI. WETTED GUNNY BAG COVERED ROOF
The treated room had the entire roof covered with bags filled
with sawdust in such a manner that it had uniform thickness
Sawdust is hygroscopic in nature. It controls the rate of
vaporisation of water, which migrates to atmosphere due to
vapour pressure differential [13]. Water was sprinkled on it in
the morning. Since, saw dust has good retentivity for water
there is no need for sprinkling the water again and again.
Fig 6.1 Types of Radiation Barriers
Due to evaporation of water, the temperature of water in the
bags is decreased. Also, direct radiation does not reach on the
roof as these are absorbed by the water in the bags. Bags used
act as a heat sink both for radiation and heat from the roof [14].
It has been observed that the average temperature of the
untreated room during the period of observation was 35°C, and
that the average temperature of the treated room was 30.6°C,
showing a difference of 4.4°C.
VII. OTHER PASSIVE COOLING METHODS
Decrease use of heating appliances - oven, stove, toaster
oven, hairdryer, clothes dryer. Replace heat producing
incandescent lighting with compact fluorescent lighting. Close
curtains and windows during the day for any south-and west-
facing window that lets in direct.
Nighttime cooling - Open windows and doors to admit cool
night air. Close them again as the sun rises. A well-insulated
building will retain “cool” for many hours.
 ISSN 2278-1447 Volume – 3, Issue – 1 International Journal of Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (IJMSE), March 2014
Interior window coverings - Miniblinds can reduce solar heat
gain by 40 to 50% – Real Goods Solar Living Sourcebook
Exterior window shades or awnings - Once the sun hits the
window, the heat gets in the house by conduction, even if there
is a shade and a curtain on the inside of the window.
Hang tightly - woven screens or bamboo shades outside the
window during the summer to stop 60-80% of the sun‟s heat
from getting to the window. – Real Goods Solar Living
Sourcebook
Weatherization - Weatherization is the plugging and sealing
of air leaks. Usually emphasized for northern climates in
wintertime to keep heat in, it can also effectively keep heat and
humidity out. Weather stripping doors, windows and attic
openings; sealing around plumbing vents; insulating around
electrical wire penetrations; sealing holes between the living
space and the attic/crawlspace.
Personal cooling solutions - Proper clothing, hats, cool
drinks, proper hydration, hand fans, and the wisdom of the siesta
time are common sense solutions we often overlook. Ceiling and
table fans can move the air around inside.
VIII. CONCLUSION
Passive cooling technique is the bare minimum costly
method for cooling a home in both money related and natural
terms. To be effective, passive cooling needs to cool both the
building and the people in it. Passive cooling maximises the
efficiency of the building envelope by reducing heat gain from
the outdoor environment and assists heat loss through natural
sources of cooling. The main elements of design for passive
cooling are orientation for exposure to cooling breezes generally
to the south. Increase natural ventilation by reducing barriers to
air paths through the building by providing fans for improving
ventilation and air movement in the absence of breeze.
Designing floor plan layout in such a way that the bedrooms to
the south and living to the north. Placing appropriate windows
and glazing to minimise unwanted heat gains and maximise
ventilation, effective shading including planting. Adequate
levels of appropriate insulation and thermal mass construction
will increase the building efficiency. Use of light coloured roofs
and walls to reflect more solar radiation and reduce heat gain.
Air movement is the most important element of passive cooling,
it increases cooling by increasing evaporation rates. Elevated
structures can increase exposure to breezes. Moderate south
facing glass areas are required for cross ventilation and day
lighting.
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