Energy Efficient Skylight Design in Tropical Houses

Abstract:

Skylight roofing construction isa practical complement to electric lighting even in various climatic conditions. However, a purely energy efficient building that ignores what the environment can contribute, particularly in tropical regions, will consume more energy. This problem can be found in landed houses specifically in Malaysia due to high impact of solar radiation and the length of the daylight period all year round. The lack of understanding the potential of skylight design is one of the main challenges. This paper aims to examine several passive glazing materials in the form of glass and plastic as well as dimensions and orientations under the Malaysian environmental conditions to determine the efficiency of this skylight construction design. The study was carried out by computer simulation to specify the thermal and daylighting loads in a specific room size. The resultsshow the significance of polycarbonate glazing as an efficient skylight material in the tropical houses. This materialdelivers well distributed natural light with less heat impact. This study provides useful quantitative and qualitative information for building professionals and architects in the tropics.

• Periodical: Key Engineering Materials (Volume 632)
• Pages: 45-56
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.632.45
• Online since: November 2014
• Authors: Karam M. Al-Obaidi, Mazran Ismail, Abdul Malek Abdul Rahman
• Keywords: Daylighting, Glazing Materials, Skylight, Tropical Houses

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