The effect of building construction and human factors in cooling energy use

This study's purpose is to evaluate air-conditioning energy consumption by conducting interviews and recording data from 50 single-family houses. All study houses applying similar styles of tropical architecture and has similar methods of building construction, with the U-values for building materials having moderate levels of thermal resistance. The finding reveals that the majority of households spends more than 37% of their energy costs on cooling during the raining season and estimating to increase by the drought seasons. The greater use of air-conditioners has resulted in an increased purchasing power of the population. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.