Design recommendations for robust thermal summer comfort in residential lightweight buildings in a moderate climate

The use of timber frame constructions in dwellings is gaining popularity in Belgium. Continuous improvement of EPBD requirements causes a low heating demand resulting in an increasing risk on overheating in these lightweight dwellings. Designers lack easy-to-use guidelines ensuring robust thermal summer comfort. Therefore, a parametric study with building energy simulations (BES) is conducted for a typical Flemish (Belgian) dwelling. Main design parameters and the effect of boundary conditions are analysed. The results demonstrate the critical role of effective solar protection and increased ventilation rates during occupation. The significant impact of boundary conditions shows the sensitivity of the design parameters. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).