Indoor Wind Speed Coefficients for Estimating Summer Comfort

There is a wide range of factors that influence natural ventilation. The uncertainties arising from theunpredictable nature of wind lead to the need to account for periods of time when winds are unable to provide indoor summer comfort. Some methods for estimating natural ventilation are outlined together with the effects of high site coverage, building porosity, insect screens, and local wind shelter from adjacent houses and vegetation. Indoor wind speed coefficients provide a direct method for comparing the natural ventilation potential of housing stock. Adaptive thermal comfort establishes the monthly temperature for operative comfort and comfort zone to accommodate 80% of people. Houses in the tropical city of Townsville in Australia are used to examine the potential for indoor summer thermal comfort. Ceiling fans can provide an energy-efficient back-up source of air movement for indoor comfort when winds are inadequate. The poor potential for natural ventilation of most contemporary housing stock with high sitecoverage, raises concern for its long-term sustainability.