Temperature variations in a housing of the semi-arid region of Djelfa (Algeria)

Temperature variations are analysed for two areas of Algeria, lying in a semi-arid region and near the West Coast, respectively, the Djelfa and Oran areas. This analysis mainly consists in computing the temperature deviations with respect to the reference levels of 18°C and 25°C. Their time variations are then studied. When summing the temperature deviations per month, the amount of energy, expressed in degree hour for each month of the year, necessary to heat and cool the houses during cold weather and hot periods, respectively, is obtained. An economic study of construction material efficiency is associated with the computation of the temperature deviations and applied to housing in semi-arid regions. It is shown that cheap traditional materials having great thermal inertia can advantageously be used for housing constructions in these regions.