Performance of a low-energy-consumption house experiencing a Mediterranean climate

A two-storey, four-bedroomed, flat-roofed detached house, with a plan area of 115 m2 and a total floor area of 240 m2, has been designed and its behaviour simulated using a thermal-analysis computer system (TAS). The aim was to reduce the purchased-energy consumption, during both the heating and cooling seasons, required to achieve the thermal comfort of the occupants within the building. The conclusions from this simulation analysis were implemented when constructing a four-bedroomed house in Sarih, Jordan (32.6 °N, 35.9 °E and 616 m above sea level). The thermal performance of this four-bedroomed house has been measured and the resulting experimental data corroborated the simulation predictions. During construction, the building evolved somewhat from the theoretical design investigated. The actual performance achieved is far superior to that of the typical nominally-similar sized, house commonly found in Jordan