Over the last years the high demand in the use of air-conditioning systems in the residential sector have contributed to the increase in energy consumption levels. This is due basically to the low costs of electricity and household air-conditioning (A/C) systems allied to a social lifestyle change, demanding better comfort levels. Sales of air conditioning equipment have increased considerably over the past few years in all different regions of the world [1], especially small packaged A/C systems that can be easily installed by homeowners.

The elevated levels of thermal stress in these regions, combined with higher urban densities (which basically impairs the use of natural ventilation for some periods of the year) along with the use of houses not only for leisure purposes, but also as a work environment (requiring privacy, less noise and distance from pollution), are the most significant reasons to justify the use of A/C in the residential sector. But understanding A/C systems as the major consumers of energy, in addition to being a potential source of hazardous CFC emissions (through ozone depleting CFC refrigerants), makes their growth prohibitive, as their usage could offset the energy savings being achieved by more efficient use of lighting and/or heating. Pressures to install air-conditioning units will escalate further, in anticipation of the effects of global warming. It is therefore important to consider how they could be made more efficient, and more importantly: whether any viable alternatives exist.

Resources efficiency

Resource efficiency is a central principle of our world today. If we think about providing for today’s six billion people as well as the generations of tomorrow, resources of all types — physical, financial and human should not be squandered. We understand that energy is essential both to facilitate production and for its contribution to quality of life, the services it helps deliver — heating, cooling, light motive power, mobility, etc, and to enhance economic prosperity, personal comfort and leisure. Some of the most challenging environmental problems that mankind faces in the 21st century are directly linked with the production, transport, storage and use of energy.

Therefore, the importance of resources efficiency has grown dramatically in recent years, as preserving the environment is a key strategy to make the world’s ecosystem more economically and environmentally sustainable.

This research project (BR Ecoproject) is concerned with the appropriate use of resources through sustainable features, demonstrating throughout the design process how energy use can be minimized in this particular context.