Thermal performance of bedrooms in a multi-storey residential building in southern Brazil

This paper presents a methodology used to compare the thermal performance of bedrooms in a multi-storey residential building located in Florianópolis, southern Brazil. Air temperature was recorded over a 29-day period in eight unoccupied bedrooms located on two floors and four orientations. The assessment involved the measurement of absorptance of the colour of external surfaces, calculation of thermal properties of walls and windows, drawing of shading on the windows, correlation between external and internal temperatures, and correlation between temperature differences and thermal properties. The main conclusion that can be made from the research is that U-value and façade area are the two variables that show the best correlation with maximum air temperatures and therefore should be minimised in order to improve thermal conditions over summer; and that thermal capacity and thermal time lag are the two variables that show the best correlation with minimum air temperatures and should be maximised to improve thermal conditions over winter.