Summer Discomfort Reduction by Direct Evaporative Cooling in Southern Mediterranean Areas

The present study analyses the effect of direct evaporative cooling (DEC) in reducing the number of discomfort hours in the area of Southern Europe and the Mediterranean. A total of 20 urban locations were selected in order to cover different climate conditions in the chosen area. Cooling degree hours and virtual climatic discomfort hours were calculated for the entire set of locations. Furthermore, the analysis is based on a sample building simulated in EnergyPlus for every location considering both a baseline (free running) and a direct evaporative cooling case. Night ventilation was also simulated in order to compare this technique with DEC. The chosen DEC model is the direct CelDekPad, a single stage evaporative cooler compatible with EnergyPlus. A psychrometric analysis was carried out and comfort boundaries identified for helping designers in considering DEC and night ventilation suitability from the early design phases (e.g. building programming).