Field assessment of thermal behaviour of social housing apartments in Bilbao, Northern Spain

The aim of this research is to describe a methodology for analysing the thermal performance of buildings under a holistic approach. An overview of the thermal performance of the social housing stock in a city with mild climate in Spain is presented. Social housing stock in Bilbao is classified by means of selecting 10 representative dwellings. A field study was performed during 10 months. Results of heating consumption as well as indoor conditions are presented. Results show that energy consumption in winter is not as high as expected, due to the low indoor temperatures. Amongst other factors, the influence of the occupants plays an important role in the final thermal performance of dwellings.