East-facing new Bangkok condos, 9 am October 1, 2015. Direct sun at an altitude of 40 degrees delivering about 400 watts per square meter net to interiors, or about 3 kw to room interior, say 10 kw-hrs cooling every non-cloudy morning. Curtains are deceptive from a thermal point of view: they keep out the light, but not the heat.
This is equivalent to four floor radiant room heaters blazing away in the room. Cooling power requirement for air conditioners to offset this solar gain will be about 3 kw-hrs electric, or 15 baht ($0.50) daily and the room interior comfort will be further diminished by radiant warm curtains and a need to keep windows shut without benefit of mildly refreshing morning air. ("I feel suffocate", my Thai wife says.)
But what is the fashion in condos these days? Glass, glass, more glass.....!
I talked to the salesman in this place. "Thai people do not like the west facing, too hot in the afternoon," he said. But what about the morning? Do you want a hot bedroom at 8 am?
Get a summer cottage in the hills as the Brits did.
ReplyDelete