Bangkok weather BS I: heat wave

We read today in our morning Bangkok Post how the temperature is going to be 41 (104F) today, with various Thai experts competing to explain why that will come to pass. No surprise to this observer that it is 33 with max 34 anticipated now at 11 am. Oh yes, it "feels like 41" whatever that means (it always feels like 41 when it's really 33 in Bangkok?)

Why this nonsense? The public discourse on weather and climate in Bangkok is becoming so foolish that it warrants a special series of posts here, beginning with this one, with some more coming up on such matters as the evidence for drastic warming in SE Asia, the coming drowning of Bangkok, etc.

I have a farm up in Isan, the elevation is about 200 meters. Last year my neighbor asked me if there was a danger of the sea reaching this height. 

You might think that only simple Asian peasants would think this way, but I can assure you that many of the people at a dinner party I attended last year in Atherton, California, richest town in the world, had pretty much the same idea.

Bangkok heat, humidity.... and better health?

Everyone commenting about the heat as hot muggy air drowns Bangkok the last couple of days. The cool season now ending. But coincidently or not, my post-pneumonia sinus problems are much alleviated. But symptoms reactivate after sitting below a (probably) dirty air conditioner for a couple of hours. Will have to ask around at the gym whether fellow sufferers having similar experience. Respiratory problems including pneumonia tied to cooler drier weather? New York study over many years says "yes". Thai as always say it's all about "change in weather."

Bangkok heat, humidity.... and better health?

Everyone commenting about the heat as hot muggy air drowns Bangkok the last couple of days. The cool season now ending. But coincidently or not, my post-pneumonia sinus problems are much alleviated. But symptoms reactivate after sitting below a (probably) dirty air conditioner for a couple of hours. Will have to ask around at the gym whether fellow sufferers having similar experience. Respiratory problems including pneumonia tied to cooler drier weather? New York study over many years says "yes". Thai as always say it's all about "change in weather."

Florida v. Bangkok air conditioning

Florida test house for air conditioning studies.

Seeking some comparisons between Bangkok and American cities I came across a collection of studies of typical residential air conditioning use in southern Florida, by Danny Parker and colleagues at Florida Solar Energy Center, probably the best single source that I have found for good contemporary research material available for southern US practices and potentials.

 This particular study focussed on several houses in South Florida, and I set out to compare the A/C use there with my own condo here in Bangkok. The structural properties of the two structures are not vastly different, though the Florida houses have to handle a significant heat load from the roof which does not affect us here in Thailand because we are on the 17th floor of a 23 floor building. On the other hand we get some free cooling from the cool party walls between us and our neighbors, who keep their place cold.

I earlier made some comparison of local cooling demand (based on my own high thermostat set point recommendation) as shown following. 

Cooling degree days per month for one year

Bangkok is clearly the queen of heat and humidity, but similar to Houston later in the summer. Miami comes in at about half the daily demand in late summer. The studies by Parker et al are for a group of single family tract houses with about 1000 square foot air-conditioned area, typically four or more residents, and about twice the air-conditioning capacity (2 to 2.5 ton) as my condo here in Bangkok. The Florida homes air-conditioning power use is typically 15 to 20 kwh per day with interior temperatures of 24 C, very close to Bangkok for air conditioned space in residences here (though I beg to differ).

For comparison I have earlier described our minimal condo use of air conditioning – one 250 ft.² bedroom with night use only at 25C, at an energy price about 10 kwh per day. In the Florida houses the more extensive use and larger area of the houses pushes the energy up to about 20 kwh per day. In both cases, Florida and Bangkok hot-season energy use amounts to about half of the electric bill, with a premium cost in the hot season (Bangkok) at about about ten cents US per kilowatt hour, in the range of about $1-$2 per day. On the other hand some of our well-to-condo neighbors reportedly have hot season electric bills of up to $30 per day because they air condition their spaces (some sun-facing, see previous entries) 24/7! 

Ref: Monitored Energy Use Patterns In Low-Income Housing In A Hot And Humid Climate. Danny S. Parker, Maria D. Mazzara, and John R. Sherwin 

Florida v. Bangkok air conditioning

Florida test house for air conditioning studies.

Seeking some comparisons between Bangkok and American cities I came across a collection of studies of typical residential air conditioning use in southern Florida, by Danny Parker and colleagues at Florida Solar Energy Center, probably the best single source that I have found for good contemporary research material available for southern US practices and potentials.

 This particular study focussed on several houses in South Florida, and I set out to compare the A/C use there with my own condo here in Bangkok. The structural properties of the two structures are not vastly different, though the Florida houses have to handle a significant heat load from the roof which does not affect us here in Thailand because we are on the 17th floor of a 23 floor building. On the other hand we get some free cooling from the cool party walls between us and our neighbors, who keep their place cold.

I earlier made some comparison of local cooling demand (based on my own high thermostat set point recommendation) as shown following. 

Cooling degree days per month for one year

Bangkok is clearly the queen of heat and humidity, but similar to Houston later in the summer. Miami comes in at about half the daily demand in late summer. The studies by Parker et al are for a group of single family tract houses with about 1000 square foot air-conditioned area, typically four or more residents, and about twice the air-conditioning capacity (2 to 2.5 ton) as my condo here in Bangkok. The Florida homes air-conditioning power use is typically 15 to 20 kwh per day with interior temperatures of 24 C, very close to Bangkok for air conditioned space in residences here (though I beg to differ).

For comparison I have earlier described our minimal condo use of air conditioning – one 250 ft.² bedroom with night use only at 25C, at an energy price about 10 kwh per day. In the Florida houses the more extensive use and larger area of the houses pushes the energy up to about 20 kwh per day. In both cases, Florida and Bangkok hot-season energy use amounts to about half of the electric bill, with a premium cost in the hot season (Bangkok) at about about ten cents US per kilowatt hour, in the range of about $1-$2 per day. On the other hand some of our well-to-condo neighbors reportedly have hot season electric bills of up to $30 per day because they air condition their spaces (some sun-facing, see previous entries) 24/7! 

Ref: Monitored Energy Use Patterns In Low-Income Housing In A Hot And Humid Climate. Danny S. Parker, Maria D. Mazzara, and John R. Sherwin 

It's a bit of a breeze you'll be needing

Contrary to what you might read in standard western books on thermal comfort, people in the tropics are not really troubled by a slight breeze, by which they mean 1 to 2 meters per second. But this vastly changes their perception of temperature as you can see here. Even temperatures up to 35 deg C can be accepted with a “slight breeze”. Right axis is temperature in Celsius, left is wind velocity, meters per second. Most people find the blue zones comfortable.

MODELLING THERMAL COMFORT FOR TROPICS USING FUZZY LOGIC

Henry Feriadi, Wong Nyuk Hien
Department of Building, School of Design and Environment National University of Singapore
4 Architecture Drive, Singapore 117566

It's a bit of a breeze you'll be needing

Contrary to what you might read in standard western books on thermal comfort, people in the tropics are not really troubled by a slight breeze, by which they mean 1 to 2 meters per second. But this vastly changes their perception of temperature as you can see here. Even temperatures up to 35 deg C can be accepted with a “slight breeze”. Right axis is temperature in Celsius, left is wind velocity, meters per second. Most people find the blue zones comfortable.

MODELLING THERMAL COMFORT FOR TROPICS USING FUZZY LOGIC

Henry Feriadi, Wong Nyuk Hien
Department of Building, School of Design and Environment National University of Singapore
4 Architecture Drive, Singapore 117566