National thermal standards have historically been set to minimise winter heating energy in detached houses. It is uncertain whether these standards are optimal for the increasing number of joined, medium-density dwellings when summer and winter conditions are considered. Using freely available software, annual heating energy use and summertime peak temperatures were calculated for a number of versions of detached and joined dwellings offering the same occupied volume and window areas. Initial results indicated that, as expected, the joined dwellings required less heating energy. The detached house exhibited a higher peak summertime temperature but a lower overall average daily temperature.
Birchmore, R. (2018). Medium-density Dwellings in Auckland and the Building Regulations. Unitec ePress Occasional and Discussion Paper Series (2018:2).
https://doi.org/10.34074/ocds.0822
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