BS: Lesson 4 - Comfort, Climate and Solar Design

Question 1

What are the 5 factors that affect human comfort?

Answer 1

culture

recent exposure

health

age

metabolism

Question 2

In what direction does heat flow.

Answer 2

From hot to cold

Question 3

In regards to human comfort, what happens when the environment’s temperature reaches 98.6 degrees?

Answer 3

All heat loss from conduction, convection and radiation stops

Question 4

What happens when the environment’s temperature rises higher than 98.6 degrees?

Answer 4

The body direction of heat flow reverses and the body tries to remain at 98.6 degrees.

Question 5

What is Enthalpy?

Answer 5

The sum of sensible and latent heat.

Question 6

What is a Psychrometric Chart?

Answer 6

A chart used to show the relationship between the environment’s temperature and humidity and its EFFECT on human comfort.

Question 7

A constant amount of water in the air DOES or DOES NOT represents a constant relative humidity (RH)

Answer 7

Does not.

Question 8

On a Psychrometric Chart, the curved lines represent what?

Answer 8

Relative humidity.

Question 9

On a Psychrometric Chart, the vertical lines represent what?

Answer 9

Dry-bulb temperature (air temperature)

Question 10

On a Psychrometric Chart, the horizontal lines represent what?

Answer 10

The amount of water contained by the air (i.e. grains of moisture per pound of dry air)

Question 11

On a Psychrometric Chart, the diagonal lines running right to left represent what?

Answer 11

Wet-bulb temperature.

Question 12

What is relative humidity?

Answer 12

The percentage of how much water is in the air at a give temperature compared to how much the air could hold at that temperature.

Question 13

When relative humidity increases, temperature will________ ?

Answer 13

decrease

Question 13

Which can hold more water? Cold or Warm air?

Answer 13

Warm air

Question 14

True or False.

Temperature and relative humidity are interrelated?

Answer 14

True

Question 15

In general, the comfort zone for most people doing calm or sedentary work, lightly clothed, would be_____?

Answer 15

65 - 78 degress

Question 16

Mean Radiant Temperature (MRT)

Answer 16

The weighted average of all of the temperatures of all of the surfaces visible from a given position.

Question 17

Regarding the Psychrometric Chart, the comfort zone is effected by what 4 climate charatcteristics?

Answer 17

temperature

relative humidity

mean radiant temperature

air velocity

Question 18

In regards to Solar Design for climate and comfort, building design must respond to what two environmental factor?

Answer 18

sun

climate

Question 19

In the winter there is a great amount of sun on which facade of a building?

Answer 19

south facing facade

Question 20

In the summer there is a great deal of sun on which building facade?

Answer 20

east

west

roof

horizontal skylights

Question 21

The southern sun exposures for building facades should be minimized or maximized?

Answer 21

maximized

Question 22

What facades and/or portions of a building should be minimized to reduce the summer sun exposure?

Answer 22

eastern

western

horizontal skylights

Question 23

In cold climates, a sawtooth clerestory should face which direction, north or south?

Answer 23

south

Question 24

In warm climates, a sawtooth clerestory should face with direction, north or south?

Answer 24

north

Question 25

In the summer, what direction does the sun rise and set?

Answer 25

rises north of east sets north of west

Question 26

In the winter, what direction does the sun rise and set?

Answer 26

rises south of east sets south of west

Question 27

What type of building form works best for cold climates?

Answer 27

simple - compact minimal surface exposure area and maximum southern exposure sloping roof facing north

Question 28

What is a temperate climate?

Answer 28

cold winters and hot summers

Question 29

What type of building form works best for temperate climates?

Answer 29

buildings with east/west orientation long south and north facade porches on south facade awnings on windows

Question 30

Deciduous tress are used for what?

Answer 30

provide shade in summer noise reduction

Question 31

What are evergeeen tress used for?

Answer 31

blocks winter winds from north

Question 32

Which climate type tends to have a huge diurnal (day to night) temperature swing?

Answer 32

hot arid

Question 33

Which climate type do you want to orientate you building east to west, elongating the southern elevation?

Answer 33

temperate

Question 34

Which climate type promotes the use of balconies, porches and/o breezeways?

Answer 34

temperate and hot humid

Question 35

Which climate type would you use a thermal mass for heating and cooling?

Answer 35

hot arid