Thermal Performance Assessment of Flexible Modular Housing Units for Energy Independence Following Disasters

Beungyong Park, Jinkyun Cho and Yongdae Jeong
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Beungyong Park: Energy Division, KCL (Korea Conformity Laboratories), Jincheon 27872, Korea
Jinkyun Cho: Department of Building and Plant Engineering, Hanbat National University, Daejeon 34158, Korea
Yongdae Jeong: Energy Division, KCL (Korea Conformity Laboratories), Jincheon 27872, Korea

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 20, 1-17

Abstract: An investigation was conducted into temporary modular housing for use in disaster areas to assess the feasibility of energy independence. Flexible modular units have been proposed as a temporary housing solution in disaster areas, as they can be deployed in combination with energy units across a wide range of environments. A dynamic energy simulation was used to examine the heating/cooling requirements and the potential photovoltaic power generation of such modular housing in an East Asian climate. This was used to assess the potential for energy independence. The building performance was analyzed based on measurements of airtightness, insulation performance, and thermal bridge phenomena taken from mock-up modular housing. According to the wall assembly method, it was confirmed that the airtightness performance was poor. Further investigations explored the possibility of reducing the annual heating/cooling loads by improving the airtightness, which would contribute to greater energy independence. In general, the specific housing needs of different victim groups can easily be satisfied through the application of different modular unit combinations.

Keywords: modular housing; disaster; energy independence; energy load; solar photovoltaic; airtightness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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