Study of thermal comfort in Terai region Nepal – A case of school building in Kapilvastu district

Abstract

The average global temperature of surface has been risen by more than 0.9 degrees Celsius. Similarly the temperature of Nepal is warming at the rate faster rate than that of the global average temperature. Thermal discomfort will have an adverse effect on academic performance, so it is necessary to pay attention to improving the indoor thermal environment of the classroom. Adaptation to climate change is a functional requirement, and the best type of insulation is a well-defined thermal limit in the building. The construction of all existing schools in Nepal did not consider the comfort of the residents and the adaptability of the buildings to the local climate. The focus of the research is to evaluate and compare the packaging effect of a non-insulated prototype school in Kapilvastu district with the effect of an insulated school. This study will help to report on the temperature in classrooms in Kapilvastu schools. Primary data would be collected through school survey and case studies while secondary data would be collected through various literatures. The comfort temperature of Kapilvastu has been calculated using the Nicol formla, the lowest temperature in which the people of Kapilvastu feel comfortable is 20.3°C, whereas the highest temperature in which the people of Kapilvastu feel comfortable is 28.6°. The findings based on calculations Material with lesser U-value can save 10-40% monthly cooling or heating load in summer than uninsulated buildings of Kapilvastu. To promote the thermal comfort in the school building, insulation and materials with a lower u-value are beneficial.