In a hot and humid tropical climate, natural ventilation brings high levels of moisture into dwellings that, together with occupant activity, can result in very elevated internal relative humidity levels. Coupling these high relative humidities with high internal air temperatures creates occupant thermal discomfort, which is typically ameliorated in the tropics using energy-intensive air conditioning systems. This paper has investigated the potential benefits for thermal comfort and energy usage of applying the German Passivhaus standard to tropical dwellings. By creating a super insulated and air-tight envelope, the Passivhaus standard reduces fabric heat transfer, controls air infiltration and provides low-energy comfort. Applying this approach to a tropical terraced house might be effective but could, potentially, have an adverse impact on mechanical cooling demand. This study took an actual terraced property in Jakarta, Indonesia and thermally modelled its performance as insulation and airtightness levels were incrementally improved up to the Passivhaus standard. Field measurements in the dwelling of air temperature and relative humidity were used to validate the thermal model of the existing house. The validated model then tested the feasibility of meeting the Passivhaus energy standard for cooling in the modified tropical house. Simulation allowed the effects of air conditioning (AC) and dehumidifiers on thermal comfort and cooling loads to be investigated. The research develop the Passivhaus building model that had the floor insulation removed to let the ground floor act as a thermal sink and potentially provide radiant cooling. Analysis revealed that the building’s predicted air temperatures were affected in a beneficial way by having the Passivhaus without floor insulation.

Practical application: Cooling in hot and humid tropical region is an energy-intensive approach. Design approaches that can bring comfort and save energy for the occupant are essential. The success of Passivhaus standard in mild climate might be transferable to bring comfort in tropical housing. Best practice can be developed by analysing the Passivhaus building performance in hot and humid tropical region.

在炎热潮湿的热带气候中，自然通风会给住宅带来大量水分，再加上乘员活动，会导致内部相对湿度大大升高。将这些较高的相对湿度与较高的内部空气温度耦合会产生乘员的热不适感，这在热带地区通常使用高能耗空调系统来缓解。本文研究了将德国Passivhaus标准应用于热带住宅对热舒适性和能源使用的潜在好处。通过创建超隔热和气密的外壳，Passivhaus标准减少了织物的热传递，控制了空气的渗透并提供了低能耗的舒适感。将这种方法应用于热带露台房屋可能是有效的，但有可能 对机械冷却需求产生不利影响。这项研究采用了印度尼西亚雅加达的一个实际梯田物业，并对其隔热和气密性水平逐步提高到Passivhaus标准进行了热建模。空气温度和相对湿度住宅中的现场测量用于验证现有房屋的热模型。然后，经过验证的模型测试了满足Passivhaus能源标准以在经过改装的热带房屋中进行冷却的可行性。通过模拟，可以研究空调（AC）和除湿机对热舒适性和冷却负荷的影响。该研究开发了Passivhaus建筑模型，该模型去除了地板的隔热层，从而使地下地板充当散热器，并可能提供辐射冷却。

实际应用：在炎热潮湿的热带地区进行冷却是一种能源密集型方法。必须为乘员带来舒适并节省能源的设计方法。Passivhaus标准在温和气候下的成功可能可以转移，从而为热带房屋带来舒适感。可以通过分析炎热潮湿的热带地区的Passivhaus建筑性能来制定最佳实践。