Webinar: "City Under Rising Temperature"

“City under Rising Temperature” webinar: Technology Options to Improve Thermal Comfort Presented by: Dr. Mahesh Rajasekar

Energy consumption through the use of electronic appliances (e.g. television, kitchen equipment, lighting) is continuing to increase, whichis leading to rising temperatures. In this way, temperature has become one of the stresses faced by most cities not only in Asia, but also all around the world. These rising temperatures have affected many aspects of our life, including health. Research conducted by WHO claims that extreme weather conditions directly impact human health and also contribute to increased mortality.

Indeed, there are some options for coping with the heat, and one of the most used tools is the air conditioner. A World Bank study has predicted that by 2031, demand for air conditioners in India will rise from 4.7 million (in 2011) to 48 million. However, using air conditioning will not contribute to decreasing the temperature. Other options range from cool roof installation to building structure modification.

Through the webinar entitled “City under Rising Temperature” on 8 September 2017, Dr. Umamaheshwaran Rajsekar explored technology options to improve thermal comfort for low rise high density urban development. Implementation of the projects focused on urban areas which are exposed to diverse range of heat.

Dr. Mahesh introduced kinds of cool roof that could be used to reduce dependence on air conditioning within urban areas (e.g. cool roof paint, bamboo shading screen, green mat shading etc.). The options can be implemented depending on the location and exposure of the heat.

The study stated that low income housing in Indore is now growing very rapidly. It is said that customers prefer smaller houses with more rooms rather than larger houses with fewer rooms. However, maintaining comfortable indoor conditions in compact and tight spaces is only possible with improved design and a more efficient building envelope. Local government should play a key role in improving the design of buildings within urban areas, especially public housing for urban poor. If it is economically viable for the low income, it could still contribute to addressing the challenge. A proper social safety net scheme might need to be introduced to support the intervention.

At the same time, we also believe that dealing with urban heat does not only require support from the Government, but starts with our action to reduce energy consumption and boost innovation to tackle the challenge.
 

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Read More