Thermal insulation as a strategy to improve comfort in high-altitude cold-region housing

Abstract

This research evaluates the improvement in thermal comfort in a home located in a cold region through the implementation of a thermal envelope with insulation, considering its economic viability and its impact throughout the building's useful life. An exploratory quantitative methodology is adopted, using the case study technique. A convenience non-probability sampling was used. The study was conducted over four months during the summer season and consists of four phases: regulatory analysis, assessment of the current state, implementation of a prototype envelope with thermal insulation, and analysis through monitoring. To this end, data loggers were used to measure temperature and relative humidity fluctuations in two comparable rooms: one intervening and one control. The results showed an average increase of 2°C in the interior temperature and a 10% reduction in relative humidity in the intervened room, allowing compliance with the EM110 standard, whose current minimum conditions do not guarantee interior thermal comfort. This evidence suggests the need to readjust the thermal envelope criteria in said regulation. Overall, the experience demonstrates the positive impact of passive strategies for improving thermal comfort in existing homes, proposing a replicable and low-cost approach that can be considered in future regulatory updates in the country.