Aeolus : a smart window that achieves thermal comfort

Abstract

With increasing temperatures and the high humidity in Singapore due to the effects of climate change and the urban heat island effect, people in Singapore seek solace away from the heat and humidity by escaping to malls and switching on their air-conditioning in their homes. The heavy utilisation of air-conditioning to cool down the populace and the required energy to power those cooling systems would eventually become astronomically high. It would also result in a feedback loop where higher temperatures lead to more usage of air conditioning which ends up raising the temperature further.

This work aims to break that cycle by seeking a more sustainable solution that can be a viable option for thermal comfort. By taking advantage of the cooler outdoor ambient atmosphere with the application of passive design, the solution will also generate a new user experience while being more environmental and wallet friendly. When more homeowners adopt this system, it would help to create a reverse cycle by bringing down the overall urban heat island in residential estates contributed by air conditioning in waste heat and carbon emissions.