Influence of roof systems and roof materials on indoor thermal comfort in high altitudes of Sri Lanka

Abstract

One of the primary objectives of the building designer should be to ensure that the built environment is thermally comfortable to its occupants, possibly throughout the day and round the year. Therefore, this should receive sufficient attention from the very beginning: a good thermal design is started during the sketch design stage. In Sri Lanka designers and builders pay little attention to the thermal aspects of structural elements. In high altitudes of Sri Lanka such as about 1500 m above the mean sea level (i.e. tropical uplands), there is indoor thermal discomfort due to low temperatures that occur during the night. Thus, there could be a tendency to use heating, specially using electric heaters. However, this is not a desirable situation since Sri Lanka is presently facing a serious energy crisis.