Determining air-conditioning usage patterns in Singapore from distributed, portable sensors

Happle, Gabriel; Wilhelm, Erik; Fonseca, Jimeno A.; Schlueter, Arno

doi:10.1016/j.egypro.2017.07.328

Cited by 26 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…This subgroup’s high income and AC saturation may explain why the temperature response for this climate zone is about double that typically estimated for a US population 14,15,18,60,61 . To add further context, a study of Singapore school children equipped with portable sensors estimated that median (resp., mean) AC exposure over a 24-h cycle is 4 h (resp., 6 h) 62 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electrical appliances moderate households’ water demand response to heat

Salvo

2018

Nat Commun

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Analysis of potentially interconnected residential water and energy demand is sparse. In a 1-in-10 random sample of Singapore households living in apartments, water use per capita declines over the socioeconomic distribution, whereas electricity use rises. Here I show that in this leading Asian city and tropical climate, water and electricity demand respond differentially to heat across different socioeconomic groups. When temperatures rise, water demand increases among lower-income households but remains unchanged among higher-income households. In sharp contrast, heat induces larger shifts in electricity demand among higher-income households. With air-conditioner penetration ranging from 14 to 99% across different socioeconomic groups, my interpretation is that water provides heat relief for households that have yet to adopt air conditioning. How Singaporeans’ resource demands respond to heat at different income levels can inform the future responses of a vast urban population on rising incomes living in the water-stressed tropics, in similar and warming climates.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electrical appliances moderate households’ water demand response to heat

Salvo

2018

Nat Commun

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“…Typically, AC usage is high in these residential areas, typically from 9 to 11 p.m. until 6-8 a.m. in the following morning (Chua and Chou 2010). Apart from adults who are commonly exposed to AC in office and commuting settings on a daily basis, AC exposure is elevated amongst non-adults; Happle et al (2017) noted that average exposure to AC of Singaporean students was 6.2 h per day. In Singapore, one of the suggested practice codes for indoor thermal environment in buildings is to set dry-bulb temperatures between 23 and 25°C (Singapore Standards Council 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How ‘hot’ is too hot? Evaluating acceptable outdoor thermal comfort ranges in an equatorial urban park

Heng

Chow

2019

Int J Biometeorol

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Urban green spaces offer vital ecosystem services such as regulating elevated temperatures in cities. Less information exists, however, on how urban green spaces influence outdoor thermal comfort (OTC), which is dependent on people's perceptions of the complex interactions amongst ambient humidity, wind and both air and radiant temperatures. In this study, we analysed an existing OTC dataset compiled within a large Singapore urban park and calibrated OTC thresholds for physiological equivalent temperatures (PET) by analysing PET against thermal perception survey responses from the park visitors (n = 1508). We examined OTC according to (i) neutral, (ii) acceptable and (iii) preferred temperatures, where respondents felt 'comfortable' outdoors in the park. We estimated that neutral temperature, when all respondents experience neither heat nor cold stress, is 26.2°C; acceptable temperatures, when only slight heat or cold stress is experienced, range between 21.6 and 31.6°C; and preferred ('ideal') temperature for all respondents is 24.2°C. Respondents residing for more than 6 months in Singapore achieved thermal neutrality, suggesting that a greater degree of thermal adaptation likely developed during acclimatisation to local climate through a combination of physiological, behavioural and psychological circumstances. Comparisons with other OTC studies showed differences in synoptic climates are linked to variations in the magnitude and ranges of perceived PET. Lastly, respondents in this study perceived lower neutral and preferred temperatures compared to respondents surveyed over a variety of urban land use categories in another local study. The differences in neutral and preferred temperatures between studies suggest that lower park temperatures and different environmental attitudes influence perceived OTC.

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“…The de-identified data used in this study were provided by the National Science Experiment (NSE) and used after securing appropriate permissions from the concerned agencies [ 15 , 16 , 17 ]. The National Science Experiment is an ongoing nationwide experiment (that began in 2015) conducted by the Singapore government.…”

Section: Materials and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Exposures in Singapore Schools: An Ecological Study

Periyakoil

Das

Miller

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Global climate change is a clear and present danger to our environment, but the impacts of climate change on human health are less known. People in Asian countries are more susceptible to the negative impacts of climate change and the subsequent environmental exposures because of the high population density, rapid urbanization, and natural geography of the region. The objective of this multidisciplinary collaborative ecological study was to explore the impact of environmental exposures such as temperature (∘C), noise (db), humidity (%rh), air conditioning exposure time (hours), and distance traveled to school (km) on the comfort and academic success of school children in Singapore. Analysis of a large dataset from the Singapore National Science Experiment revealed a positive correlation between the distance traveled to school and favorable environmental conditions (moderate temperatures, low noise, low humidity, and higher amount of air conditioning time) and student academic performance. The analysis revealed that the distance traveled between home and school for public school students falls within a larger range than that for independent (private) school students. On average, students traveled farther distances to attend schools of higher academic caliber thereby increasing their exposure to environmental pollution. Student exposure to pollution can be minimized if all schools adhere to higher standards of environmental comfort and standardized academic caliber. If students can attend the school closest to their homes, they can minimize their daily pollution exposure due to traffic/commute, thereby mitigating the resultant negative health consequences.

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Determining air-conditioning usage patterns in Singapore from distributed, portable sensors

Cited by 26 publications

References 5 publications

Electrical appliances moderate households’ water demand response to heat

Electrical appliances moderate households’ water demand response to heat

How ‘hot’ is too hot? Evaluating acceptable outdoor thermal comfort ranges in an equatorial urban park

Environmental Exposures in Singapore Schools: An Ecological Study

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