This paper reviews the methodology used to monitor the thermal performance of several case-study dwellings in suburban Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory owned by ACT Housing. The houses were modelled, built and monitored to gather information on the effectiveness of various measures for energy efficiency, including passive solar design. This paper sets out the long term monitoring of two detached energy-efficient experimental houses built on separate sites in Palmerston, ACT, in 1992 and monitored initially while empty and then while occupied by tenant families until November 1996. In addition it reviews a previous report on two dual occupancy houses at Hughes, ACT (a control and an energy efficient version of it) built and monitored before occupancy, in 1995. The findings of these two studies confirm that the appropriate application of passive solar design principles and strategies outlined in this paper have clearly been successful in minimizing energy use and enhancing comfort. Even when no heating was energized, the temperatures inside the homes stayed close to comfort levels. Mean internal air temperatures consistently remained above 19°C during waking hours. This both shortened the heating season for the occupants and, by implication, provided health benefits by reducing the incidence and severity of winter respiratory ailments. Summer comfort conditions were superior to all applicable benchmarks and effectively obviated the demand for cooling by keeping over-temperature conditions both moderate in intensity and short in duration. It is evident that 5-star housing (in terms of ACTHERS rating) is readily attainable within the design briefs of ACT Housing and is likely to be cost effective in almost all cases.
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