Thermal Comfort In Informal Housings (ThermIC)

Informal research studies of thermal conditions in Urban Slum dwellings in Mumbai and Pune have revealed roof temperatures in excess of 50°C even when air temperatures are a moderate 30°C. This leads to air temperatures inside informal dwellings to be too hot to inhabit during summers in India; the building structure often does not cool down adequately to enable comfort till about 11 pm or 12 midnight. Consequently, inhabitants of these structures suffer intense thermal stress which is compounded by lack of adequate rest and sleep since as they routinely spend time outdoors out of compulsion rather than attempt sleeping in a room where the air temperature borders 40°C . The situation is profoundly unsettling when power cuts and the inability to operate fans during summer nights are accounted for; further aggravating the human misery. The proposed solutions seeks to directly address this social inequity related to unacceptable energy access disparity and concomitantly mitigate po.tential greenhouse gas emissions from the legitimate cooling needs of this largely neglected rights-holders in urban societies.