La Pobreza Energética es un concepto multifacético con connotaciones locales y efectos adversos. La mayoría de las revisiones se han enfocado en las definiciones y los enfoques metodológicos, dado el interés creciente por conceptualizar y medir. El objetivo de esta investigación es estudiar la evolución y origen de indicadores de PE en los países de Iberoamérica por su cercanía en las características climáticas, culturales y socioeconómicas. Se hizo una revisión utilizando el marco analítico SALSA (Search, Appraisal, Synthesis, Analysis). Se encontraron 61 artículos, 150 evaluaciones y 49 indicadores que fueron catalogados según su evolución, etapa inicial (n = 7), expansión (n = 12) y multidimensional (n = 30). Los resultados muestran un crecimiento de estudios en los últimos cinco años, destacando España y Chile como los países de Iberoamérica que han desarrollado más investigación e indicadores de PE. La mayoría de las mediciones, que se han empleado de forma continua y en múltiples ocasiones, provienen del Reino Unido. Es posible inferir que los investigadores prefieren indicadores sencillos desarrollados en otras realidades por la falta de información o la dificultad para conseguirla.
Ecuador is a country with several climate zones. However, their behaviour is similar throughout the year, with no peaks of extreme temperatures in the various seasons. This paper is a first approach to study the adaptive comfort behaviour in several areas and populations of the country. Considering the ASHRAE 55-2020 model, energy simulation programmes are applied not just to the current climate scenario but also to the climate change scenarios of 2050 and 2100. The results of locations are analysed and compared to determine their performance. Thanks to their climate characteristics, adaptive comfort models could be applied as a passive strategy, using natural ventilation for building indoor comfort improvement, particularly social dwellings. According to previous studies, some prototypes have not considered the climate determinants in each region. Given the geographic situation of the study areas, the adaptive comfort model could be applied in all cases. Percentages of application of natural ventilation and heating and cooling degree hours have similar behaviours according to the climatic region, with a variation greater than 30% among them.
Ecuador faces a significant housing deficit, prompting government policies aimed at improving access to social housing for vulnerable families. Despite its relatively small geographic size, the country exhibits substantial climatic diversity, encompassing ten distinct Köppen–Geiger climate zones. These range from tropical rainforests to high-altitude Andean regions, each requiring specific housing strategies. However, social housing units are typically designed using a standardized model that disregards regional climatic variations, leading to suboptimal thermal performance and energy inefficiencies. This study evaluates the thermal comfort performance of standardized free-running social housing across six distinct cantons, using the ASHRAE 55-2020 adaptive comfort model. Dynamic simulations were conducted for both current climatic conditions and future scenarios for 2050 and 2100, employing tools such as Meteonorm 8.1 (for weather data), EnergyPlus 9.4.0, and DesignBuilder 7.0 (for thermal modeling). The findings reveal significant differences in indoor comfort levels among identical housing units due to localized climate conditions. Notably, high-altitude regions showed improved thermal performance under future scenarios, whereas coastal lowland areas experienced increased discomfort. These results underscore the urgent need for climate-responsive, adaptive housing designs tailored to local climatic realities across all regions of Ecuador.
Ecuador is a country with several climate zones. The zones’ characteristics are very different; however, there are social housing prototypes used in all the territories. This study constitutes the second part of the analysis of a social housing prototype in four zones (Cfb, Af, Aw, and BSh) in both the current climate situation (2020) and its projection to 2050. Improvement measures from the original dwelling block have been proposed according to the initial diagnosis, considering seven passive performance variants. A total of 56 dynamic simulations have been performed for both the current and 2050 climate scenario. The results have shown that, depending on the climate zone, improvement measures differently influence comfort ranges. In addition, the behaviour of the dwellings on the upper floor is different from those on the ground floor. This study is a starting point to show that prototype solutions of social housing should be adapted with various improvement measures and should be based on specific requirements according to their location to achieve acceptable comfort levels.
This study evaluates the spatial and seasonal feasibility of residential PV integration across 52 Spanish municipalities representing the country’s main urban areas. The assessment is based on the normalized photovoltaic sizing indicator (APV,N), defined as the PV area required to offset electricity demand per square metre of conditioned floor area. Simulations were performed under current climate conditions and future projections for 2050 and 2100 using the RCP4.5 scenario. Results reveal strong climatic and seasonal contrasts. Under current conditions, annual PV generation offsets approximately 17–18% of residential electricity demand. Southern and Mediterranean municipalities show the highest feasibility, with annual APV,N values of approximately 2–2.5, whereas northern and inland regions present severe winter limitations, with APV,N values frequently exceeding 15–20. Summer is the most favourable season, with PV systems covering more than 50% of seasonal demand in several southern municipalities. Future climate projections indicate a progressive improvement in PV feasibility. Under RCP4.5, annual APV,N decreases by approximately 5–10% by 2100, while the production-to-consumption (P/C) ratio improves by about 15–20% relative to present conditions, mainly due to reduced heating demand. The results demonstrate that future climate conditions may improve the viability of residential PV systems in Spain, particularly in southern and coastal urban areas, while northern regions will remain constrained during winter. The study provides quantitative benchmarks for climate-sensitive PV planning and long-term urban energy strategies.