ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND DWELLING CHARACTERISTICS IN HOUSEHOLDS TYPOLOGY IN THE CITY OF S. C. DE SAN CARLOS DE BARILOCHE, ARGENTINA

This paper presents the outcomes of a constructive-energetic survey carried out among 384 dwellings in the city of San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina. The study emerges in response to a national interest and priority for the efficient and rational use of energy in the residential sector. The methodology used enables the presentation, with a reliable precision, of data concerning the dwellings characterization; the determination of the predominant building systems; the energy demand for heating and the main hydro-thermal comfort problems. The results have been analyzed in relation to the energy demand for heating and to the thermal transmittance of the constructive systems. All buildings belonging to the studied stock show that constructive solutions, insulation materials and heating equipments are not suitable for the Andean Patagonian climate. It is evaluated that the heating energy needed per unit floor area is 218% higher than the corresponding one in Sweden, being gas almost exclusively the main energy source. In view of the results of this study, it is encouraging to detect that the potential for improvement is very high. In many cases very simple solutions would produce significant energy savings and moreover a high proportion of users recognized the need for such improvements.