Towards sustainable housing in Tunisia: Optimizing passive and hybrid ventilation strategies across various climatic zones


Hadded M. H., Dardouri S., ARICI M., Sghaier J.

Energy Reports, cilt.15, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 15
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.egyr.2025.108922
  • Dergi Adı: Energy Reports
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Compendex, INSPEC, Directory of Open Access Journals
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: CO2 mitigation, Economic assessment, Energy efficiency, Phase change materials, Thermal comfort
  • Kocaeli Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

In response to the increasing demand for energy-efficient housing in Tunisia, this study applies Design Builder simulations to investigate the effectiveness of passive and hybrid ventilation strategies in a representative dwelling situated in three distinct climate zones: temperate Mediterranean (Tabarka), Mediterranean (Sousse), and hot arid (Tozeur). The scenarios explored include optimized natural ventilation (based on window operation, scheduling, and opening temperature), phase change materials (PCMs), a solar chimney, reflective roofing, and a hybrid ventilation system, all evaluated against a conventional mechanical ventilation baseline. Results indicate that optimized natural ventilation is particularly effective, reducing annual energy consumption by 38.4–42.6 % and lowering CO₂ emissions by 6–10.8 %, depending on the region. While the hybrid ventilation system increased energy use by 14–16 %, it significantly improved thermal comfort, as reflected by enhanced PMV and PPD indices and by raising the proportion of comfortable occupied hours to nearly 76 %. Economically, optimized natural ventilation achieved the greatest savings, reaching 42.96 TD/m² in Tozeur, compared with 28.71 TD/m² for the hybrid approach. These findings highlight the substantial potential of climate-responsive passive and hybrid strategies to advance sustainable, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible residential buildings in Tunisia.