Study on the effect of the roof opening on the temperature underneath

The most important factor affecting thermal comfort of people in hot humid climate like Malaysia is high level of solar radiation, air temperature and humidity.This country exposed towards solar radiation more than 10 hours/day throughout the year.The solar radiation propagated heat in the indoor spaces through the building envelope.Low slope roof in Malaysia typically trap heat due to the absence of roof ventilation, the heat takes long time to be released. The heat will be transmitted to the area underneath the roof and affect the living space area.For this study, 10° roof angle with 50% and 100% opening had been chosen as retrofit roofing system to investigate the effect of the roof openings towards the air temperature underneath.0% roof opening (fully closed) roofing system has been chosen as the base case study for this experimental work. The results obtained indicate that the existence of roof opening is crucial to reduce the air temperature in the living area.By having roof opening, the air temperature could be improved about 3 to 6°C for 50% opening and 2 to 10°C for 100% for 10° roof angles.The roof opening has a great potential to create the heat losses and allow the air movement through the roof and indirectly decrease the indoor air temperature.