Determination of Dwelling Typologies in Chile to Define Energy Efficiency Programmes

The Ministry of Housing and Urbanism of Chile (MINVU) has led the implementation of thermal conditioning requirements in dwellings (2000, 2007) as well as the Dwellings Energy Rating System (2012). To design improvements to both programmes, MINVU required a statistical analysis identifying the statistical distribution of the different parameters that influence the energy demand of the dwellings, as well as typologies and their distribution, both at the national level as well as that of the 9 thermal zones. A series of statistical analyses was developed for this purpose; mainly a Conglomerates Analysis, using specifically the hierarchic agglomerative method. This method was applied to detached dwellings, Semi-detached or Terraced dwellings and Apartment segments. So as to obtain more stable frequencies, as well as estimate standard deviations and confidence intervals, 200 random samples were obtained for each segment. The main result was the definition of 13 dwelling typologies in Chile, their respective distribution at the national and thermal zones levels, as well as the representation of the parameters that compose these typologies and influence energy demands. Finally, an analysis was carried out, based on secondary images of dwellings representing their respective typologies; this allowed complementing and correcting the typologies' definition where it should be necessary. A second study is being carried out at the time of closing this document -using those results- this shall allow to establish the energy demand of dwellings built in Chile before 2018, by typology, thermal zone and thermal regulations stage, so that Minvu may quantitatively define the energy demand baseline, consolidate measurement metrics, and refine long-term improvement objectives.