THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO ANALYZE THE THERMAL PERFORMANCE OF WOOD-FRAME VERTICAL ENVELOPE SOLUTIONS USED IN CANADIAN ESTABLISHMENTS AND TO EVALUATE HOW THESE TECHNOLOGIES CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS REDUCING THE ENERGY DEMAND OF EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS IN CHILE. THE FIRST STAGE OF THE RESEARCH INVOLVED REVIEWING THE WOOD-FRAME ENVELOPE SOLUTIONS USED IN CANADA. SIX SOLUTIONS WERE SELECTED IN ORDER TO EVALUATE THEIR THERMAL PERFORMANCE AND THE ENERGY DEMAND REDUCTION PRODUCED WHEN THEY ARE INCORPORATED IN CHILEAN EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENT ENVELOPES. TO IMPROVE THE ACCURACY OF THE ENERGY DEMAND RESULTS, THE LINEAR THERMAL TRANSMITTANCE VALUES (?) WERE OBTAINED FOR EACH OF THE WALL SOLUTION JOINTS WITH THE REST OF THE ENVELOPES ELEMENTS, USING LBNL THERM. FINALLY, USING DESIGNBUILDER, ENERGY SIMULATIONS WERE DEVELOPED INCORPORATING ALL THE VALUES (?)OBTAINED BEFORE, IN ORDER TO EVALUATE THE DEMAND REDUCTION PRODUCED BY THE SELECTED SOLUTIONS. THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT THE SOLUTIONS ANALYZED SAVE UP TO 51% OF THE HEATING DEMAND OF THE ESTABLISHMENTS DURING THE COLDEST MONTHS. THIS ALLOWS PROMOTING THE USE OF WOOD AS A SUSTAINABLE MATERIAL WHICH ALIGNS WITH THE ?ENERGY 2050? POLICY

ENERGY POVERTY (EP) OCCURS WHEN THERE ARE NO ENERGY SERVICES AVAILABLE OR NOT AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE, OR WHEN HOMES ARE NOT CAPABLE OF MAINTAINING MINIMUM THERMAL COMFORT CONDITIONS. IT IS ASSOCIATED WITH A SERIES OF ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES FOR THE PEOPLES HEALTH AND WITH A HIGHER NUMBER OF DEATHS IN WINTER IN MOST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH WAS TO STUDY WHETHER THE THERMAL COMFORT LEVELS, THE STATE OF THE DWELLINGS, THE HEATING SYSTEMS, THE ENERGY EXPENSES, THE RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES AND THE MEDICAL EXPENSES REPORTED BY SOCIAL HOUSING INHABITANTS IN CENTRAL-SOUTH CHILE, WERE CORRELATED, TO DETERMINE WHICH VARIABLES OR COMBINATION OF VARIABLES ARE MORE RELATED WITH EP SITUATIONS. TO DEFINE THE THERMAL COMFORT LIMITS, A RECENTLY PUBLISHED ADAPTIVE THERMAL COMFORT MODEL FOR LOW INCOME HOUSING IN CHILE WAS USED. THE RESULTS SHOW THAT A THIRD OF THOSE SURVEYED WERE NOT CAPABLE OF KEEPING THEIR HOME COMFORTABLE FOR AT LEAST 80% OF THE TIME AND MORE THAN A FIFTH WERE INCAPABLE OF DOING SO 65% OF THE TIME. ONLY 10% OF THOSE WHO WERE CAPABLE OF KEEPING COMFORT LEVELS MORE THAN 90% OF THE TIME, SPEND LESS THAN US$ 40 A MONTH, WHICH REPRESENTS 10% OF THE MINIMUM CHILEAN WAGE. REDUCING THE TIME THAT TEMPERATURES ARE BELOW THE LOWER COMFORT LIMIT TO 10% CAN MEAN A REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES AND MEDICAL EXPENSES.

THIS RESEARCH AIMS AT CLARIFYING THE INFLUENCE OF THE GRANULOMETRY OF EXPANDED PERLITE, ON THE THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY, STRUCTURAL STRENGTH, DENSITY, AND WATER ABSORPTION OF LIGHTWEIGHT MORTARS. THREE ORIGINAL PERLITE GRADATIONS HAVE BEEN OBTAINED AND THREE PAIRS OF TWIN TEST MORTARS HAVE BEEN TESTED WITH THOSE GRADATIONS. SEM TESTS HAVE ALSO BEEN RUN TO CLARIFY THE INTERACTION, AT A MICROSCOPIC LEVEL, BETWEEN THE EXPANDED PERLITE AND THE CEMENT GROUTING. THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT THE MERE MANIPULATION OF THE GRANULOMETRY MAY HAVE A CONSIDERABLE AND VERY BENEFICIAL EFFECT ON THE MIXTURES PROPERTIES, SUCH AS THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY AND WATER ABSORPTION.