Investigates the applicability of evaporative coolers in residences and small commercial buildings in California. The engineering analysis is done by linking detailed numerical models for different evaporative cooler designs to the DOE-2 building energy simulation program, which is then used to calculate the energy and water consumption of, and the indoor conditions produced by, evaporative coolers in typical houses in various California climates. This analysis has shown that direct evaporative coolers use less than 20% of the electricity of a standard air conditioner but cannot provide adequate comfort during the hottest months in Sacramento or Fresno. More advanced two-stage indirect/direct coolers, however, are shown to be capable of maintaining indoor comfort while still consuming only one-quarter the electricity of an air conditioner.

KEYWORDS: energy consumption, electricity consumption, thermal comfort, performance, evaporative cooling, domestic, housing, commercial, buildings, USA, deserts, summer, direct cooling, indirect cooling, thermal comfort, unit air conditioners, comparing