Thermal Performance Assessment and Compliance Analysis of a Broiler Industrial Farm in a Semi-continental Climate: Case Study of Tiflet, Morocco
Jihane CHTIOUI, Fathallah RERHRHAYE, Narjice ELGHARDOUF, Ahmed EL AKKARY, Ilyas LAHLOUH, Reda ADJAR, Hind SERGHINI, Nacer SEFIANI
Abstract. This study presents the analysis of an energy audit of an industrial broiler chicken farm located in Tiflet, Morocco, in a semi-continental thermal zone (zone 3). Annual heating and cooling requirements were calculated in accordance with ISO 13789:2017 and ISO 13790:2008 standards, through the analysis of heat transfer coefficients (U-values), internal heat gains, and climatic conditions. With a production cycle of 23,000 broiler chickens every 42 days, the constant difference between cooling requirements, which reach 233 kW in August, and heating requirements of 57 kW, met by the chickens’ metabolism (225 kW), renders heating unnecessary. However, measured thermal transmittances significantly exceed recommended thresholds: wall U-value = 2.6 W/m²K (+332 % vs. 0.60 target), roof = 0.8 W/m²K (+100 % vs. 0.35–0.40), and glazing = 5.8 W/m²K (+123 % vs. 2.6). We considered a renovation to improve these factors to meet the standard, and this suggests there is a 64MWh/year and 8% reduction in cooling demand. Upon testing this model by comparing the data to indoor temperatures and monthly electricity consumption, it performed quite well (RMSE < 1.2°C), and this shows our methodology using ISO is a trustworthy one. Indeed, this data indicates when a poultry farm upgrades its insulation to comply with national building specifications in Morocco (RTCM Zone 3) and best practice in poultry farming design and construction, then it will meet international standards in energy efficiency.
Keywords
Energy Audit, Broiler House, ISO 13789/13790, Thermal Transmittance, Insulation, Semi-Continental Climate
Published online 4/25/2026, 8 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Jihane CHTIOUI, Fathallah RERHRHAYE, Narjice ELGHARDOUF, Ahmed EL AKKARY, Ilyas LAHLOUH, Reda ADJAR, Hind SERGHINI, Nacer SEFIANI, Thermal Performance Assessment and Compliance Analysis of a Broiler Industrial Farm in a Semi-continental Climate: Case Study of Tiflet, Morocco, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 64, pp 1003-1010, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904091-124
The article was published as article 124 of the book Energy Futures
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
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