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In order to utilise naturally stored heat or cold from the ground, seasonal temperature variations are required. The reason is that the ground temperature is then warmer than the air temperature during winter and colder during summer. The heating and cooling demand in North Africa varies considerably with the greatest cooling demand in the East and the greatest heating demand in the West. In parts of Algeria the mean temperature difference between the coldest and warmest month is greater than 20 degrees C, which is favourable. In current work it was shown that the ancient Fouggara system, even today would be interesting for heating and cooling of buildings in the Sahara desert. (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of [name organizer]