An innovative simulation-based methodology for evaluating cooling strategies in climate change-induced overheating

Description

As global climate change progresses the built environment grapples with the increasing challenge of overheating. In response to these challenges, this study introduces an innovative simulation-based methodology aimed at enhancing the resilience and sustainability of cooling strategies. The proposed methodology utilizes weather and building data characterization, user clothing behavior, and cooling strategy selection. The methodology relies on three main indicators: Indoor Overheating Degree (IOD), Ambient Warmness Degree (AWD), and Climate Change Overheating Resistivity (CCOR). It also considers sub-indexes like analysis of greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, Exceedance Hours, and the average Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfaction. This comprehensive approach allows for a multi-zonal assessment of indoor overheating risk and resilience to climate change, to validate the methodology 's effectiveness, we conducted a thorough comparison, focusing on Packaged Terminal Heat Pumps (PTHP) (C01) and Fan Coil Units (FCU) (C02) in six selected reference cities with different climates. The case study employs a shoebox model to depict a double-zone office and administration building. In general, C01 demonstrates greater resistance to climate change-induced overheating compared to C02. The highest CCOR value, 58.16, is found in C01 in Vienna, while the lowest CCOR value, 12.7, is observed in C02 in Montreal, indicating the lowest resistance. Furthermore, this study underscores the pivotal importance of meticulously evaluating the susceptibility of cold cities to the imminent impacts of climate change and the urgency of implementing proactive strategies to bolster their resilience.

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