Benefits assessment of cool skin and ventilated cavity skin: Saving energy and mitigating heat and grid stress

Abstract

This study assessed the energy-saving and climate-adaptive potential of cool skin and ventilated cavity skin facade technologies in Seoul's high-rise apartment buildings. We created weather scenarios for historical, mid-term future, and long-term future conditions using Coordinated Regional Downscaling EXperiment (CORDEX) method. Building energy simulations were conducted on a South Korean high-rise apartment model to evaluate their performance under different weather conditions. The results indicate that cool skin and ventilated cavity skin technologies can save cooling energy during summers but lead to heating energy penalties in winters. Ventilated cavity skin outperforms cool skin, offering better cooling energy savings and reduced heating penalties. Combining both technologies yields the highest overall energy savings, with 7 %, 9 %, and 10 % cooling energy savings for cool skin, ventilated cavity skin, and the combined package, respectively. However, cool skin increases heating energy consumption by 5 %, while ventilated cavity skin has minimal impact on heating energy. These envelope technologies also reduce peak electricity demand by at least 5 %, 8 %, and 9 %, respectively. They contribute to heat stress reduction, enhance resilience, and decrease extreme heat risks for occupants during power outages by at least 18 % under various weather conditions. Considering the prevalence of aging high-rise apartments in South Korea, adopting these envelope renovation strategies can effectively reduce cooling loads, enhance thermal comfort, and boost resilience under future climates, while avoiding costly reconstruction.