Abstract
The increase in global air temperature is well documented, as during the last several years each decade has been consecutively warmer than the preceding. As climatic conditions affect the energy performance of buildings, the changes in outdoor air temperature and humidity will inevitably lead to significant alterations in energy consumption and costs for the heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) of buildings. The availability and quality of climatic data play an important role in the accuracy of energy analysis results. In this study, the hourly temperature and relative humidity of outdoor air measurements, for a period of three decades (1983–2012), recorded at the climatic station of the National Observatory of Athens were processed, and an up-to-date set of specific data for the application of bin methods was produced and presented. The data were then used to calculate changes in the energy demands in a typical office building throughout the specified period. Results showed a progressive reduction in the low and increase in the high temperature intervals, leading to an increase in the building’s annual energy requirements for air conditioning of up to 14.5% from the first to the third decade, with decrease in the energy demands for heating and increase in the energy demands for cooling.
Highlights
During the last few decades it has become apparent that climate change is an imminent threat
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) [1], the increase in the surface air temperature is reported and well documented on both global and regional scales, and each of the last three decades has been consecutively warmer than any preceding decade
The results indicate significant temperature variations, as well as fluctuations in the mean humidity ratio values and humidity ratio range between the three decades of the survey which provide useful insights regarding climate change during the examined period
Summary
During the last few decades it has become apparent that climate change is an imminent threat. The increase in outdoor air temperature, due to climate change and global warming, will inevitably affect the energy consumption of buildings energy systems and lead to increased costs for summer air conditioning and cooling (especially in warmer locations), while reducing the corresponding heating costs (especially in colder locations) [9] This means that the contribution of the built environment to the overall energy consumption will be even more significant than before. Energy analysis over the whole temperature range of outdoor air, by considering outdoor humidity as well, is important in the overall design of HVAC systems, which mostly operate under part load conditions, while humidity affects the latent load of ventilation and infiltration In this framework, in the present study, the hourly temperature and relative humidity of outdoor air measurements recorded at the climatic station of the National Observatory of Athens (NOA) [13] were statistically processed for the 1983–1992, 1993–2002 and 2003–2012 decades separately, and the following data were calculated:. The data are used to calculate changes in the energy demands in a typical office building throughout the specified period, highlighting the differences in the heating and cooling loads
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