Abstract
This study aims to acquire a better understanding of the quantitative relationship between environmental impact factors and heating energy consumption of buildings in severe cold regions. We analyze the effects of five urban morphological parameters (building density, aspect ratio, building height, floor area ratio, and shape factor) and three climatic parameters (temperature, wind speed, and relative humidity) on the heating energy use intensity (EUI) of commercial and residential buildings in a severe cold region. We develop regression models using empirical data to quantitatively evaluate the impact of each parameter. A stepwise approach is used to ensure that all the independent variables are significant and to eliminate the effects of multicollinearity. Finally, a spatial cluster analysis is performed to identify the distribution characteristics of heating EUI. The results indicate that the building height, shape factor, temperature, and wind speed have a significant impact on heating EUI, and their effects vary with the type of building. The cluster analysis indicated that the areas in the north, east, and along the river exhibited high heating EUI. The findings obtained herein can be used to evaluate building energy efficiency for urban planners and heating companies and departments based on the surrounding environmental conditions.
Highlights
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the building and construction sector should be the primary focus of attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as it accounted for the largest share of global final energy use (36%) and energy-related CO2 emissions (39%) in 2018 [1]
Residential buildings appear to be affected by all five urban factors and are the only building type that is significantly affected by Floor Area Ratio (FAR)
Increasing the Aspect Ratio (AR) and Building Height (BH) can decrease the heating energy use intensity (EUI) of hotels, educational buildings, residential buildings, and offices, while increasing Building Density (BD), FAR, and Shape Factor (SF) leads to an increase in the heating EUI
Summary
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the building and construction sector should be the primary focus of attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as it accounted for the largest share of global final energy use (36%) and energy-related CO2 emissions (39%) in 2018 [1]. Reducing heating energy consumption is considered as an important step in meeting energy saving targets and preventing climate change, especially in areas with severe cold [2]. The heating energy use intensity (EUI) reduced dramatically to 114 kWh/m2 in 2015, nearly 60% of that in 2001, total heating energy consumption is still growing as the total building area for heating has tripled [4]. In the coming decades, energy-efficiency planning strategies in severe cold regions must involve adaptation measures to reduce the heating demand of buildings
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