Analysis of residential energy consumption based on urban climate patterns

As urbanization expands, the urban heat island (UHI) effect caused by high temperatures is becoming obvious increasingly. Previous researches have shown that urban types and anthropogenic heat emission are the main influencing factors. However, the differences in the types of urban areas lead to different UHI intensity between regions. In this context, more and more studies begin to explore the impact of meteorological data on building energy consumption. The temperature of the air conditioner setting and the time of use account for a large percentage of the total building energy consumption. Cooling degree hours (CDH) is the cumulative value of the temperature difference between the outside air temperature and the base temperature of the cooled room. This study was used the ASHRAE standard cold room temperature of 23°C. Information such as climate data, building morphology, zoning and building electricity collection can be integrated through the Geographic Information System (GIS). This study used existing electricity consumption data and GIS maps to estimate energy consumption information in Taichung, and combine the historical climate reconstruction data of Taiwan from The Taiwan Climate Change Projection and Information Platform Project (TCCIP) to analyze the relationship between urban high temperature and residential energy consumption.

The study area is Taichung City, Taiwan, excluding the mountainous areas with low temperature. This study divided Taichung into 500×500 m² grids, and analyzed the estimated residential energy consumption with climate data. The highest average temperature in Taiwan is in July, so this study collects temperature data for July 2021 in Taichung. According to the analysis, it can calculate the Taichung average temperature from July is between 26-28°C and the average RH is 80-85%. CDH in the suburbs below 80°C -hour. City center CDH is between 105-180°C -hour. After integrating building form and land use with GIS, the average residential energy consumption of the grid was calculated. The average residential energy consumption of Taichung is about 3,000MWh.Get rid of the grid without building and compare the energy consumption of the building, CDH increases as the energy consumption increases. However, when the energy consumption exceeds 4,000 MWh, the CDH approaches 50°C-hour. Based on this result, the energy consumption below 1,000MWh is the slope maximum. The energy consumption between 1,000 MWh and 3,000 MWh is smaller slope value. The slope of energy consumption above 3,000 MWh tends to be nearly 0, revealing that the energy consumption was less affected by the increasing CDH. The results can be used in future urban energy planning to develop regional improvement strategies for areas with higher energy consumption.