Accounting for urban microclimate in computer simulation of building energy performance

Abstract

The paper demonstrates the importance of using site-specific data in computer simulation of building energy performance. The CAT (Canyon Air Temperature) computer model, which is designed to predict site-specific air temperature in an urban street canyon for extended periods on the basis of data from a reference station exposed to the same meso-scale weather, was used to provide modified input to a series of Ener-Win simulations of the energy performance of a hypothetical office building. The simulations show that urban modification to air temperature may be too large to neglect in certain locations, depending on the climate and on the density of the city, which is represented by the aspect ratio of the street canyon.