Accessibility navigation


Methodologies for the generation of design summer years for building energy simulation using UKCP09 probabilitic climate projections

Smith, S.T. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5053-4639 and Hanby, V.I. (2012) Methodologies for the generation of design summer years for building energy simulation using UKCP09 probabilitic climate projections. Building Service Engineering Research and Technology, 33 (1). 9 - 17. ISSN 1477-0849

Full text not archived in this repository.

It is advisable to refer to the publisher's version if you intend to cite from this work. See Guidance on citing.

To link to this item DOI: 10.1177/0143624411429183

Abstract/Summary

Design summer years representing near-extreme hot summers have been used in the United Kingdom for the evaluation of thermal comfort and overheating risk. The years have been selected from measured weather data basically representative of an assumed stationary climate. Recent developments have made available ‘morphed’ equivalents of these years by shifting and stretching the measured variables using change factors produced by the UKCIP02 climate projections. The release of the latest, probabilistic, climate projections of UKCP09 together with the availability of a weather generator that can produce plausible daily or hourly sequences of weather variables has opened up the opportunity for generating new design summer years which can be used in risk-based decision-making. There are many possible methods for the production of design summer years from UKCP09 output: in this article, the original concept of the design summer year is largely retained, but a number of alternative methodologies for generating the years are explored. An alternative, more robust measure of warmth (weighted cooling degree hours) is also employed. It is demonstrated that the UKCP09 weather generator is capable of producing years for the baseline period, which are comparable with those in current use. Four methodologies for the generation of future years are described, and their output related to the future (deterministic) years that are currently available. It is concluded that, in general, years produced from the UKCP09 projections are warmer than those generated previously. Practical applications: The methodologies described in this article will facilitate designers who have access to the output of the UKCP09 weather generator (WG) to generate Design Summer Year hourly files tailored to their needs. The files produced will differ according to the methodology selected, in addition to location, emissions scenario and timeslice.

Item Type:Article
Refereed:Yes
Divisions:Science > School of the Built Environment > Energy and Environmental Engineering group
ID Code:29806
Publisher:Sage

University Staff: Request a correction | Centaur Editors: Update this record

Page navigation