Space Heating and Cooling Demand of Buildings in the Perspective of Climate Change in Cold and Hot Climates – Is this a Risk?
Abstract
The global rise in temperature due to climate change is undisputed today. This will lead to a decrease in space heating demand in winter but to an increase in cooling demand in summer. In the following contribution, the space heating and cooling demand of a residential building for climates of Innsbruck and Rome for different climate scenarios (IPCC (2014), RCP Scenarios) and time horizons are calculated and analyzed. Required changes for building codes and standards as for climate change are sketched. In conclusion, the increase of the cooling demand can be met with slightly oversized cooling systems in hot climates (e.g., Rome), whereas in cold climates (e.g. Innsbruck) the increase can be kept very low by passive measures. The increase in electricity demand for cooling in summer coincides with the comparable high summer-production of PV. The reduction of energy demand in winter will help in reducing the gap of low PV electricity production in winter. This is also valid for mountainous countries like Austria with high hydro power availability in summer due to snow melt.