Energy Simulation of Urban Dwellings in Temperate Climates

Abstract

This paper is primarily intended to determine the importance of specific urban design variables as they might affect the energy demand for heating and cooling of an urban dwelling. Building energy use for heating and cooling is predicted in a range of theoretical urban forms in the climate of Adelaide, Australia. The results show that higher urban densities and deeper street canyons than those based on solar access criteria will not result in a noticeable increase in the residential heating and cooling energy use in temperate climates. A unique aspect of the results is based on quantifying the heat island effect as a counterbalance to reduced solar access in higher density developments.

Keywords:

• Building energy simulation
• Climate control
• Microclimate models
• Urban configurations