Assessing the urban heat island and its energy impact on residential buildings in Mediterranean climate: Barcelona case study

• Published in: Energy and buildings 2017-07, Vol.146, p.38-54
• Main Authors: Salvati, Agnese, Coch Roura, Helena, Cecere, Carlo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Barcelona; Catalunya; Clima; Climate data; Climatologia urbana; Climatology; Consum; Cooling demand; Eficiència energètica; Energia; Energies; Energy consumption; Energy modelling; EnergyPlus; Illa de calor urbana; Impacte ambiental; Mediterranean climate; Mediterranian Region; Mediterrània, Regió; Spain; Urban climate; Urban climatology; Urban heat island; Urbanisme; Weather file; Àrees temàtiques de la UPC
• ISSN: 0378-7788
• DOI: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2017.04.025

•The maximum urban heat island intensity(UHI) reaches 4.3°C during summer.•During daytime, air temperatures at the street level are higher than the roof level.•The sea breeze has a positive effect on the roof level temperatures during summer.•The UHI determines an average increase of the cooling load between 18% and 28%.•The energy impact of the UHI is more relevant for higher solar gains. The Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect is particularly concerning in Mediterranean zone, as climate change and UHI scenarios foresee a fast growth of energy consumption for next years, due to the widespread of air conditioning systems and the increase of cooling demand. The UHI intensity is thus a key variable for the prediction of energy needs in urban areas. This study investigates the intensity of UHI in Barcelona (Spain), the densest Mediterranean coastal city, and its impact on cooling demand of residential buildings. The experimental analysis is based on temperature data from rural and urban Weather Stations and field measurements at street level. The maximum average UHI intensity is found to be 2.8°C in winter and 1.7°C in summer, reaching 4.3°C at street level. Simulations performed with EnergyPlus indicate that the UHI intensity increases the sensible cooling load of residential buildings by around 18%–28%, depending on UHI intensity, amount of solar gains and cooling set point. In the light of the results, the UHI intensity in Mediterranean context should be properly considered in performing energy evaluations for urban contexts, since standard meteorological data from airport weather stations are not found to be accurate enough.