A sensitivity analysis to investigate urban heat island impact on building energy consumption

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate urban heat island (UHI) effects on building energy consumption and energy costs for dwellings in a neighbourhood of Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The innovation we present is a sensitivity analysis rather than a traditional simulation. Parameters in this analysis included building materials, trees, and two sets of weather data, which we analysed using the Urban Modelling Interface. Including the UHI effect decreased annual heating loads by 7.5% for buildings with trees present, and increased annual cooling load by 21.2 %. In naturally-ventilated buildings, UHI effects reduced annual heating load by 8.5%.