Dynamics of Changes in Climate Zones and Building Energy Demand. A Case Study in Spain

Abstract

In the current context of the climate crisis, it is essential to design buildings that can cope with climate dynamics throughout their life cycle. It will ensure the development of sustainable and resilient building stock. Thus, this study’s primary objective has been to demonstrate that the current climatic zones for buildings in peninsular Spain do not represent the current climatic reality and are not adapted to climate change and the impact on the energy demand of buildings. For this reason, the climatic zones of 7967 peninsular cities have been updated and adapted to the RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios by using the data measured in 77 meteorological reference stations. The results obtained have shown that in more than 80% of the cities, buildings are designed and constructed according to an obsolete climatic classification that does not take into account the current or future climatic reality, which will significantly affect the thermal performance of a building and highlights the need to review the climatic zoning in the country. The results obtained can be extrapolated to other regions. The methodology defined in this work can be used as a reference, thus making an essential scientific contribution in reflecting on current capacities and the possibilities of improving the building stock.

Special Issue: Recent Advances in Energy Efficiency of Buildings

“…Because of the higher global and surface temperature during the last 100 years, and projections of future climate conditions, it is necessary to determine the setting of new energy budgets and to transform the energy performance of buildings and cities [4,5]. To do that, and given the importance of precision in the assignment of a climatic zone when correctly sizing domestic hot water, heating and cooling systems, and the appropriate selection of the construction materials used, it is essential to take climate dynamism into account in the building design phase [6].…”

“…Thus, in the case of the cities of peninsular Spain, the allocation of climatic zones currently included in the Edification Technical Code [7] is not suitable for current and future climatic conditions. In fact, taking into account the climate data recorded in the 2015-2018 period, 80% of cities today have a different climate zone to that of the CTE [6]; moreover, it is expected that by the year 2085 and under the forecasts recorded in the RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios, practically all cities in mainland Spain observe a change in their climate zone to a warmer one [6]. It should be noted that the consequences observed in peninsular Spain can be extrapolated to other areas, so it is possible to conclude that significant climate change will reduce the heating energy demand of dwellings, but increase the demand for cooling.…”

“…Therefore, architectural and construction standards must adapt to the urban environment's actual conditions and consider the main scenarios, in order to lead to a building design that mitigates climate change and adapts to it. Hence, it is necessary to develop new climate zones and build recommendations to preserve the correct thermal conditions of future periods [6].…”

Analysis of the Scientific Evolution of the Circular Economy Applied to Construction and Demolition Waste

“…With the CE comes a paradigm shift from the existing linear economy model of "take-make-consume-dispose" to a more sustainable model of "take-make-consume-reuse-recycle" [16]. The circular economy is based on the three following fundamental principles, each of which addresses several of the resource and system challenges facing industrial economies [17][18][19]:…”

Thermal Behavior in Glass Houses through the Analysis of Scale Models

“…Spain is one of the countries in the European Union with the greatest potential for the use of renewable energy in buildings, particularly solar energy. This is due to the number of hours of sunshine (an average of approximately 2500 h of sunshine per year) it receives and the warm temperatures typical of a Mediterranean climate (temperatures remain on average every month above 20 • C but present seasonal variation) [4][5][6]. By incorporating bioclimatic design criteria, it is possible to generate buildings with almost zero consumption, moving us closer to what has been called sustainable architecture (i.e., the design of buildings that generate zero impact on the environment) [7].…”