A Multi-model and Multi-scenario Assessment of the Impact of Climate Change on the Heating and Cooling Load Components of an Archetypical Residential Room in Major Indian Cities

TL;DR

This study assesses how climate change will alter heating and cooling energy needs of a typical Indian residential room across major cities, highlighting the importance of targeted energy-efficiency measures for walls and windows.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method to quantify building component loads and provides detailed projections of future heating and cooling demands under climate change scenarios in India.

Findings

Cooling energy demand could increase by up to 155% by the 2090s.

Walls and windows are key targets for energy efficiency improvements.

Heating requirements could decrease by up to 100% by the 2090s.

Abstract

Residential heating and cooling currently account for approximately 7% of electricity consumption of India. A warming climate will increase residential cooling requirements, while heating needs will decrease which is an alarming consequence for India, which has predominantly cooling requirements. Thus, to reduce the energy and carbon footprint of Indian building sector, it is essential to assess the impact of climate change on future heating and cooling needs and develop energy-efficiency solutions. This research evaluated the effect of climate change on the heating and cooling energy needs of an archetypical residential room in India, covering all climate zones. We developed a novel approach to quantify the heating and cooling load components (walls, windows, etc.) for identifying building elements to be targeted for improving energy efficiency. Our median climate model predicted that the cooling energy demand of the room archetype would increase by 23-155% by the 2090s compared to the 1990s, depending on the city and emission scenario. Walls and windows account for over 60% of the cooling needs and should be the prime targets for energy-efficiency measures. We also predict between 45-100% reductions in the heating requirements of the archetype room by the 2090s. Walls contribute over 67% to heating needs and should be targeted for heating energy reductions.