Impacts of urban air temperature and humidity on building cooling and heating energy demand in 15 cities of eastern China

Urban climates could significantly impact building energy consumption. This study aimed to investigate the impact of urban-rural disparities in temperature and humidity on building cooling and heating demand in multiple cities. Fixed stations were established using temperature/humidity loggers deployed at 17 pairs of urban and rural sites in 15 cities in eastern China. The study analyzed the differences in air temperature (ΔTa), relative humidity (ΔRH), and dew-point temperature (ΔTdew) between the urban and rural sites. These climatic data were then used as inputs for the energy simulation of a residential building. The following results were revealed: (1) ΔTa was consistently higher at night than during the day. In comparison with the rural reference sites, the RH values at all urban sites were lower; however, some urban sites displayed lower Tdew, while others exhibited higher Tdew. (2) Regarding annual total energy demands, urban buildings exhibited variable changes in energy components compared to rural buildings. Sensible cooling demands increased by 10 %–36 %, while heating demands decreased by 9 %–30 %. Latent cooling demands ranged from a decrease of 12 % to an increase of 17 %. As a result, overall changes in annual total energy demands (cooling + heating) were relatively small, ranging from −2 % to +7 %. (3) Regarding daily total energy demands, a 1 °C increase in ΔTa led to a 12.1 % increase in sensible cooling demand and an 8 % decrease in heating demand. At the same time, a 1 °C variation in ΔTdew corresponded to a 14.6 % change in latent cooling demand. (4) Regarding the daily peak load, modifications in local temperature and humidity in urban areas had a more pronounced impact on daily peak heating loads than on daily peak cooling loads. This study could enhance our understanding of how urban local climates affect building cooling and heating energy demands.