Comparison of high-resolution climate model data with a Test Reference Year for building simulations

Climate influences a building’s performance to an important extent. In order to obtain accurate estimates of energy consumption and thermal comfort in buildings, climate data should be accurately represented in building energy models (BEM). Recent research proved that regional climate models (RCM) better represent the local climate than coarser global climate models (GCM); and that longer periods of weather data better reflect the actual situation in a building than a test reference year (TRY). This paper focuses on the comparison between 30 year high-resolution climate model data and a TRY for three locations in Belgium. The study uses recently developed high resolution (spatial and temporal) climate model data for Flanders for the period 1975-2004. The comparison highlights the differences between both datasets and reveals that additional comparison with other observational data is needed. The analysis presented in this paper is part of a broader study, focussing on integrating climate change models in energy simulations of buildings.no ISSNstatus: publishe