The Potential of Vegetation in Reducing Summer Cooling Loads in Residential Buildings

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Abstract
The potential of trees and other vegetation to reduce building cooling loads has been recorded in a number of studies but the meso- and microclimate changes producing such savings are not well understood. This paper describes a preliminary attempt to model the effects of landscaping on temperature, humidity, windspeed and solar gain in urban climates using information from existing agricultural and meteorological studies, with particular attention placed on quantifying the effects of plant evapotranspiration. The climate model is then used in conjunction with the DOE-2.1C building simulation program to calculate the net reductions in air-conditioning requirements due to trees and other vegetation. Preliminary results show that an additional 25% increase in the urban tree cover can save 40% of the annual cooling energy use of an average house in Sacramento, and 25% in Phoenix and Lake Charles. If this additional tree cover is located to optimize summer shading, the savings are further increased to... Abstract The potential of trees and other vegetation to reduce building cooling loads has been recorded in a number of studies but the meso- and microclimate changes producing such savings are not well understood. This paper describes a preliminary attempt to model the effects of landscaping on temperature, humidity, windspeed and solar gain in urban climates using information from existing agricultural and meteorological studies, with particular attention placed on quantifying the effects of plant evapotranspiration. The climate model is then used in conjunction with the DOE-2.1C building simulation program to calculate the net reductions in air-conditioning requirements due to trees and other vegetation. Preliminary results show that an additional 25% increase in the urban tree cover can save 40% of the annual cooling energy use of an average house in Sacramento, and 25% in Phoenix and Lake Charles. If this additional tree cover is located to optimize summer shading, the savings are further increased to...

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