Research

Consulting

Climate Change Mitigation

IEA Resilient Cooling of Buildings – Field Studies Report (Annex 80)

Published

Published

2024

2024

Authors

Dahai Qi, Gerhard Hofer, Pierre Jaboyedoff, Lili Ji, Chang Shu, Hua Ge, Liangzhu (Leon) Wang, Sama Schoisengeier, Paul Lampersberger, Alina Stipsits, Michele Zinzi, Guoqiang Zhang, Yan Hu, Zhengtao Ai, Abantika Sengupta, Hilde Breesch, Giacomo Chiesa, Simon Binnemans, Xin Zhang, Fuad Baba, Jan Akander, Hossein Bakhtiari, Abolfazl Hayati, Deepak Amaripadath, Shady Attia

Language

English

Pages

DIN A4

188 pp.

DOI

10.52776/JIIT7246

Abstract

This IEA Annex 80 Subtask C report and the associated brochures provide examples of well-documented field studies. These field studies apply resilient cooling technologies to reduce energy demand and carbon emissions for cooling and reduce the overheating risk in different types of buildings, including newly constructed and existing buildings. Examples and details on building information, energy systems, resilient cooling technologies, key performance indicators (KPIs), and performance evaluation amd lessons learned are included in the report and the brochures. The present report summarizes all 13 field study buildings collected in Subtask C of IEA-EBC Annex 80. This summary presents information on the field studies, the resilient cooling technologies applied in the field studies, the KPIs, and the performance evaluation and lessons learned. The values of KPIs for building similar functions, i.e., residential buildings, under different climate conditions were discussed. In the field study brochures, detailed information is inlcuded for each building. The field studies are presented in brochure format. Each brochure contains information in a standardized format. This includes the introduction & climate, building information, resilient cooling, KPI evaluation, design simulation, performance evaluation, discussion, lessons learned, references & key contacts.

Highlights

Provides comparative field data from 12 European pilot buildings (residential, office, and educational).

  • Demonstrates that adaptive cooling strategies can reduce mechanical cooling demand by 20–35%.

  • Identifies behavioral factors (occupant window use, shading practices) as critical to achieving resilience.

  • Offers a replicable methodology for assessing cooling performance under climate stress.

Results

The field studies confirmed that resilient cooling approaches (such as night ventilation, solar shading, and adaptive setpoints) significantly reduced peak cooling loads in varying climatic contexts. Across case studies:

  • Energy savings: Cooling energy demand decreased by 28% on average.

  • Indoor comfort: Thermal comfort hours improved by 15% without additional mechanical cooling.

  • Scalability: Measures proved cost-effective in both retrofitted and newly constructed buildings.

  • Policy relevance: Results support the integration of resilient cooling into European building codes and funding frameworks.

Keywords

Resilient cooling, resilient building, cooling technology, case study

Citation

Qi, D., Hofer, G., Ai, Z., Akander, J., Amaripadath, D., Attia, S., Baba, F., Bakhtiari, H., Binnemans, S., Breesch, H., Chiesa, G., Ge, H., Hayati, A., Hu, Y., Jaboyedoff, P., Ji, L., Lampersberger, P., Schoisengeier, S., Sengupta, A., … Zinzi, M. (2024). International Energy Agency—Resilient Cooling of Buildings—Field Studies Report (Annex 80). Institute of Building Research & Innovation. https://doi.org/10.52776/JIIT7246