Development of multi-criteria assessment methodology for Resilient Cooling

Buildings worldwide and in Belgium are subjected to climate change and heatwaves causing a risk of overheating and increasing energy use for cooling. To realize the climate goals of the European Union, low energy cooling solutions are promising. However, performance of low energy cooling technologies in case of heatwaves and exceptional events is not guaranteed. Resilience is a method to deal with these uncertainties and is defined as “an ability to withstand disruptions caused by extreme weather events, man-made disasters, power failure, change in use and atypical conditions; and to maintain capacity to adapt, learn and transform.” A few indicators focusing on thermal building resilience are identified. However, resilience definition and assessment indicators specific for low energy cooling technologies are lacking. The goal of this research project is to improve the resilience of low energy cooling technologies by developing a resilience assessment framework focusing on low energy cooling. Three types of technologies are selected: night cooling, indirect evaporative cooling and floor cooling, along with three case study buildings. Identified thermal resilience indicators for buildings are tested and upgraded for low energy cooling systems using building energy simulations, monitoring and sensitivity analysis. These results are translated into guidelines for practical application. This research contributes to the International Energy Agency’s EBC Annex 80“Resilient cooling”.