Review of Urban Heat Island and Building Energy Modeling Approaches

Abstract

In this paper, a review of the current literature in modeling urban heat island (UHI) phenomena including its main causes and effects is summarized. The main goal of the review is to assess the current modeling capabilities to accurately determine the impacts of UHI on outdoor comfort levels and urban building energy demands. In particular, the analysis techniques and modeling approaches are overviewed to estimate the mutual thermal interactions between urban atmosphere and buildings. In addition, the applications and the limitations of various modeling methods are discussed to predict outdoor thermal comfort and urban building energy consumption. The specific capabilities of the reviewed modeling approaches are highlighted to assess the effectiveness of mitigation strategies of the UHI effects. As part of the review analysis, recommendations are outlined to improve current modeling approaches to predict more accurately the impacts of UHI phenomena on urban building energy performance.