Open Source Tools to Face the Increase in Buildings’ Space Cooling Demand

ended

For decades, building space cooling (SC) demand has increased steadily in Europe (EU27), and is expected to rise even more in the coming years (2030/2050). To face this rising trend, CoolLIFE will create two complementary tools: the CoolLIFE tool and knowledge hub. The tool will allow mapping of the SC demand of the EU27’s buildings from the hectare to continent level, providing indications to best meet actual and future demand while promoting the implementation of innovative, efficient SC solutions (best available technologies). The tool will also provide comfort, lifestyle, and user behaviour indications for different territories, demand-side management/demand response measures, as well as economic, policy, and legal/regulatory conditions. The knowledge hub will work as an online repository of FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable) and quality-controlled sources to address the lack of data on SC, including a review of available funding options. CoolLIFE will focus on two aspects: i) comfort, lifestyle, and user behaviour due to the potential to considerably reduce energy need by addressing occupant behaviour and ii) the residential sector because of the important rise in energy demand for SC purposes in this sector. Natural, passive, and free cooling (including nature-based solutions) will be an important part of the investigation, due to being largely unexplored so far and their high-deployment potential. Both tools will be developed in close cooperation with user target groups. Furthermore, the tool will be validated by identified stakeholders and case studies in Southern, Central, and Northern Europe to provide a tested and user-friendly software based on user needs. Finally, we present a strategy on how to ensure the wide usability, adjustability, and application of the tool and knowledge hub within and beyond the project duration, including how it could support planning documents such as NECPs and Comprehensive Assessments.