The effect of climate change on office building energy consumption in Japan

Global climate change is making the mild Japanese climate significantly warmer, which is expected to have a substantial impact on building energy consumption. The potential impacts of climate change on the cooling and heating loads for offices are also investigated by means of thermal analysis simulations at three sites over three periods; 1981-2000, 2031-2050, and 2081-2100. This study reveals that under the IPCC's A2 carbon emission scenario, substantial reductions of energy consumption are expected if the full measures reviewed here are implemented. These rates differ in each location and each period due to regional climate characteristics and climate change. CO2 emissions reduction targets will depend on future electricity conversion factors which could worsen due to revisions of the national energy plan triggered by the Fukushima nuclear accident. Japan still has a vast quantity of energy inefficient old offices (pre-1981). With more specific and up-todate technologies than those reviewed here, even greater energy reductions could be completed. A brief economic analysis suggests that these measures could be competitive with nuclear power generation. Overall, office buildings in Japan have enormous potential to reduce energy requirements and related CO2 emissions without resorting to nuclear power generation. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.