Urban composition and residential energy use: Evidence base for performance differences in semi-arid environments

Résumé fourni par la source

Urban morphology plays a fundamental role in shaping building energy performance by modifying local microclimatic conditions, solar exposure, and ventilation patterns. Although Urban Building Energy Modeling (UBEM) has increasingly been adopted to evaluate the energy performance of the urban fabric, empirical evidence from semi-arid North African cities remains limited. This study compares residential energy performance across three urban configurations in the semi-arid climate of Guelma, Algeria, using an integrated framework that combines annual measured total household electricity consumption with UBEM. Three representative residential morphologies particularly a semi-enclosed courtyard (Scenario 1), a North-South linear block (Scenario 2), and an East-West linear block (Scenario 3) were compared in terms of annual Energy Use Intensity (EUI), simulated electricity use, and cooling demand. The measured annual total household electricity EUI was 23.82, 15.93, and 13.08 kWh/m²/year for Scenarios 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The UBEM results produced corresponding annual electricity-use intensities of 22.82, 12.69, and 12.69 kWh/m²/year. However, the simulated cooling loads did not follow the measured EUI ranking, with Scenario 3 exhibiting the highest cooling demand among the three configurations. This difference between measured electricity use and simulated cooling demand indicates that the two indicators capture different aspects of residential energy performance. Given that the investigated configurations vary simultaneously in orientation, canyon geometry, building number, dwelling density, and floor area, the individual effect of compactness cannot be isolated. The results therefore provide configuration-specific evidence on the relationship between urban morphology and residential energy performance in a semi-arid Algerian context.

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