The Exemplary Real Time Year weather files (RTYs), current Reference Meteorological Year files (RMYs) and Ersatz Future Meteorological Years (EFMYs) used for these monthly simulations are available for purchase to allow clients to simulate their own designs for energy budgeting and monitoring rather than rely on analogy with the performance of these archetypical buildings and systems.
Solar irradiation data courtesy of Solcast. We would like to express our gratitude to Solcast for providing us with the Time Series data when we encountered an issue with our AWS instance in January. Due to their generosity, we were able to produce our EWE Index for that month utilising their Time Series data instead of the Live data that we usually use in the EWE Index. We appreciate their support and cooperation.
Archetypical buildings and systems
3-storey office
10-storey office
Supermarket
5kW domestic PV system
ADELAIDE
Weather Index (monthly means)
Adelaide had a more humid and slightly colder January compared to the long-term average. The GHI was higher, and the wind speeds were comparable.
Energy Index (%)
The solar PV simulation output results were 3.1% up on the average. Cooling peak loads saw 31% increase in the 3-storey office, 34% in the 10-storey office, while the supermarket saw a 6% decrease.
BRISBANE
Weather Index (monthly means)
Brisbane had a less humid and slightly colder January than average. The GHI was mostly comparable to the average, with higher values in the morning and lower in the afternoon, and the wind speeds were also lower.
Energy Index (%)
The solar PV simulation output results were 0.8% lower than average, and all the building archetypes saw decreased cooling consumptions. Cooling peak loads were 0.2% and 1.1% higher for, respectively, the 3-storey office and the 10-storey office, while the supermarket saw a 7.8% decrease.
CANBERRA
Canberra experienced a more humid and cooler January compared to the long-term average. The GHI and wind speeds were lower, resulting in a 6.7% decrease in the PV simulation.
All three building archetypes experienced lower cooling requirements compared to the average. While cooling peak loads were 29% and 9% lower (respectively) for the 3-storey office and the supermarket, the 10-storey building saw a 36% increase.
DARWIN
Darwin experienced a more humid and marginally warmer January compared to the long-term average. The GHI was overall comparable but with lower values in the early mornings and the wind speeds were also lower.
Compared to the long-term average, the solar PV simulation output results were 2.8% higher and all the building archetypes had marginally higher cooling consumption. Cooling peak loads were up 6% for the 3-storey office building and the 10-storey office building, while the supermarket saw a 0.4% increase.
HOBART
Hobart experienced a more humid and warmer January compared to the long-term average. The wind speed were comparable throughout the day and the GHI was higher.
Compared to the long-term average, the solar PV simulation output results were 8.8% higher and all the building archetypes had significantly higher cooling consumptions. While the 3-storey office and the 10-storey office saw 26% and 27% lower cooling peak loads respectively, the supermarket saw a 2% decrease.
MELBOURNE
Melbourne had a significant more humid and slightly warmer January. The GHI and the wind speeds were higher, resulting in a 2.2% increase in the PV simulation.
The office building archetypes had higher cooling consumption compared to the long-term average, while the supermarket had lower cooling and higher heating requirements. Cooling peak loads were up 7% and 10% for the 3-storey and the 10-storey office respectively, while the supermarket saw a 15% decrease.
PERTH
Perth experienced a significantly less humid and warmer January compared to the long-term average. The wind speeds and the GHI were higher, particularly in the mornings.
The solar PV simulation output results were 7.1% higher and all the building archetypes experienced higher cooling consumptions. Cooling peak loads were 11%, and 10% higher (respectively) for the 3-storey office and the 10-storey office, for the supermarket they were 1.7% lower.
SYDNEY
Sydney experienced a significantly more humid and slightly colder than average weather in January. The GHI was lower, which led to a 3.8% decrease in the solar PV simulation output, and the wind speeds were comparable throughout the day.
The office building archetypes experienced increased cooling demand, while the supermarket had lower cooling requirements. Cooling peak loads were up 19%, 20% and 11% respectively for the 3-storey, 10-storey offices, and the supermarket.
