Thermal insulation and alternative energy – an analysis of climate variations

Paper in proceeding, 2008

It is well know that the energy use in a building is not the same from year to year as the outdoor climate has variations. In design of buildings it is normal to use a typical year as a basis either an average year or Test Reference Year. We know that energy use will change from year to year but it is seldom calculated. The information on the variations is important for the energy system, if we need backup energy production in cold years. We can compare variations from saving with more thermal insulation or producing energy from sun or wind. Comparing the coefficient of variation, that is a measure of the certainty of energy saving, gives the result that thermal insulation has the least variation (6 %), while the utilization of solar energy (11 %) and wind energy (33 %) is much more uncertain.