Revised heating degree days due to global warming for 15 major cities of South Korea

Because of the rapid rise in ambient temperatures in urban cities due to global warming, this research study was conducted to revise the heating degree days (HDDs) for main cities of South Korea. Current HDDs used in the design of heating systems were established some 30 years ago. Therefore, there is a need to revisit and revise the HDDs used in Korea. The HDDs were computed at five different indoor set-point and unloaded temperatures. The validity of the methodology used for computing HDDs was ascertained by comparing the calculated HDDs with the published values. The impact of the length of time on total annual HDDs was examined. The results show that higher temperature trends due to global warming witnessed over the past decade in general decreased the HDDs. The impact was higher for warmer climate cities than the cold regions. The revised annual HDDs for 15 major cities of South Korea are presented in this paper.

Practical applications: The HDDs corrected for global warming effects for 15 major cities of South Korea presented in this article are useful for designers in estimating the impact on equipment size and energy consumption. Towards this end, several scenarios of global warming effects are presented by assuming several unloaded temperature levels. This is useful for the designers in examining the uncertainties in the estimation of energy consumption. The results published are also important for policy makers in South Korea to examine the need for revising the degree day database in light of the global warming trends.