Lower energy consumption thanks to daylight-saving time
Does daylight saving make sense from an energy point of view?

Date:
March 21, 2023
Source:
Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology
(EMPA)
Summary:
The elimination of daylight-saving time is a frequently -- and
heatedly - - discussed topic. Often, only the aspect of electricity
consumption due to artificial lighting is considered. In a new
study, researchers have now analyzed whether daylight saving also
has an impact on the heating and cooling energy required for office
buildings, and what role climate change might play in this. The
results should delight supporters of daylight-saving time.


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FULL STORY ==========================================================================
With the start of daylight-saving time, discussions break out -- as
they do every year -- about whether or not we should eliminate the time
change -- both in politics and in the wider society. Opponents argue
that the time change impacts our health, for instance through sleep disturbances. Proponents, on the other hand, often bring forward the
argument of saving electricity because of longer days, which means that
less artificial light is needed. "That was the original intention behind
the introduction of daylight saving. From our point of view, however,
it makes sense to look not only at the impact on electricity savings
in lighting, but on the overall energy consumption of a building,"
explains Sven Eggimann. Together with his colleague Massimo Fiorentini
and other colleagues at Empa's Urban Energy Systems Lab, he has therefore determined whether and how the time change affects heating and cooling
energy consumption.


========================================================================== Going home earlier saves energy The scientists' hypothesis was that
employees start their work an hour earlier in summer due to the time
change, and thus leave the office earlier in the afternoon. Since most of
the cooling happens later in the afternoon, this can save energy. The assumption behind this is that in an empty office the cooling can
be reduced or even turned off completely. As buildings become more
intelligent, this would be relatively easy to accomplish in the future.

To test the hypothesis, the researchers simulated the heating and cooling energy used with and without daylight-saving time for different climatic regions based on data from various office buildings in 15 US cities. In
order to include the influence of climate change, they took into account
not only the current climate, but also future climate scenarios up to
the year 2050. This is crucial, as climate change has an enormous impact
on a building's energy consumption. In another study, for example, Empa researchers found that in future Switzerland's demand for cooling could
match the one for heating due to climate change.

The results of the current study should delight the proponents of
daylight- saving time. "Switching to daylight-saving time can reduce
an office building's cooling energy by up to almost six percent. At
the same time, heating demand can increase by up to 4.4 percent due
to the earlier start of work in the morning. However, since much more
cooling than heating energy is needed in summer, the time change has a
positive overall effect on the energy balance of a building," summarizes Massimo Fiorentini. Across the different climate zones and scenarios,
the overall energy savings varied -- peaking at around 3 percent -- but
they were evident everywhere. Although this result only relates to office buildings in the US, it also provides valuable insights for Switzerland,
as the climatic conditions are comparable for several of the simulated
climate zones.

Contribution to climate protection "Our study shows that the time change
can contribute to climate protection. In the discussion about eliminating daylight-saving time, policy makers should therefore not only consider
the electricity savings in artificial lighting, but also the impact on
the energy balance of office buildings as a whole," says Eggimann. At
the same time, the researchers emphasize that the time change is only
one of many ways to influence the energy consumption of a building.

Technical improvements of the buildings, behavioral changes and a general adjustment of our working hours can also contribute to energy savings
and thus CO2 reduction -- regardless of whether or not we change the
time every six months.

* RELATED_TOPICS
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o Radiant_energy o Climate o Climate_change_mitigation
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========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Swiss_Federal_Laboratories_for_Materials_Science_and
Technology_(EMPA). Original written by Loris Pandiani. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Sven Eggimann, Robin Mutschler, Kristina Orehounig, Massimo
Fiorentini.

Climate change shifts the trade-off between lower cooling and
higher heating demand from daylight saving time in office buildings.

Environmental Research Letters, 2023; 18 (2): 024001 DOI:
10.1088/1748- 9326/acb0e3 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230321112635.htm

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