Atmospheric scientists from the University of Hawaii at MÄnoa conducted research revealing that the traditional measure used to estimate energy demand for air conditioning and refrigeration, known as cooling degree days, is incomplete. This discovery is important because it could significantly impact how we forecast and manage cooling demand in a changing climate.
The problem with cooling degree days
Cooling degree days are a measure that attempts to estimate energy demand for air conditioning and refrigeration based on ambient temperature. However, this measure does not account for important factors influencing cooling demand, such as humidity and wind speed. Scientists from the University of Hawaii at MÄnoa have developed a new physics-based metric that integrates these factors to improve cooling demand estimates.