This data set consists of calculated annual air-conditoner energy use and occupant comfort from simulations of different buildings across different Australian climates. The building model consists of a 5x5x2.4m single zone connected to a reverse cycle air-conditioner with total net rated cooling capacity of 10kW. Buildings with a range of different thermal envelope parameters are simulated using BOM weather data for up to 5 years for 83 selected sites around Australia. The selected years for each weather station were those with the most complete data record within the period (1998-2015). Hourly ground station measurements of temperature, humidity and wind speed were combined with hourly solar irradiance data (DNI and GHI) from the AREMI web-service. Interpolation was used to fill missing values. Each building and climate combination is simulated twice. One simulation uses a reverse cycle air-conditioner to maintain comfort conditions; annual cooling and heating provided and annual air-conditioner energy consumption are recorded. The second simulated has no air-conditioner (i.e. a free-running building) and the cooling and heating degree discomfort are recorded.

A Powerpoint slide-deck is provided for basic context and an interactive Tableau dashboard is provided to enable the exploration of comfort and efficiency trade-offs for different building characteristics.

Further information on the simulation model and selected results can be found in the Residential Air-Conditioner Use Behaviour and Building Performance Analysis report provided in the Related Resources listing on this page.