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Solution

Mitigating the Urban Heat Island Effect

with BACnet

The urban heat island effect on big cities. © Shutterstock

As urbanization increases, cities become the materials used for urban environments, such water, which through the sewers is released into
more susceptible to the urban heat island as pavement or roofing, favor the absorption rivers, ponds, and lakes, affecting the tempera-
(UHI) effect, where temperatures in urban and re-emission of the sun’s heat. Also, urban ture of these natural environments and affecting,
areas are significantly higher than in out- geometry, with tall buildings and narrow streets, in turn, its aquatic life.
lying areas. This effect, which is more makes cities become canyons where the wind
pronounced in extreme climate regions, flow is blocked, so another of the available nat- The consequences of the UHI effect on human
contributes to environmental, energy, eco- ural cooling systems is lost. Add to that formula health are also evident, particularly for popula-
nomic, and human health impacts. One of the heat generated by human activities and the tions who are more sensitive to extreme climate,
the factors causing heat islands is the heat climate conditions of some regions, with calm, such as older adults, young children, people in
generated from human activities, such as clear, dry, and hot weather, and you’ll get all the poor health, and people who work outdoors. In
the spread deployment of air-conditioning needed ingredients for having a heat island. the case of young children, the fact that their
systems. Maximizing HVAC systems effi- respiratory systems are still developing and due
ciency is mandatory to address the prob- One problem with multiple impacts to their high ratio of breathing, the chances of
lem, and it is through BACnet that the UHI suffering a lung disease dramatically rise in
effect can be reduced while keeping high The heat islands’ impact spreads over sev- comparison to children who live in country areas.
levels of comfort for the building occupants. eral areas, affecting citizens’ lives deeper than Because of these consequences, counteracting
it may seem. The demand for air conditioning the UHI effect becomes urgent.
The urban conformation itself is the cause of to cool buildings and facilities creates peaks in
the so-called urban heat island (UHI) effect; on the energy demand, making the supply energy Looking at the factors involved in the UHI effect
the one hand, cities usually lack the necessary companies rely on fossil fuel plants to cover that listed above, we notice that some are very hard
green spaces where trees, vegetation, and water need, so air pollution and greenhouse gas emis- or impossible to address, like the climate fac-
bodies tend to cool the air by the shade of trees, sions increase. Indeed, not only the quality of air tor or how cities have been designed until now.
the transpiration of water from the plant leaves is impaired, but of water too: the high tempera- All efforts must focus on other factors, such as
and the evaporation of water. On the other hand, tures of the city structures can heat the storm- improving HVAC systems.

8 8 BACnet Middle East Journal 13 11/24