Dynamic Anthropogenic activitieS impacting Heat emissions (DASH v1.0): development and evaluation

Thermal emissions – or anthropogenic heat fluxes (QF) – from human activities impact urban climates at a local and larger scale. DASH considers both urban form and function in simulating QF through the use of an agent-based structure that includes behavioural characteristics of urban residents. This allows human activities to drive the calculation of QF, incorporating dynamic responses to environmental conditions. The spatial resolution of simulations depends on data availability. DASH has simple transport and building energy models to allow simulation of dynamic vehicle use, occupancy and heating–cooling demand, and release of energy to the outdoor environment through the building fabric. Building stock variations are captured using archetypes. Evaluation of DASH in Greater London for periods in 2015 uses a top-down inventory model (GQF) and national energy consumption statistics. DASH reproduces the expected spatial and temporal patterns of QF, but the annual average is smaller than published energy data. Overall, the model generally performs well, including for domestic appliance energy use. DASH could be coupled to an urban land surface model and/or used offline for developing coefficients for simpler/faster models.