Climatology and Trends of Heat Index, Human Discomfort Index, and Energy Per Capita for CONUS and Meso-America

Abstract

Abstract Air temperature and humidity affect human comfort and health in warm and humid climates, and consequently energy demands from buildings to maintain indoor comfort levels. An effective way to measure the overall effect of temperature and humidity on human comfort (or discomfort) is using the heat index (HI), a measure of how people “feel” when exposed to warm and humid environments. This research aims to investigate the spatial and temporal changes and trends of HI and associated energy per capita (EPC) to maintain human comfort in the Continental US (CONUS) and the Meso-America (the Caribbean, and Northern Regions of South America). Hourly air temperature and relative humidity datasets were collected from three sources: the National Center for Environmental Prediction, the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR), and surface weather stations for a period of 30 years: 1990–2019. The algorithm used for the HI is similar to the one used by the US National Weather Service whereas the EPC is based on the ventilation requirements per person. Results for HI and EPC climatology for the summer season indicate the largest increasing values in Southeast US, followed by the Greater Antilles, and then the Lesser Antilles. Results of the analysis depict positive EPC rate of 2 kW h per year for the summer season for the Southern Greater Antilles. These trends using NARR data were found to be statistically significant and correlate very well with selected weather stations. The actual trends of electricity consumption per person per year for the CONUS suggest, in general, a correlation with increasing maximum HI.