Meteo-climatic characterization of Naples and its heating-cooling degree day areal distribution

We characterize the meteo-climate data of the urban area of Naples to determine the areal and seasonal distribution of energy demand needed to heat or cool its buildings. Naples is a one million people city facing the Tyrrhenian Sea in Central Italy with a complex morphology made of hills and valleys, spanning in altitude from 0 to 400 m asl. We use heating degree days (HDD) relative to a 20°C base and cooling degree days (CDD) relative to the humidex index with a 25 base. HDD and CDD are derived from measurements of outside air temperature and relative humidity taken from eight weather stations distributed in the urban area. The total HDD+CDD energy demand is on average 2080 with a minimum in the park of S. Elmo (1884) and a maximum in Camaldoli (2319), that are poorly populated areas. On the contrary, via Foria, the Naples’ downtown and its most populated area, registers the highest energy demand (2255) because it is characterized by a weakly continental climate, while the other locations enjoy a more maritime climate. In particular, Denza on Posillipo promontory, famous for its pleasant climate, registers the lowest energy demand (1977).