Effect of Climate Change on Energy Utilization in Residential Buildings

Abstract

Nigeria’s climate has been changing, evident in: increases in temperature; variable rainfall; rise in sea level and flooding; drought and desertification; land degradation; heat wave and more frequent extreme weather events. Its effects are mainly caused by excessive emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere from various sources. Owing to these unhealthy activities of man in his environment, the most widely accepted climate change scenarios predict increases of between 1 and 3.5°C for the global annual average temperatures. These effects have largely impacted the tropical monsoon climate, the climatic zone where Owerri, the capital city of Imo state lies. To ascertain the position of this work, this research studies the variables of climate change in Owerri, and quantitatively analyses primary data collected from respondents residing in Imo state using statistical models. The research findings were based on a survey carried out on the selected residents in Owerri to measure their energy utilization in responding to thermal changes in their environment which is a result of changes in temperature, humidity, and precipitation of the study area from 1979 to 2021. Previous research findings on this study area have revealed that much has not been done in promoting energy efficient designs to ensure a healthy living condition of users in building spaces owing to deficiency in a detailed study on the impact of climate change on energy utilization in residential buildings in Owerri. The results from this research are geared towards proposing adaptive strategies and system upgrade solutions to address energy utilization issues in residential buildings emanating from climate change.