Changes in the Heating Period Parameters for the Belgorod Region in the Context of Global Warming

Abstract

Currently, we can observe an increasing trend toward the global warming of our planet. Multiple studies are aimed at assessing the impact of climate change on the construction industry and the infrastructure sector in general. At the same time, relatively few studies are dedicated to the climate change impact on the buildings’ need of energy for heating. The goal of this paper is to consider the change in the main parameters of the heating period in the Belgorod Region, which are required to calculate the heat protection of buildings. We have analyzed the duration of heating periods; the minimum temperatures during heating periods; the temperatures during the five coldest days in each heating period; the average temperatures during heating periods; and the number of heating degree days from 1936 to 2021. We have identified trends towards increasing minimum temperatures during heating periods; increasing temperatures of the five coldest days in each heating period; increasing average temperatures during heating periods, and a decreasing number of heating degree days. We have drawn a conclusion on the correlation between the global warming and the climate warming in the Belgorod Region. We have found that warming in the Belgorod Region occurs faster than it is estimated based on data in several studies in the early twenty-first century. We have given some recommendations for designing heating systems taking into account the trend towards increasing the number of heating degree days per heating period.