Evaluation and selection of future meteorological years for building performance simulations in Europe

The generation and selection of future meteorological years (FMYs) for building simulation involves methodological challenges related to climate-model selection, scenario interpretation, spatial consistency and engineering applicability. This study presents a framework for generating, evaluating and selecting FMYs for building simulation and demonstrates its application across 5,028 European locations using engineering-oriented selection criteria. The work makes three principal contributions: (i) a scalable and transparent methodology for generating FMYs from RCM-based RCP and GCM-based SSP climate projections, (ii) a performance-driven framework for selecting climate model combinations suitable for engineering applications and (iii) a scenario-specific guidance scheme that directly supports simulating heating and cooling demand in buildings under climate change. Using the open-source Future Weather Generator (FWG), historical Typical Meteorological Years (TMYs) were morphed with monthly climate deltas derived from ensembles of CORDEX-CMIP5 and CMIP6 models. All datasets are openly accessible, providing a reproducible, climate-consistent bridge between climate science and building engineering practice.