Energy Performance of Residential Buildings Adjacent to High-Rise Buildings: Shading Effects on Extreme Temperature Days

This study investigates how the insertion of a high-rise building modifies the electricity consumption of adjacent buildings under different thermal conditions. The research was conducted in a consolidated urban area of Santos-SP, Brazil, considering a 112-meter-high reference building and six adjacent residential buildings. Three urban scenarios were simulated using EnergyPlus. The analysis focused on the hottest and the coldest days identified in the climate file used. Daily electricity consumption was analyzed for cooling, heating, and artificial lighting, together with the duration of additional shading caused by the reference building. The results showed that, on the hottest day, total electricity consumption was lower with the reference building than in the scenario without it, with reductions ranging from 7.90% to 28.88%. On the coldest day, the response was heterogeneous, with both reductions and increases in electricity consumption. Additional shading varied among buildings and did not show a consistent relationship with changes in electricity consumption.