53.3 annual_total_heating_degree_days_1961_1990

	metadata_field
shortname	annual_total_heating_degree_days_1961_1990
title	annual_total_heating_degree_days_1961_1990
creator	Bureau of Meteorology (BoM)
contact_email	car.data@sydney.edu.au
abstract	Annual total heating degree days (count, 18C reference temperature), 1961-1990 Mean monthly and mean annual heating & cooling degree days grids. The grids show the heating & cooling degree days values across Australia in the form of a two-dimensional array. The mean data are based on the standard 30-year period 1961-1990. Heating and cooling degree days are based on the average daily temperature. The average daily temperature is calculated as follows: [maximum daily temperature + minimum daily temperature] / 2. If the average daily temperature falls below comfort levels, heating is required; and if it is above comfort levels, cooling is required. The heating degree days or cooling degree days are determined by the difference between the average daily temperature and the comfort level temperature. The comfort level values used are 12 and 18 degrees Celsius for heating and 18 and 24 degrees Celsius for cooling. For example, if heating is being considered to a temperature comfort level of 18 degrees, and the average daily temperature for a particular location was 14 degrees, then heating equivalent to 4 degrees (4 heating degree days) would be required to maintain a temperature of 18 degrees for that day. However if the average daily temperature was 20 degrees then no heating would be required, so the number of heating degree days for that day would be zero. If cooling is being considered to a temperature comfort level of 24 degrees, and if the average temperature for a day was 27 degrees, then cooling equivalent to 3 degrees (3 cooling degree days) would be required to maintain a temperature of 24 degrees for that day. However if the average temperature was 21 degrees, then no cooling would be required, so the number of cooling degree days for that day would be zero. Average annual heating and cooling degree days are calculated by adding heating and cooling degree days totals over a specified period (1961 to 1990) and dividing by the number of years in that period (30 years in this case). Similarly, average monthly heating and cooling degree days are calculated by adding monthly totals and dividing by the number of years in the specified period. Data available from the BoM website http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/climate_averages/degree-days/index.jsp
additional_metadata	/home/public_share_data/ResearchData_CAR/Environment_General/Climate_and_weather_BOM/annual_total_heating_degree_days_1961_1990
alternate_identifier	https://cloud.car-dat.org/index.php/apps/files/?dir=/Environment_General/Climate_and_weather_BOM/annual_total_heating_degree_days_1961_1990
associated_party
access_rules	Access by request. Available to all members of CAR.
Recommended Citation	Australian Bureau of Meteorology (2011): Mean monthly and mean annual heating & cooling degree days data (base climatological data sets) 1961-1990. Australian Government. (Dataset). http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/climate_averages/degree-days/index.jsp [accessed 2020]. Downloaded from CARDAT https://cloud.car-dat.org/index.php/apps/files/?dir=/Environment_General/Climate_and_weather_BOM/annual_total_heating_degree_days_1961_1990
licence_code	CCBY
accessibility	CAR