Exam EDGE-Expert Topic 1 Question 17 Discussion

In the EDGE methodology, the baseline and improved-case energy calculations are highly dependent on local climate conditions because climate directly affects heating and cooling demands. Even if two hotels are identical in design, construction, and systems, their modeled energy intensity can differ if they are located in cities with different temperature profiles, humidity levels, solar radiation, and seasonal variations. In hotter or more humid climates, cooling loads and dehumidification energy increase; in colder climates, heating loads increase. EDGE uses location-specific weather data to determine these loads, which then influences the annual delivered energy consumption expressed in kWh per square meter per year.
Electricity prices do not affect energy intensity because kWh/m²/year is a consumption metric, not a cost metric. Cost of materials may influence project budgeting and material choices, but it does not directly change the operational energy calculation unless it results in different envelope performance, which the question states is identical. Availability of fresh water affects water strategy decisions and water consumption, not energy intensity. Therefore, the difference most directly responsible for differing energy intensities in EDGE for identical hotels in different cities is climate.