This paper describes the development of a new climate classification for use in characterizing the performance of energy efficiency measures for buildings. The classification is designed for use in energy codes and standards, design guidelines, and building energy analyses. This is the first paper in a two-paper set. This first paper contains background on climate classification and describes the development process for the new classification. The second paper presents the actual zone definitions, describes related climatic materials that have been developed, such as maps, and provides a comparison of the new classification with existing classifications. This paper includes a review of traditional climate classifications used by other disciplines and examines how climate is treated in current energy codes and standards. Details of the process used to develop the new classification system are presented along with a general description of the resulting classification.

Units: Dual