Evolving cooling needs have promoted the examination of passive low energy cooling solutions such as Earth-to-air heat exchangers (EAHE). These systems heat or cool passing air based on the seasonal air-soil temperature differences, therefore exhibiting a natural correlation between system performance and climate. Key performance indicators (KPIs) of EAHE cooling potential generated from climatic indicators were compared to building simulation results, for a multitude of system and building configurations, baseline cooling thresholds, and future climate scenarios to identify sensitivity of these indices useful for pre-design evaluations. The analysis was conducted for nine representative locations in North America. Using weather files representative of future climate scenarios, the potential for EAHE cooling was shown to persist in cooler climates in contrast to cooling dominated regions like Miami and Phoenix whose use of the EAHE was not effective. In terms of building and system design, shading and control natural ventilation (CNV) were identified as the ideal additions to promote EAHE cooling. Mean soil temperature was also identified as a possible metric for estimating EAHE cooling as cooler soil temperatures expectedly perform better. The comparison between the two approaches demonstrated climate indicators consistently reflected the behaviour predicted by building simulation despite changes to building dimensions. As a result, climate indicators have been shown to be effective pre-design tools in estimating EAHE cooling potential. These can be used by stakeholders evaluating the benefit of EAHEs in providing sustainable cooling in various climates and future climate conditions.

不断变化的冷却需求促进了对被动式低能耗冷却解决方案（例如地对空热交换器（EAHE））的研究。这些系统根据季节的空气-土壤温度差异来加热或冷却通过的空气，因此表现出系统性能与气候之间的自然关联。将气候指标产生的EAHE制冷潜力的关键性能指标（KPI）与建筑物模拟结果进行了比较，以了解众多系统和建筑物配置，基准制冷阈值以及未来的气候情况，以识别这些指标的敏感性，有助于进行设计前评估。分析是针对北美的九个代表性地点进行的。使用代表未来气候情景的天气文件，与迈阿密和凤凰城等制冷为主的地区（使用EAHE的效果不佳）相反，在较凉爽的气候中，EAHE制冷的潜力仍然存在。在建筑物和系统设计方面，遮阳和控制自然通风（CNV）被确定为促进EAHE冷却的理想添加。平均土壤温度也被认为是估计EAHE冷却的可能指标，因为预计较凉的土壤温度会更好。两种方法之间的比较表明，尽管建筑物尺寸发生了变化，但气候指标一致地反映了建筑物模拟所预测的行为。结果，已经证明气候指标是评估EAHE制冷潜力的有效的预先设计工具。