Enhancing EnergyPlus capabilities to model dynamic building envelopes using python plugin

Wijesuriya, Sajith; Kishore, Ravi Anant; Mitchell, Matt; Booten, Chuck

doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2025.115776

Enhancing EnergyPlus capabilities to model dynamic building envelopes using python plugin

Journal Article · Sun Apr 20 00:00:00 EDT 2025 · Energy and Buildings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2025.115776· OSTI ID:2563295

^[1]; ^[1]; ^[1]; ^[1]

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Nearly half of the energy consumption in the United States is related to buildings, resulting in an urgent need to develop innovative technologies to improve building energy efficiency. Dynamic building envelopes, comprising switchable insulation and thermal energy storage materials, have been proposed recently as a promising solution to reduce buildings' heating and cooling loads by thermally coupling the indoor environment with the ambient environment when beneficial while decoupling them when outdoor conditions are not favorable. Although various related technologies are still underway, the whole-building energy modeling tools, like EnergyPlus, do not have the capability to simulate the transient and dynamic nature of dynamic envelope materials and components to accurately predict their impact on building energy use. The objective of this study is to formulate a method in EnergyPlus simulation engine to model multilayer envelopes, comprising dynamic building materials with variable thermophysical properties, and discuss the changes made to the program using a Python plugin. Furthermore, the thermal performance of the dynamic envelopes using the proposed method is compared and verified with the results from a well-established commercial code, COMSOL Multiphysics. A parametric assessment is also conducted to evaluate the energy efficiency benefits of dynamic envelopes in a single-family residential building, demonstrating total annual energy savings up to 11.6 %, when a dynamic envelope operates alone, and up to 18.2 % when it is combined with a thin layer of phase change material as a thermal storage medium. Finally, a United States wide energy efficiency assessment is presented to showcase the geographical spread of the energy savings. The method designed and implemented in this study provides the researchers with the ability to implement their dynamic insulation methods in EnergyPlus and evaluate the whole building energy impact.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Energy Efficiency Office. Building Technologies Office

Grant/Contract Number:: AC36-08GO28308

OSTI ID:: 2563295

Report Number(s):: NREL/JA--5500-89947; MainId:90726; UUID:6c11f512-228b-457d-b5ef-fa22a94d7362; MainAdminId:76710

Journal Information:: Energy and Buildings, Journal Name: Energy and Buildings Vol. 339; ISSN 0378-7788

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (51)

Dual Phase Change Thermal Diodes with High Rectification for Thermal Management near Room Temperature Kommandur, Sampath; Kishore, Ravi Anant; Booten, Chuck Advanced Materials Technologies, Vol. 7, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1002/admt.202101060	journal	October 2021
Global scenarios of residential heating and cooling energy demand and CO2 emissions Mastrucci, Alessio; van Ruijven, Bas; Byers, Edward Climatic Change, Vol. 168, Issue 3-4 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-021-03229-3	journal	October 2021
A detailed loads comparison of three building energy modeling programs: EnergyPlus, DeST and DOE-2.1E Zhu, Dandan; Hong, Tianzhen; Yan, Da Building Simulation, Vol. 6, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12273-013-0126-7	journal	April 2013
Thermal energy storage using a phase change material Hamdan, M. A.; Elwerr, F. A. Solar Energy, Vol. 56, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/0038-092X(95)00090-E	journal	February 1996
Thermal comfort in buildings through a mixed water-mass thermal storage wall Kaushik, S. C.; Kaul, S. Building and Environment, Vol. 24, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/0360-1323(89)90033-4	journal	January 1989
EnergyPlus: creating a new-generation building energy simulation program Crawley, Drury B.; Lawrie, Linda K.; Winkelmann, Frederick C. Energy and Buildings, Vol. 33, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-7788(00)00114-6	journal	April 2001
The application of dynamic insulation in buildings Taylor, Bj; Imbabi, Ms Renewable Energy, Vol. 15, Issue 1-4 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0960-1481(98)00190-6	journal	September 1998
Effect of masonry material and surface absorptivity on critical thermal mass in insulated building walls Al-Sanea, Sami A.; Zedan, M. F.; Al-Hussain, S. N. Applied Energy, Vol. 102 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2012.06.016	journal	February 2013
Conceptual analysis and design of a partitioned multifunctional smart insulation Kimber, Mark; Clark, William W.; Schaefer, Laura Applied Energy, Vol. 114 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2013.09.067	journal	February 2014
A metric for characterizing the effectiveness of thermal mass in building materials Taylor, Robert A.; Miner, Mark Applied Energy, Vol. 128 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2014.04.061	journal	September 2014
Enhancing building energy performance by effectively using phase change material and dynamic insulation in walls Kishore, Ravi Anant; Bianchi, Marcus V. A.; Booten, Chuck Applied Energy, Vol. 283 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.116306	journal	February 2021
Assessment of buildings’ dynamic thermal insulation technologies-A review Karanafti, Aikaterina; Theodosiou, Theodoros; Tsikaloudaki, Katerina Applied Energy, Vol. 326 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.119985	journal	November 2022
County-level assessment of behind-the-meter solar and storage to mitigate long duration power interruptions for residential customers Gorman, Will; Barbose, Galen; Pablo Carvallo, Juan Applied Energy, Vol. 342 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2023.121166	journal	July 2023
CFD modeling and experimental validation of the thermal performance of a novel dynamic PCM Trombe wall: Comparison with the companion static wall with and without PCM Zhou, Shiqiang; Razaqpur, A. Ghani Applied Energy, Vol. 353 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2023.121985	journal	January 2024
Modulating thermal load through lightweight residential building walls using thermal energy storage and controlled precooling strategy Kishore, Ravi Anant; Bianchi, Marcus V. A.; Booten, Chuck Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 180 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2020.115870	journal	November 2020
Parametric and sensitivity analysis of a PCM-integrated wall for optimal thermal load modulation in lightweight buildings Kishore, Ravi Anant; Bianchi, Marcus V. A.; Booten, Chuck Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 187 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2021.116568	journal	March 2021
Effective properties of semitransparent radiative cooling materials with spectrally variable properties Kishore, Ravi Anant; Booten, Chuck; Wijesuriya, Sajith Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 205 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2022.118048	journal	March 2022
A heat transfer model for assessment of plant based roofing systems in summer conditions Tabares-Velasco, Paulo Cesar; Srebric, Jelena Building and Environment, Vol. 49 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2011.07.019	journal	March 2012
Verification and validation of EnergyPlus phase change material model for opaque wall assemblies Tabares-Velasco, Paulo Cesar; Christensen, Craig; Bianchi, Marcus Building and Environment, Vol. 54 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2012.02.019	journal	August 2012
Energy savings and emissions reductions associated with increased insulation for new homes in the United States Levy, Jonathan I.; Woo, May K.; Tambouret, Yann Building and Environment, Vol. 96 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2015.11.008	journal	February 2016
Empirical validation and comparison of PCM modeling algorithms commonly used in building energy and hygrothermal software Wijesuriya, Sajith; Tabares-Velasco, Paulo Cesar; Biswas, Kaushik Building and Environment, Vol. 173 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.106750	journal	April 2020
The external walls of a passive building: A classification and description of their thermal and optical properties Lewandowski, Witold Marek; Lewandowska-Iwaniak, Weronika Energy and Buildings, Vol. 69 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2013.10.021	journal	February 2014
Validation of EnergyPlus thermal simulation of a double skin naturally and mechanically ventilated test cell Mateus, Nuno M.; Pinto, Armando; Graça, Guilherme Carrilho da Energy and Buildings, Vol. 75 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2014.02.043	journal	June 2014
Phase change materials and products for building applications: A state-of-the-art review and future research opportunities Kalnæs, Simen Edsjø; Jelle, Bjørn Petter Energy and Buildings, Vol. 94 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2015.02.023	journal	May 2015
Energy performance analysis of variable thermal resistance envelopes in residential buildings Park, Benjamin; Srubar, Wil V.; Krarti, Moncef Energy and Buildings, Vol. 103 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2015.06.061	journal	September 2015
Potential analysis of a new removable insulation system Pflug, Thibault; Bueno, Bruno; Siroux, Monica Energy and Buildings, Vol. 154 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2017.08.033	journal	November 2017
Investigating the potential of a closed-loop dynamic insulation system for opaque building elements Koenders, S. J. M.; Loonen, R. C. G. M.; Hensen, J. L. M. Energy and Buildings, Vol. 173 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2018.05.051	journal	August 2018
Evaluation of the performance for a dynamic insulation system suitable for switchable building envelope Dabbagh, M.; Krarti, M. Energy and Buildings, Vol. 222 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2020.110025	journal	September 2020
Optimizing PCM-integrated walls for potential energy savings in U.S. Buildings Kishore, Ravi Anant; Bianchi, Marcus V. A.; Booten, Chuck Energy and Buildings, Vol. 226 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2020.110355	journal	November 2020
eplusr: A framework for integrating building energy simulation and data-driven analytics Jia, Hongyuan; Chong, Adrian Energy and Buildings, Vol. 237 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2021.110757	journal	April 2021
Evaluating cascaded and tunable phase change materials for enhanced thermal energy storage utilization and effectiveness in building envelopes Kishore, Ravi Anant; Booten, Chuck; Bianchi, Marcus V. A. Energy and Buildings, Vol. 260 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2022.111937	journal	April 2022
Dynamic insulation systems of building envelopes: A review Fawaier, Mohammad; Bokor, Balázs Energy and Buildings, Vol. 270 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2022.112268	journal	September 2022
Peak load reductions: Electric load shifting with mechanical pre-cooling of residential buildings with low thermal mass Turner, W. J. N.; Walker, I. S.; Roux, J. Energy, Vol. 82 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2015.02.011	journal	March 2015
Energy performance of integrated adaptive envelope systems for residential buildings Dehwah, Ammar H. A.; Krarti, Moncef Energy, Vol. 233 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2021.121165	journal	October 2021
Building energy efficiency and load flexibility optimization using phase change materials under futuristic grid scenario Wijesuriya, Sajith; Booten, Chuck; Bianchi, Marcus. V. A. Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 339 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.130561	journal	March 2022
Potential energy savings benefits and limitations of radiative cooling coatings for U.S. residential buildings Wijesuriya, Sajith; Kishore, Ravi Anant; Bianchi, Marcus V. A. Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 379 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134763	journal	December 2022
Fractional Adams–Moulton methods Galeone, Luciano; Garrappa, Roberto Mathematics and Computers in Simulation, Vol. 79, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matcom.2008.03.008	journal	December 2008
Modeling phase change materials embedded in building enclosure: A review AL-Saadi, Saleh Nasser; Zhai, Zhiqiang (John) Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 21 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2013.01.024	journal	May 2013
A review of methods to match building energy simulation models to measured data Coakley, Daniel; Raftery, Paul; Keane, Marcus Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 37 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2014.05.007	journal	September 2014
Comparative analysis of building insulation material properties and performance Kumar, Dileep; Alam, Morshed; Zou, Patrick X. W. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Vol. 131 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2020.110038	journal	October 2020
Effects of working fluids on the performance of a bi-directional thermodiode for solar energy utilization in buildings Chun, W.; Ko, Y. J.; Lee, H. J. Solar Energy, Vol. 83, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2008.09.001	journal	March 2009
Contact-Based Passive Thermal Switch with a High Rectification Ratio Kommandur, Sampath; Kishore, Ravi Anant ACS Engineering Au, Vol. 3, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsengineeringau.2c00046	journal	December 2022
Improving energy efficiency of HVAC systems in buildings: a review of best practices Simpeh, Eric Kwame; Pillay, Jon-Patrick George; Ndihokubwayo, Ruben International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation, Vol. 40, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBPA-02-2021-0019	journal	August 2021
A Systematic Approach for the Thermal Design Optimization of Building Envelopes Al-Homoud, Mohammad S. Journal of Building Physics, Vol. 29, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1177/1744259105056267	journal	October 2005
Computational design of an energy-efficient thermal switch as building wall element Peralta, Ignacio; Fachinotti, Victor; Caggiano, Antonio https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5054073	preprint	January 2025
EnergyPlus and SEEM Modeling Enhancements via Software-to-Software Comparison Using NREL's BEopt Test Suite Horowitz, Scott; Maguire, Jeff; Tabares-Velasco, Paulo Cesar https://doi.org/10.2172/1295388	report	August 2016
Guide to Determining Climate Zone by County: Building America and IECC 2021 Updates Antonopoulos, Chrissi; Gilbride, Theresa; Margiotta, Evan https://doi.org/10.2172/1893981	report	September 2022
Energy-Efficient Adaptive Dynamic Building Facades: A Review of Their Energy Efficiency and Operating Loads Zhangabay, Nurlan; Tursunkululy, Timur; Ibraimova, Ulzhan Applied Sciences, Vol. 14, Issue 23 https://doi.org/10.3390/app142310979	journal	November 2024
Representing Small Commercial Building Faults in EnergyPlus, Part II: Model Validation Kim, Janghyun; Frank, Stephen; Im, Piljae Buildings, Vol. 9, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings9120239	journal	November 2019
Topology Morphing Insulation: A Review of Technologies and Energy Performance in Dynamic Building Insulation Stevens, Tyler R.; Crane, Nathan B.; Mulford, Rydge B. Energies, Vol. 16, Issue 19 https://doi.org/10.3390/en16196978	journal	October 2023
Design of a Variable-Conductance Vacuum Insulation Benson, David K.; Potter, Thomas F.; Tracy, C. Edwin SAE Technical Paper Series https://doi.org/10.4271/940315	conference	March 1994

Similar Records

Energy Design Plugin: An EnergyPlus Plugin for SketchUp; Preprint

Conference · Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2008 · OSTI ID:936191

Energy performance analysis of smart wall system with switchable insulation and thermal storage capacity

Conference · Tue Nov 30 23:00:00 EST 2021 · OSTI ID:1837876

Thermally Anisotropic Composites for Heat Redirection and Thermal Management in Building Envelopes

Conference · Tue Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 2019 · OSTI ID:1606992

Related Subjects

25 ENERGY STORAGE
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
COMSOL
FEA
PCMs
adaptive envelopes
buildings
energy efficiency
energy modeling
switchable insulation
thermal energy storage
thermal switch

Enhancing EnergyPlus capabilities to model dynamic building envelopes using python plugin

Citation Formats

References (51)

Similar Records

Related Subjects