Calibrating building energy analysis models using short term test data
- Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins, CO (United States). Solar Energy Applications Lab.
The objective of this project was to develop and demonstrate an inexpensive, short-term performance test for building energy systems. A protocol for short-term energy monitoring (STEM) tests of commercial buildings was developed, as well as a systematic approach for reconciling differences between the simulated and measured energy performance of the building. The major result of the test and building simulation is a calibrated building model, based on the measured building energy demand, that may be used in the future for annual building simulations and energy analysis. The approach was to first develop a test protocol for smaller commercial buildings (less than 20,000 ft{sup 2}), where electric heaters could be used to control the inside temperature during the heating season. The protocol then could be applied to larger multi-story buildings in which the actual building heating systems controlled the inside temperature. The authors created an audit building model based on the building plans and observations of the building construction during a site visit. The building model was calibrated against the measured energy demand by simulating the building with the BLAST (Building Loads Analysis and System Thermodynamics) program. The authors varied material and geometric properties of the building model and performed simulations for each change until a bet fit was achieved between the simulated and measured energy demand. They used the root-mean-squared (RMS) error and total building energy used over the test period (R) to compare the two energy demands. In this paper they will describe the approach used to calibrate the buildings and show the results for two buildings.
- OSTI ID:
- 438671
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9603117-; ISBN 0-7918-1765-2; TRN: IM9711%%132
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 1996 American Society of Mechanical Engineers international solar energy conference, San Antonio, TX (United States), 31 Mar - 3 Apr 1996; Other Information: PBD: 1996; Related Information: Is Part Of Solar engineering 1996; Davidson, J.H. [ed.] [Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States)]; Chavez, J. [ed.] [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)]; PB: 544 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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