An agent-based simulation-assisted approach to bi-lateral building systems control

Conventional building control systems usually apply central control schemes that do not fully address individual occupancy differences in built environmental requirements. Recent application of personal control modules in commercial buildings presents a bi-lateral control scheme, in which a building operator and an occupant can both control the occupant’s local environmental settings, e.g., lighting, heating, cooling, and ventilation, etc. While personal controls may enhance individual comfort, they may also neutralize operators’ cost-saving efforts.

Air conditioning system operation strategies for intermittent occupancy buildings in a hot-humid climate

For many buildings, continuous operation of the air conditioning system is not necessary for achieving thermal comfort during the occupied periods. Depending on the building's thermal and operational characteristics the air conditioning system may be operated during a specific period of time that may partially or completely cover the occupancy period. In this case, a considerable amount of energy can be saved without compromising comfort conditions provided that the correct operation strategy is implemented.

Advanced simulation of building systems and control with simulink

The paper presents the advanced use of S-Functions, facilitated by the Matlab/SimuLink environment. An existing indoor climate model is implemented in an S-Function, consisting of a continuous part with a variable time step and a discrete part with a fixed time step. The heating systems, including a heat pump, an energy roof and thermal energy storage (TES) are modeled as continuous systems using SFunctions. All presented models are validated. The advantages of S-Functions are evaluated and it demonstrates the powerful and flexible use of MatLab/SimuLink.

A validation suite for fuel-fired furnace models

Validation is the key when attempting to instill confidence in a building simulation tool. The user expects that the underlying algorithms are correct, and will have more confidence in the simulation results generated using a program that has undergone validation testing. The IEA BESTEST (Judkoff and Neymark 1995) was developed by the International Energy Agency Solar Heating and Cooling (IEA/SHC) Task 12 and the Energy Conservation in Buildings and Community Systems Annex 21 as a test procedure for building simulation program developers.

Visualization for time dependent building simulation

This paper describes novel high-performance visualization techniques for reviewing time dependent data common to building simulation. These techniques enable rapid inspection of trends and singularities, in the data that are difficult to ascertain  from conventional methods. In the case of daylight simulation, understanding when and where daylight is available in a proposed design can lead to significant energy savings in the resulting electric lighting systems of buildings. These new visualization techniques are introduced through three case studies.

 

Ventilation of double façades

This paper deals with the development and the testing of a simulation algorithm for the temperature behaviour and the flow characteristics of double façades. It has been developed in order to obtain a tool which enables the energy consultant to make quick design decisions without being required to use fairly complicated CFD tools. In order to determine the degree of accuracy of the algorithm, a double façade has been monitored under controlled conditions and the results have been compared against the predicted values for several design situations.

Variety modes and chaos in natural ventilation or smoke venting system

This paper refers to the existence of the variety modes and 'Chaos' in building natural ventilation or smoke venting, systems, and provides the some computational instances by means of the network model.

Using lighting simulation to assess the performance of and indirect office lighting systems in dynamic workplaces

Despite  discussions  of  the  universal  workstation, there is increasing workplace dynamics in organizations. These dynamics include space configuration changes, changes in occupant density, and increasing equipment density. Building infrastructures have not evolved to meet these demands, with little flexibility in air conditioning and ventilation, lighting, electrical, and telecommunication systems in new or existing office buildings. Simulation tools can be used to evaluate dynamic workplace scenarios and provide guidance for designers by modeling indoor environmental conditions.

Using building simulation to support an energy-efficient incentive programme

This paper provides an overview of how building simulation is used to support a Canadian Govern- ment energy-efficient incentive programme. It describes the two software tools (detailed simulation software and a simplified web-based method) that were developed to support the programme. The classroom and computer-based initiatives used to train users are also described, this being key to support programmes of this nature.

 

Use of whole building simulation in on-line performance assessment: modeling and implementation issues

The    application    of    model-based    performance assessment at the whole building level is explored. The information requirements for a simulation to predict the actual performance of a particular real building, as opposed to estimating the impact of design options, are addressed with particular attention to common sources of input error and important deficiencies in most simulation  models. The role of calibrated simulations is discussed.

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