Assisted calibration in building simulation–algorithm description and case studies

Building simulation must be calibrated to fit the customer’s bill before applying energy saving measures. However, existing calibration methods are usually too complex to be included in building simulation software. The author has developed and implemented in DOE2.1E based building simulation software a calibration method which assists the software user in the calibration process using built-in engineering rules as well as optimization algorithms based on Marquardt-Levenberg non linear least square method.  The article presents an overview of the calibration module’s functionalities and two case studies. For the first case study, the calibration process reduced the maximum error on the monthly electrical bill from 143% to 14%. For the second case, the maximum error was reduced from 40% to 11%. For this latter study case, the availability of hourly consumption data shows a need for schedule adjustment prior to calibration.