Comparison of standard and case-based user profiles in building’s energy performance simulation

The user’s action is a decisive factor in the energy performance of a building. In this paper is demonstrated the necessity of using more specific user’s profiles (UPs) in simulations of building’s energy performance (EP).  The Spanish Technical Code for Buildings (CTE) offers a unique generic residential UP for all sites in the country. With the purpose of achieving more realistic UP, energy data, obtained during seven  years from more than 700 dwellings, are processed by advanced classification tools (Exclusive SOM). The UPs obtained are used to make new TRNSYS energy simulations in the main Spanish cities and the energy consumption predicted of new UPs is compared to the CTE UP. The sharp differences corroborate the importance of more accurate UPs.