Simulation-based weather normalization approach to study the impact of weather on energy use of buildings in the U.S.

Weather normalization is a crucial step in building energy rating and retrofit measurements. Accounting for the impacts of weather on energy use of commercial buildings is a rigorous challenge because of the complexity and diversity in the operation, the mechanical systems, and the use-types available. This paper documents preliminary results of an effort to determine a set of weather adjustment coefficients that can be used to isolate the impacts of weather on energy use of buildings in 1020 weather location sites available in the U.S. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) commercial reference building models are adopted as hypothetical models with standard operations to deliver consistency in modeling.  The correlation between building envelope design, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system design and properties for different building types and the change in heating and cooling energy consumption caused by variations in weather is examined.