Uncertainty quantification of microclimate variables in building energy simulation

Since the last decade, it has seen a surge in the need of uncertainty analysis for building energy assessment, but it is often overlooked that the vital part of uncertainty analysis is the determination of uncertainty in model parameters. Significant discrepancy in microclimate state variables has been observed between the predictions and the true climates around the building. This paper quantifies the uncertainty stemming from different sources in the major microclimate variables: local temperature, wind pressure, and solar irradiation, which are used in the statement of the boundary conditions in building energy simulation tools. Although our analysis does not single out a specific simulation tool, we will explore EnergyPlus preprocessing calculations for microclimate as the test case to implement our uncertainty quantification approach.