The use of normative energy calculation beyond building performance rating systems

Standardized building performance assessment is best expressed with a so-called normative calculation method, such as the CEN/ISO calculation standards. The normative calculation method has advantages of simplicity, transparency, robustness, and reproducibility. For systematic energy performance assessment at various scales, i.e., at the unit of analysis of one building up to a large-scale collection of buildings, the authors’ group developed the Energy Performance Standard Calculation Toolkit (EPSCT). This toolkit calculates objective indicators of building energy performance using either the monthly or hourly calculation method as specified in the CEN/ISO standard for building energy calculation. The toolkit is the foundation for numerous single, medium-scale and large-scale building energy management applications. At the largest level, applications should be able to manage hundreds or thousands of buildings. The paper introduces two novel applications that have the normative calculation at their core: (1) network energy performance modeling and (2) agent-based building stock energy modeling.