Evaluation of Model Calibration Method for Simulation Performance of a Public Hospital in Brazil

Pedro Paulo Fernandes da Silva, Alberto Hernandez Neto and Ildo Luis Sauer
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Pedro Paulo Fernandes da Silva: Instituto de Energia e Ambiente, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo CEP 05508-010, Brazil
Alberto Hernandez Neto: Departamento de Engenharia Mecânica, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo CEP 05508-010, Brazil
Ildo Luis Sauer: Instituto de Energia e Ambiente, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo CEP 05508-010, Brazil

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 13, 1-20

Abstract: This work presents an extensive study on methodologies to calibrate electric energy consumption in buildings. A comparison between several calibration methodologies shows different approaches addressing the same issue, suggesting a lack of a unique methodology that is reproducible for every building. Additionally, no methodology fits the Brazilian public context, such as the predominance of Unitary Air Conditioning Systems (UACS) and buildings which have operated for more than 30 years. A new calibration methodology for performance simulation is proposed to deal with such features. The methodology is separated into two evidence-based steps according to the size of the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems used to control buildings’ indoor environments: the first step is dedicated to calibrating medium- and large-sized HVAC systems, and the second step is dedicated to calibrating small-sized HVAC systems. University Hospital of University of São Paulo (UH-USP) is used as a test bed to implement the proposed methodology. Accuracy indicators show the efficiency of the methodology in terms of calibrating a simulation of the whole UH-USP building and Chilled Water Plant on a monthly basis in terms of accuracy and the time needed to perform the calibration. However, regarding simulation of UACS, the application of the methodology was inconclusive. This study leaves open the question of the trade-off between increasing model outcome accuracy and the strictness of accuracy indicators applied to UACS and poorly automated large-sized air conditioners.

Keywords: calibration of building energy model; EnergyPlus; building energy performance simulation; public hospital (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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