Overview of Validation Procedures for Building Energy-Analysis Simulation Codes

摘要

SERI is developing a procedure for the validation of Building Energy Analysis Simulation Codes (BEAS). These codes are being used increasingly in the building design process, both directly and as the basis for simplified design tools and guidelines. The importance of the validity of the BEAS in predicting building energy performance is obvious when one considers the money and energy which could be wasted by energy-inefficient designs. However, to date, little or no systematic effort has been made to ensure the validity of the various BEAS. The validation work at SERI consists of three distinct parts: Comparative Study, Analytical Verification, and Empirical Validation. The procedures have been developed for the first two parts, and these procedures have been implemented on a sampling of the major BEAS. Results from this work have shown major problems in two of the BEAS tested. Furthermore, when one building design was run on several of the BEAS, there were large differences in the predicted annual heating loads. The empirical validation procedure will be developed when high quality empirical data become available. (ERA citation 06:016978)