Characterization of HVAC operation uncertainty in EnergyPlus AHU modules

Abstract

The energy impact of building performance simulation uncertainties are often carried out using existing simulation tools, with Monte Carlo method applied to sample the possible parameter uncertainty combinations. The results of those analyses are useful in justifying the importance of uncertainty analysis and quantifying the impact of simulation uncertainties in a general way. However, those results are not practical enough to provide assistance in actual building designs. This paper introduces a way to implement the uncertainty analysis by modifying the source code of a commonly used simulation tool - EnergyPlus so that the updated tool can be used for everyday building energy simulation works.