Novel methodology of urban energy simulations integrating Open-source platforms

In this research, a novel open-source methodology is presented to perform building cluster and neighborhood simulation by integrating individual archetypes building energy models (BEM). This methodology merges various building Energy Plus models employing a programming language. For the demonstration of generalized methodology, Matlab is used, however, methodology can be implemented by other programming languages such as Python. A given BEM can be employed multiple times to avoid its remodeling in a traditional cluster model setup. The proposed workflow is successfully validated for low, mid, and high-rise mixed-use building clusters with a maximum deviation of +/- 2.70% in various annual performance parameters compared to the summation of individual BEM simulations. A sensitivity analysis is also performed to quantify the root mean square deviation (RMSD) between cluster and individual BEM simulations by varying building distance to height ratios along north-south and east-west axes. A significance index on a ten-point scale is proposed to evaluate the importance of cluster simulations over the individual BEM simulations (where the sum of individual BEM results can be used to replace cluster simulations). For instance, the significance index found is to be highest for high-rise building cluster, suggesting thus that building cluster simulations yield more adequate results than individual BEM simulations.(c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This research presents a novel open-source methodology for building cluster and neighborhood simulation by integrating individual archetypes building energy models. The methodology successfully merges various building Energy Plus models and can be implemented using programming languages such as Matlab or Python. The proposed workflow is validated for different building clusters and shows a maximum deviation of +/- 2.70% compared to individual BEM simulations. A sensitivity analysis is also performed to quantify the deviation between cluster and individual BEM simulations. The significance index suggests that building cluster simulations yield more adequate results than individual BEM simulations, with the highest significance found for high-rise building clusters.