The calibration of energy models for residential buildings : a methodology applied to a case-study

In energy simulation of buildings, obtained results cannot precisely replicate the reality. One of the main reasons is that the simulations are done with some assumptions that affect the results accuracy. Furthermore, the real energy performance is typically affected by the actual behavior of the building occupants. The difference between metered and simulated energy consumption is one of the main issues in building simulation. For minimizing that difference as much as possible, the calibration of energy models must be performed. Calibration methods are used to improve the outputs of the simulator with actual energy consumption data, then the calibrated model is used to identify the causes of the mismatch and to find possible correction actions. The calibration becomes more complicated in case of residential buildings where uncertainty of some parameters is rather high and effect of the residence on energy consumption is significant and cannot be neglected. The main three standards and guidelines used for calibration methods are, “IPMVP”, “M&V guidelines” and “ASHRAE standards”. The aim of this work is to study the existing calibration strategies and find the best methodology for residential buildings and apply it to a case study of the HEART project, which is located in Italy.