Simulation and visualization of energy-related occupant behavior in office buildings
Authored by Yixing Chen, Tianzhen Hong, Xuan Luo, Xin Liang
Date Published: 2017
DOI: 10.1007/s12273-017-0355-2
Sponsors:
United States Department of Energy (DOE)
Platforms:
No platforms listed
Model Documentation:
Other Narrative
Model Code URLs:
Model code not found
Abstract
In current building performance simulation programs, occupant presence
and interactions with building systems are over-simplified and less
indicative of real world scenarios, contributing to the discrepancies
between simulated and actual energy use in buildings. Simulation results
are normally presented using various types of charts. However, using
those charts, it is difficult to visualize and communicate the
importance of occupants' behavior to building energy performance. This
study introduced a new approach to simulating and visualizing
energy-related occupant behavior in office buildings. First, the
Occupancy Simulator was used to simulate the occupant presence and
movement and generate occupant schedules for each space as well as for
each occupant. Then an occupant behavior functional mockup unit (obFMU)
was used to model occupant behavior and analyze their impact on building
energy use through co-simulation with EnergyPlus. Finally, an
agent-based model built upon AnyLogic was applied to visualize the
simulation results of the occupant movement and interactions with
building systems, as well as the related energy performance. A case
study using a small office building in Miami, FL was presented to
demonstrate the process and application of the Occupancy Simulator, the
obFMU and EnergyPlus, and the AnyLogic module in simulation and
visualization of energy-related occupant behaviors in office buildings.
The presented approach provides a new detailed and visual way for policy
makers, architects, engineers and building operators to better
understand occupant energy behavior and their impact on energy use in
buildings, which can improve the design and operation of low energy
buildings.
Tags
Performance
visualization
Occupant behavior
Ontology
Model
Program
Air-flow
Implementation
Building performance
Personalized ventilation system
Dnas framework
Behavior modeling
Building simulation
Energyplus
Cfd