Integrated energy performance modeling for a retail store building

• Published in: Building simulation 2013-09, Vol.6 (3), p.283-295
• Main Authors: Dong, Bing, Gorbounov, Mikhail, Yuan, Shui, Wu, Tiejun, Srivastav, Abhishek, Bailey, Trevor, O’Neill, Zheng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air conditioning; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Building Construction and Design; Building envelopes; Computer simulation; Coupling; Electricity consumption; Energy conservation; Energy consumption; Engineering; Engineering Thermodynamics; Error analysis; Extended Kalman filter; Heat and Mass Transfer; Heat transfer; Mass transfer; Modelling; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Refrigeration; Research Article; Retail stores
• ISSN: 1996-3599; 1996-8744
• DOI: 10.1007/s12273-013-0109-8

This paper presents an integrated energy performance modeling approach that considers heat and mass transfer through building envelope, HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) and refrigeration systems of a retail store building with limited measured data. The internal heat gains/losses were estimated based on an Extended Kalman Filter. The simulation coupling strategy among room top units (RTUs), refrigeration display cases and zones is based on the ping-pong coupling strategy. The integrated model was validated against measured data from June to August, 2011. The results show that temperature prediction is within the ±1.5°C error band and the RTU electricity energy use prediction is within the ±10% error band. The difference between measured and simulated annual electricity consumption from the refrigeration system is 3%. Based on further analysis and diagnostics, deviations of model predictions from measured data were found to be partially due to the faults in the RTUs. Such deviation accounts for a 4% saving of the total building electrical energy consumption.