TY - GEN
T1 - Energy Prediction Impact of the Space Level Occupancy Schedule for a Primary School
AU - Lou, Yingli
AU - Ye, Yunyang
AU - Zuo, Wangda
AU - Zhang, Jian
N1 - Funding Information:
The impact on energy prediction using a space level occupancy schedule will become more significant when occupant-centric controls are applied in the building. Applying occupant-centric control means that the occupancy schedule will impact the operation of lighting, plug loads, and HVAC. Energy consumption for lighting can be reduced by as much as 60% through an occupant dependent lighting control strategy (de Bakker et al., 2017). Pang et al. (2020) found that occupant-centric HVAC controls led to an energy saving ratio of between 19% and 45% for the Medium Office prototype building in the U.S. This research does not consider occupant-centric controls. Occupancy schedule only impacts the thermal load generated by occupants. If occupant-centric controls are applied in the building energy modelling, the occupancy schedule will also impact the use of lights, plug loads, and HVAC controls. Then the energy prediction difference using a building level and a space level occupancy schedule will become more significant. The energy prediction impact of the space level occupancy schedule would be different for other cases. But the trend of predicted energy differences with the change of climate temperature concluded in this research could be applied to other cases. We recommend focusing on the very hot or very cold climate zones at first when studying the energy prediction impact of the space level occupancy schedule for other cases. Because the energy prediction impact of the space level occupancy schedule is more significant in the very hot or very cold climate zones. 5. Conclusion This paper evaluates the energy prediction impact of a space level occupancy schedule for the primary school EnergyPlus model. To fulfil the target, a space level occupancy schedule is developed for the primary school. A building level occupancy schedule is developed as a comparative study. Compared with the building level occupancy schedule, the impact on energy prediction from using the space level occupancy schedule for the primary school is between -1.0% and 8%. The outcomes summarized in this paper can help simulation practitioner select appropriate occupancy schedule type. The building level occupancy schedule is recommended, if simulation practitioners want a rough energy prediction for a primary school without occupant-centric controls. But the difference in predicted energy using a space level and a building level occupancy schedule becomes more significant when the climate becomes hotter or colder. The limitation of this paper is that occupant-centric controls are not considered in this research. The impact on energy prediction using a space level occupancy schedule will become more significant when occupant-centric controls are applied in the building. The current prototype EnergyPlus models have not involved occupant-centric controls, but more and more research is contributing to the occupant-centric controls study (Pang et al., 2020; Tabadkani et al., 2020; et al., 2020; Naylor et al., 2018). In the future, the energy prediction impact of a space level occupancy schedule will be studied for buildings with occupant-centric controls. Acknowledgement This paper is the outcome of the research project Building Energy Modelling - OpenStudio SDK Development and Management sponsored by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. This research was also supported by the National Science Foundation under Awards No. IIS-1802017.
Publisher Copyright:
© International Building Performance Simulation Association, 2022
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - By using the same occupant schedule for all spaces, a building level occupancy schedule in building energy modelling can reduce the cost and time of data collection, especially for large-scale simulations or when detailed occupancy data cannot be obtained. However, by describing the unique occupancy status in each space, a space level schedule can better reflect real-world scenarios. This research investigates the energy prediction impact of a space level occupancy schedule for primary school modelling in 16 ASHRAE climate zones. The results show that when switched from a building level to a space level occupancy schedule, the energy prediction difference is between -1.0% and 0.8%. Generally, the predicted building energy consumption using a space level occupancy schedule is higher than when using a building level occupancy schedule in hot and warm climate zones, but lower in other climate zones.
AB - By using the same occupant schedule for all spaces, a building level occupancy schedule in building energy modelling can reduce the cost and time of data collection, especially for large-scale simulations or when detailed occupancy data cannot be obtained. However, by describing the unique occupancy status in each space, a space level schedule can better reflect real-world scenarios. This research investigates the energy prediction impact of a space level occupancy schedule for primary school modelling in 16 ASHRAE climate zones. The results show that when switched from a building level to a space level occupancy schedule, the energy prediction difference is between -1.0% and 0.8%. Generally, the predicted building energy consumption using a space level occupancy schedule is higher than when using a building level occupancy schedule in hot and warm climate zones, but lower in other climate zones.
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U2 - 10.26868/25222708.2021.30426
DO - 10.26868/25222708.2021.30426
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85151523784
T3 - Building Simulation Conference Proceedings
SP - 1564
EP - 1571
BT - BS 2021 - Proceedings of Building Simulation 2021
A2 - Saelens, Dirk
A2 - Laverge, Jelle
A2 - Boydens, Wim
A2 - Helsen, Lieve
PB - International Building Performance Simulation Association
T2 - 17th IBPSA Conference on Building Simulation, BS 2021
Y2 - 1 September 2021 through 3 September 2021
ER -
