SUMMARY

The purpose of this research is to develop and verify a simplified and concise building simulation model suitable for high-level applications such as preliminary design or for embedding into adaptive control systems. An actual complex modern building and its energy system has been monitored. The monitored energy performance of this building has been compared with the empirical performance predicted by two simulation modeling programs and, alternatively, by a simplified single-zone model. This project is composed of several related tasks. The first component is the monitoring of the energy consumption rates, pertinent environmental data, and load indicators of the new Klaus Advanced Computing Building on the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Atlanta campus. The Klaus building was chosen because it represents a typical non-residential building. Subsequently, these findings have been compared with results from DOE-2 and eQUEST, well established energy simulation modeling programs. These comparisons allow for an empirical verification of the modeling program for Atlanta conditions. Finally, a simplified single-zone building model has been developed, and its predictions compared with the empirical data and with the results of the more complex programs. The results verify both the more complex programs and the single-zone model, and also demonstrate the use of a single-zone model for future work and predictions.