Comparison of EnergyPlus simulations with measured building performance Data

The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is a global challenge, and in the building sector, energy conservation and the use of renewable energy are essential. Achieving these goals requires not only the improvement of building and equipment performance but also efficient operation and management. To this end, the use of digital twins, which replicate physical building spaces and elements in cyberspace, is expected. This study primarily aims to pre-assess the prediction accuracy of EnergyPlus as part of the development of a building digital twin, using a two-story office building in Sapporo, Japan, as a case study. The building is equipped with energy-saving systems such as a groundwater heat pump and a ceiling radiant heating and cooling system. A simplified EnergyPlus model simulation is performed first, and its power- consumption output is compared with measurements for validation. Next, a high-fidelity Modelica–Spawn coupled model is executed to reproduce full system dynamics, and its results are likewise compared with the measured data. The study concludes that to enhance the digital twin, a more detailed model of the building’s HVAC system and additional measurement data for further verification are necessary. This will contribute to more accurate simulations and the improvement of energy management strategies.