Field Measurements of Cooling Energy Consumption in a Multi-Zone Office Building

Abstract

This paper discusses cooling energy use in a small office building with the objective of developing an understanding of where energy is used and identifying relationships between cooling energy and other energy end uses. Attributes of the building metered are discussed to provide a perspective for the data presented on energy performance of the building with an emphasis on the cooling energy use. The data are reviewed to develop an understanding of cooling loads in the building as well as the HVAC system's response. Despite the detailed instrumentation of the building it is evident that collection of additional data is required to go beyond quantifying the building's energy consumption and explain why the building exhibits its characteristic cooling behavior. Additional data needed are suggested to assist other researchers in developing metering programs. The final section of the paper summarizes a comparison of the metered data with a calibrated DOE 2.1 energy simulation. The results of the calibrated simulation highlight the limitations of simulations in understanding building energy use as well as the need for metering to develop realistic operating schedules.