Validation of the eCALC Commercial Code-Compliant Simulation Versus Measured Data from an Office Building in a Hot and Humid Climate

Abstract

This paper compares the results of a calibrated simulation of a case-study building versus simulation using the web-based eCALC code-compliant commercial simulation program (Haberl et al., 2004). Previously, as-built calibrated simulation results for the case-study building were performed and reported in Cho and Haberl (2008). In this paper an extension of the previous work is presented using the eCALC commercial simulation model, which uses simplified geometry and ASHRAE Standard 90.1-compliant equipment selection and sizing values for energy calculation. This paper compares the results between the as-built geometry simulation and simplified geometry simulation with similar equipment configuration. The simplified geometry simulation model is a modified-eCALC DOE-2 model that includes simplifications of the case-study building’s characteristics. The modified-eCALC DOE-2 model was intended to be used for the development of an easy-to-use tool for the selection of high-performance systems for office buildings in hot and humid climates, which will be presented in another publication.