Dynamic Energy Model-Based Automatic Building Performance Testing for Continuous Commissioning

Relying on the fact that a building has met its energy targets at the design stage doesn’t guarantee that it is going to perform properly in the operational phase. Generally, there is a clear mismatch between the actual energy usage and the expected levels, referred to as the ‘building performance gap’. This paper presents an innovative framework for building energy performance monitoring and evaluation using a set of performance tests targeting various building energy subsystems. The framework employs a calibrated whole-building energy model to provide a dynamic baseline for assessment. The presented framework serves as a backbone for an automatic and continuous building commissioning process, supporting systematic building fault detection and diagnostics. The framework implementation in a highly energy efficient case study building is presented and discussed. A specific case of a malfunctioning ventilation unit, that was captured and reported by the implemented framework, is presented. This highlights the technical and economic added value of the framework in reducing the building performance gap and restoring a proper operation.