A Tool for Generating Reduced-Order Models from Building Energy Simulation Input Files to Enable Optimal Design and Control Analysis

Representing multi-zone building envelope systems with linear time invariant state-space forms provides a way of applying various advanced control methodologies for better design and control of buildings. For example, system properties such as time constant and frequency response of building envelopes can be easily investigated with the help of control toolkits such as Matlab/Simulink and a reduced-order model can be developed by applying a model order reduction technique, once a reliable LTI building representation is developed. However, in order to make the LTI representation approach useful for industry, an interfacing tool that automatically extracts building system information from input files of popular building energy simulation (BES) tools and constructs a physical thermal network from the data is needed. This paper presents a conceptual strategy to interpret object (class) of a building energy simulation software and a methodology to develop a high fidelity LTI thermal network model. A case study applying this approach is provided which utilizes a model-order reduction method that converts a BES building envelope model for a multi-zone building into a reduced-order LTI model (ROM). Comparisons of predicted building load profiles and computation times between the BES model and ROM are also provided.