Conference Paper

Proceedings of SimBuild Conference 2024

Addressing the Need for Microclimate Considerations in DOE Reference Building Prototypes for Urban Energy Simulation with a Focus on The Urban Shadow Effects

Sedigheh Ghiasi, Ulrike Passe, Janette R. Thompson
Iowa State University, United States of America

Abstract: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) offers building reference prototypes for energy use modeling in commercial and residential buildings. However, these reference prototypes have traditionally been treated in isolation, neglecting the impact of neighboring objects on local microclimate. In urban energy models, where the intricate interaction of urban elements significantly shapes environmental conditions, it becomes more important to reconsider the conventional treatment of building reference prototypes. In this paper we aim to discern potential disparities in energy consumption estimations using DOE prototypes at an urban scale. The Urban Modeling Interface (UMI) was chosen as the simulation platform to incorporate the shadow effect from neighboring objects on building energy use across six scenarios with different shadow coverage by neighboring objects. We found that trees as neighboring structures can decrease cooling load by up to 29%. These results highlight the importance of considering the urban context in energy use estimation of buildings.
Keywords: Energy use modeling, DOE, building reference prototypes, Residential buildings, Microclimates, Shadow effect.
Pages: 511 - 517
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