Commercial building performance evaluation system

Computer simulations play an important role in programs being conducted by electric utility companies in the United States to reduce customers' demand for electricity. These utility program are referred to as demandside management (DSM) programs and are based on the premise* that energy efficiency can be a cost-effective source of new electricity supply. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and Architectural Energy Corporation (AEC) are developing measurement hardware and computer software to use in planning, implementing, and evaluating DSM programs, targeting healing, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) equipmenr and lighting equipment in commercial buildings. The hardware and software form a system referred to as the Commercial Building Performance Evaluation System. In the planning phase, computer simulations are often used to predict the benefits of conventional and energyefficient HVAC and lighting equipment so that an economic analysis of the energy-efficiency measures, including the benefit to the utility, can be performed. In the implementation phase, simulations are used in new construction programs to predict costs and benefits and in some cases as a screening tool to select program participants. In the evaluation phase, simulations are used as a tool to help estimate the performance of energy-efficient measures. In all three of these applications, a major concern is the accuracy of the inputs to the simulations of actual energy use profiles, operating schedules, and control strategies. Two applications of the Commercial Building Performance Evaluation System and its role in deriving accurate information for input to simulations within the context of DSM are discussed in this paper. The first application discussed is a surrogate measurement strategy for establishing lighting and equipment usage profiles. The second is the use of direct measurements to characterize the control strategies used in commercial building HVAC equipment, such as fan schedules, economizer operation, thermostat setpoints, supply air setpoints, and others.