[Bldg-sim] calibrated comfort modelling

Thu Jul 31 06:31:47 PDT 2025

Hey team,

I have some realworld experience that could specifically help to frame your project or manage client expectations.  I needed to address an overheating situation in a facility where my team was working under duress, without AC a few summers ago.  To effectively bridge the gap between subjective discomfort and objective measurements, for a non-technical audience, I relied on measuring RH/DB temps via simple dataloggers, calculating, then plotting the heat index using NOAA methodology (link<https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/html/heatindex_equation.shtml>).

This approach was taken specifically because

  1.  I had a strong bias to communicate the health/safety hazards with and for my staff (involving a pregnancy), to spark action and discourage debate for a resolution
  2.  NOAA publishes effective/official visuals which helping to characterize how “bad” it was - this may concurrently help with assuring tenants when conditions are in relative terms more or less dangerous:

[cid:image004.jpg at 01DC00AD.5C393EF0]

  1.  I used the same framework to establish a standing policy for sending my staff home

[cid:image001.jpg at 01DC00AC.7D9194E0]
Nick Caton,  P.E. (US),  BEMP

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From: Bldg-sim <bldg-sim-bounces at lists.onebuilding.org> On Behalf Of Chris Yates via Bldg-sim
Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2025 10:56 AM
To: 'Haberl, Jeff' <jhaberl at tamu.edu>; bldg-sim at onebuilding.org
Subject: Re: [Bldg-sim] calibrated comfort modelling

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Hi Jeff,

This is food for thought. We’re reviewing a naturally ventilated (free running) building that has summer comfort issues. The scope is purely overheating which is bad for about two weeks of the year - no energy analysis. We’ll probably simulate about 1 month maximum.

We can’t hope to establish all of the known unknowns (e.g., glazing performance, local heat island effects). It will be more of an “informative” piece of work, but I’m hoping it will result in some iterations with improved inputs. All the same, I think we need to carefully manage the client’s expectations.

Thanks!
Chris

From: Haberl, Jeff <jhaberl at tamu.edu<mailto:jhaberl at tamu.edu>>
Sent: 22 July 2025 16:04
To: bldg-sim at onebuilding.org<mailto:bldg-sim at onebuilding.org>; chris.malcolm.yates at gmail.com<mailto:chris.malcolm.yates at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Bldg-sim] calibrated comfort modelling

Hello Chris:

Actually, you touch on a rather complicated topic, for several reasons.

First, many "calibrated building energy simulations" often use small periods of time (1 to 2 weeks) when they try to match the actual interior temperatures and the whole-building energy use. For example, the following studies tried to match indoor temps for selected periods and then looked at how the simulated whole-building energy use matched the actual energy use: (there's more available at https://esl.tamu.edu/<https://esl.tamu.edu/>)

Norford, L., Socolow, R., Hsieh, E. Spadaro, J. "Two-to-one discrepancy between measured and predicted performance of a 'low-energy'office building: insights from a reconciliation based on the DOE-2 model", Energy and buildings, 1994 - Elsevier

Kim, C., Haberl, J. 2023. “Impact of Thermal Zone Modeling on a Small Office Building With All-electric HVAC Systems in Hot-humid and Cold-humid climates, Science and Technology for the Built Environment (December).

Oh, S., Baltazar, J.C., Haberl, J. 2020. “Analysis of zone-by-zone indoor environmental conditions and electricity savings from the use of a smart thermostat: A residential case study”, Science and Technology for the Built Environment, Vol. 26, No. 3, ESL-PA-20-03-02  (March).

Zhao, X. 2025 “Development of Simplified Building Energy Simulation Models for Atrium Buildings to be Used for Urban-Scale Building Energy Models (UBEM)”, PhD Thesis, Department of Architecture, Texas A&M University, December.

Jung, S. 2020 “Analysis of Residential Building Energy Code Compliance for New and Existing Buildings Based on Building Energy Simulation”,  PhD Thesis, Department of Architecture, Texas A&M University, December.

Kootin-Sanwu, V. 2004 “Development of Energy Efficient Housing for Low-Income Families,” PhD Thesis, Department of Architecture,
Texas A&M University, May.

Problem is that doing this for a whole year can be overwhelmingly problematic since there are often occupants in the building who are unpredictable. Also, often getting multizone temps to match, does not always help matching the whole building energy use, and vice-versa.

In addition, in residential, single family, the concrete slab under the building plays a big role in the heating/cooling, showing up more like seasonality. In many cases, slab temperature is not measured, or even simulated very well.

In several studies indoor temps were regressed against outside temps to create a statistical relationship. Then the equation was used to predict the indoor temps for the whole year. A lot of work.

Finally, in all cases you need to have nearby or on-site hourly weather measurements, including temp, humidity, solar, wind speed which is very time consuming if you don't have a nearby feed to tap into. Also, calibration of these sensors is non-trivial.

At best we've used the term "two way" calibration, to indicate some effort to match indoor temps and whole-building energy use. This quickly becomes 3,4,5-way calibrations when you try to match other indoor conditions, like humidity, HVAC cycling (which you can see using high frequency data), slab temps, natural ventilation, etc.

So, to sum it up...its complicated...and an endless source of thesis material.

Jeff

Jeff S. Haberl, Ph.D., P.E.inactive, FASHRAE, FIBPSA               We are like fluttering leaves on the branches of trees

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Department of Architecture                                                       If we could, for just a moment, flutter together,

Texas A&M University                                                                  we could lift the earth up to be a better place.  JSH 2022

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Fax 979-862-2457

jhaberl at tamu.edu,www.esl.tamu.edu<mailto:jhaberl at tamu.edu,www.esl.tamu.edu>

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From: Bldg-sim <bldg-sim-bounces at lists.onebuilding.org<mailto:bldg-sim-bounces at lists.onebuilding.org>> on behalf of Chris Yates via Bldg-sim <bldg-sim at lists.onebuilding.org<mailto:bldg-sim at lists.onebuilding.org>>
Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2025 7:42 AM
To: bldg-sim at onebuilding.org<mailto:bldg-sim at onebuilding.org> <bldg-sim at onebuilding.org<mailto:bldg-sim at onebuilding.org>>
Subject: [Bldg-sim] calibrated comfort modelling

Hello bldg-sim’rs! Calibrated *energy* modelling is (relatively) well understood. However, can anybody point to any work in calibrated *comfort* simulation - academic or otherwise. The only work I’m aware of is based on overheating
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Hello bldg-sim’rs!

Calibrated *energy* modelling is (relatively) well understood. However, can anybody point to any work in calibrated *comfort* simulation - academic or otherwise.

The only work I’m aware of is based on overheating in residential dwellings in the UK by Dr Ben Roberts of Loughborough University https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0143624419847349<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0143624419847349__;!!KwNVnqRv!EO5sd_mm8OpR9qOHCZ_4LnmcMUN7KRXRCovgsm-U8LxFIsUmGohkuFxiCKHYDoFGcxS2O1ME9Y5tvtuqLWNYQCGXowY$>

Is anybody aware of any other work done out there?

Cheers

Chris

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