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HOUR-BY-HOUR BUILDING
ENERGY ANALYSIS
April, 2002
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Concisely stated, high quality results can be
Introduction obtained when the analysis considers:
As energy costs rise, building owners are
becoming increasingly interested in operating 1. The Range and Timing of Weather
costs and energy efficiency. As a result, building Conditions. Varying levels of temperature,
energy analysis (BEA) is becoming an important humidity and solar radiation during the year
tool in the HVAC design field. Currently many influence building loads and equipment
BEA tools are available to engineers. Most are in performance. In each geographical location
the form of computer programs and employ a conditions range from hot to cold, wet to dry
variety of methods with different benefits. and sunny to cloudy in different ways.
Among these, BEA tools such as Carrier's HAP Considering the actual ranges of these
program that use the 8760 hour-by-hour method conditions and when they occur on a daily,
can offer the greatest benefits because they yield monthly and yearly basis is crucial to
highly accurate, sophisticated system producing accurate energy use results.
comparisons. This article will discuss the
benefits of 8760 hour building energy analysis 2. The Hourly and Daily Variation in
by first explaining the basics of building energy Internal Loads. Patterns of building use
analysis and the requirements for high quality involving occupancy, lighting and
BEA system comparisons. Then, major BEA equipment operation can change
methods will be evaluated with special emphasis significantly from one day to the next.
on the benefits of 8760 hour-by-hour versus Considering these use patterns in their
reduced hour-by-hour methods. correct day-to-day sequence is important in
generating accurate load data.
A comparison of air handling systems with and In reduced hour-by-hour methods that do not
without a non-integrated outdoor air economizer simulate a full week of operation, each day is
provides a good illustration of this problem. simulated separately from all other days.
With this type of economizer control, Consequently, day to day building dynamics
economizer dampers open when outdoor air cannot be considered, and the building load
temperature drops below the supply air histories are more simplistic. In those reduced
temperature. The system can then immediately hour-by-hour methods that do simulate a 7-day
use outdoor air for free cooling; mechanical sequence each month, results tend to be
cooling can be turned off. For this example, unrealistic since the same average weather
assume the supply air temperature is 57 F and profile is used for all 7 days.
that we are simulating system operation for the
weather data shown in Figure 1. The dotted lines 4. Higher Quality Time Of Use Energy
in this figure indicate the upper and lower limits Data.
of an average temperature profile for the month. Because of the diverse weather conditions and
Because this average profile ranges between 58 F operating conditions, and because of the dynamic
and 75 F, a simulation using the reduced hour- nature of building heat transfer, 8760 hour
by-hour approach would never find a condition methods can produce energy use data that not
when the economizer dampers opened during only accurately defines how much energy is
September; free cooling would never be used, but when during the day and week the
available. However, with the 8760 hour method, energy is used. When energy prices vary with
the use of actual temperature profiles for the time of day, accuracy of the timing of energy use
month result in 119 hours during 13 days when is critical for producing accurate operating cost
temperatures drop below 57 F. If cooling loads data.
exist during these times, the economizer would
operate to provide free cooling. Therefore, 5. More Accurate Estimates of Peak
because an economizer exhibits discontinuous Demand.
operation, turning on and off at specific Finally, by considering the full range of weather
conditions, the reduced hour-by-hour approach and operating conditions experienced by a
may not be able to successfully account for its building during a month, the 8760 hour method
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