Validation of TEKNOsim 5: Verification Against Different Standards and Building Energy Simulation Tools

Abstract: The growth of building energy simulation tools has provided users with a variety of alternatives to model and simulate buildings. The algorithms used in each building energy simulation software are different and range from simple to highly complex. TEKNOsim is a simple design tool based on analytical and empirical algorithms. It is used for calculating building thermal loads and simulating indoor thermal climate. A new version of TEKNOsim has been released (Version 5) with a new interface and feature enhancements. This thesis aims to validate the algorithms used in TEKNOsim 5. The objective is to demonstrate the accuracy and reliability of the results that TEKNOsim 5 provides. The thesis is divided into three main parts: 1) Qualitative analysis of features of TEKNOsim 5 through a survey performed on a sample of users, 2) Analytical verification against three European Standards through verification procedures proposed by these Standards, and 3) Comparative verification against several building energy simulation tools through the Building Energy Simulation Test (BESTEST) cases. The survey results indicate that TEKNOsim 5 is perceived as an efficient tool with good functionality and a user-friendly interface with easy navigation. The survey results also suggest some future developments to make TEKNOsim more attractive to users. The analytical and comparative verifications indicate that TEKNOsim is a reliable and accurate tool for the evaluation of indoor thermal climate. It provides an accurate estimation of the peak sensible cooling load with relatively short model setup and simulation time. The peak heating loads are somewhat overestimated by TEKNOsim, but no more than 12 % compared to other simulation tools. A possible change, to reduce the deviation of TEKNOsim 5 results in comparison to other simulation tools, is to modify the way outdoor climate is defined and setup.