article · Case Studies in Thermal Engineering
Accurate numerical modelling is essential for evaluating building energy performance in varied climates. A validation framework has been developed using detailed on-site measurements from a detached sustainable lightweight building in a semi-arid climate. The model was evaluated across controlled experimental phases, including free-floating conditions and steady-state internal temperatures, covering a full year of hourly indoor temperatures and variable refrigerant flow system energy usage. Incorporating three sets of field measurements, covering thermal transmittance, glazing properties, and airtightness, significantly refined the baseline simulation. The calibration substantially reduced statistical errors for both indoor temperature and energy consumption. Applying the refined model across twelve Moroccan regions revealed that combining lightweight building methods with variable refrigerant flow cooling and heating systems achieves notable energy efficiency, particularly in southern areas.
Standard building simulations frequently fail to match real-world energy performance due to inaccurate design assumptions. Calibrating models with precise empirical measurements provides a dependable basis for forecasting energy demands. This enables engineers and urban planners to design climate-appropriate, energy-efficient housing tailored to semi-arid regions, curbing greenhouse gas emissions and operational electricity costs.
This calibrated modelling framework is applied and tested, offering immediate utility for building engineers, architectural consultants, and energy service companies operating in North Africa. It can guide the design and retrofitting of sustainable lightweight structures using variable refrigerant flow systems. While proven at a single-building level across simulated regional climates, commercial deployment requires integrating the measurement protocols into standard building audit software and local construction practices.
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This paper presents a framework for numerical building validation enhancement based on detailed building specifications from in-situ measurements and evidence-based validation assessment undertaken on a detached sustainable lightweight building in a semi-arid climate. The validation process has been undergone in a set of controlled experiments – a free-float period, and steady-state internal temperatures. The validation was conducted for a complete year with a 1-min time step for the hourly indoor temperature and the variable refrigerant flow (VRF) energy consumption. The initial baseline model was improved by three series of validation steps per three different field measurements including thermal transmittance, glazing thermal and optical properties, and airtightness. Then, the accurate and validated model was used for building energy efficiency assessment in 12 regions of Morocco. This study aims to assess the effect of accurate building characteristics values on the numerical model enhancement. The initial CV(RMSE) and NMBE have improved respectively from 14.58 % and −11.23 %–7.85 % and 1.86 % for the indoor temperature. Besides, from 31.17 % to 14.37 %–20.57 % and 9.77 % for energy consumption. The findings demonstrate that the lightweight construction with the use of a variable refrigerant flow system could be energy efficient in the southern regions of Morocco.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.csite.2023.103606
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