Development procedure of an air-source heat pump base-case simulation model for a code-compliant residential building

• A step-by-step input parameter change procedure to develop a simulation model.
• Details for the simulation results comparison.
• Matched simulation results within 0.14% difference between DOE-2.1e and eQUEST.
• Validation of the developed base-case model against the RESNET accredited tools.

Computer simulation is widely used for analyzing building energy performance. A building simulation model is often verified by comparing the simulation results of the same building using different simulation programs, and thus developing a same building simulation model for different programs is inevitable for the comparative verification. This study proposed a step-by-step input parameter change procedure to develop a residential building model that complies with the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). By implementing the procedure, this study developed the code-compliant residential air-source heat pump base-case model using two whole-building simulation programs: DOE-2.1e and eQUEST. The simulation results from DOE-2.1e and eQUEST at each step in the procedure were compared. To evaluate the accuracy and comparability of the final base-case model developed with the procedure, this study compared the simulation results of the same base-case model using Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) accredited programs. The comparison showed that the differences in the annual total site energy use among the simulation programs were well-matched within 4.7%.