ExRET-Opt: An automated exergy/exergoeconomic simulation framework for building energy retrofit analysis and design optimisation

Energy simulation tools have a major role in the assessment of building energy retrofit (BER) measures. Exergoeconomic analysis and optimisation is a common practice in sectors such as the power generation and chemical processes, aiding engineers to obtain more energy-efficient and cost-effective energy systems designs. ExRET-Opt, a retrofit-oriented modular-based dynamic simulation framework has been developed by embedding a comprehensive exergy/exergoeconomic calculation method into a typical open-source building energy simulation tool (EnergyPlus). The aim of this paper is to show the decomposition of ExRET-Opt by presenting modules, submodules and subroutines used for the framework's development as well as verify the outputs with existing research data. In addition, the possibility to perform multi-objective optimisation analysis based on genetic-algorithms combined with multi-criteria decision making methods was included within the simulation framework. This addition could potentiate BER design teams to perform quick exergy/exergoeconomic optimisation, in order to find opportunities for thermodynamic improvements along the building's active and passive energy systems. The enhanced simulation framework is tested using a primary school building as a case study. Results demonstrate that the proposed simulation framework provide users with thermodynamic efficient and cost-effective designs, even under tight thermodynamic and economic constraints, suggesting its use in everyday BER practice.