Decision Making Energy Simulation Software Applicability Comparative Research

Over a period of time,with the focus on energy-efficient buildings and green buildings,more and more performance analysis tools are applied to architectural design.As a computer assistant tool,performance simulation tools play an increasingly important role in improving building performance and saving energy resources.This study found that building design has more energy-saving potential in the early stage,but more software focus on late design stage after the design alternative is mature.So it is necessary to have a research on decision support tool.The whole work of this study can be divided into four parts.Firstly,according to the organizational structure of simulation software,simulation tools are divided into three categories: plug-in design software,graphical user interface of simulation engine and self-organizing software.Each kind of software is explained in terms of function,support function in the early stage,literature review,etc.The criteria for software application in the early stage of architectural design are preliminarily proposed,which provides a software analysis basis for subsequent practice.Secondly,according to the different research fields and functions,this study discuss the sub-items,including the building template and database in software,sensitivity analysis and uncertainty analysis,optimization analysis,meta-model and multiple linear regression analysis.Thirdly,four simulation tools and one design case are selected for practical research,and four software are used to simulate the pre-design operation for the same case.Fourthly,the process comparison method is used to compare these four tools.The process of software-aided preliminary design includes geometric model building,energy model parameter setting,simulation and result feedback,and parameter analysis and optimization analysis.The advantages and disadvantages of the four tools in different dimensions are obtained.Based on the literature review and practical operation,the development trend and suggestions for supporting the early design decision software are put forward,which can provide ideas for the simulation software.The applicability of the four tools involved in the experiment is summarized,which provides software selection and reference for designers in early design decision making work.