This repository contains the script of the implementation of a simplification shoeboxing algorithm for Urban and Building Energy Modeling. The algorithm coverts a building of any shape into a representative shoebox to speed-up the simulation task of Urban and Building Energy Modeling, as shown in the figure below:
The algorithm starts from an .idf file to perform the simplification. An example of the .idf structure can be found in the Simulation/Detailed folder. The final structure of the Simulation folder in which the algorithm runs is reported in the Simulation_Done folder.
The file to run to perform the simplification is 1_DetailedToSimplified.py. The whole process is performed automatically for as many .idf files as there are in the Simulation/Detailed folder. It is necessary to install EnergyPlus 9.4.0 in the default installation folder (C:\EnergyPlusV9-4-0).
The algorithm was developed in two versions:
- Basic: using an annual direct radiation analysis to account for the urban context
- Improved: using a monthly global radiation analysis to account for the urban context
From line 59 to 63 of 1_DetailedToSimplified.py it is possible to choose the version of the algorithm (i.e., 'Annual' or 'Monthly'), the number of cores to use for the simulation, whether or not the simulation should to be run locally, the name of the weather file to be used from those available in the WeatherFiles folder, and the working folder, as follows:
simplificationType = 'Annual'
num_CPUs = 2
runSimulationLocally = True
climate = 'Bolzano'
caseStudy = 'Simulation'
The technical implementation of the algorithm is in the Python programming language and is based on numpy, pandas, scipy, and eppy. Energyplus is used as building performance simulation engine.
To learn more about this work or to cite it, please see the following two publications (the second is open access):
- Federico Battini, Giovanni Pernigotto, Andrea Gasparella, "A shoeboxing algorithm for urban building energy modeling: Validation for stand-alone buildings", Sustainable Cities and Society, Volume 89, 2023, 104305, ISSN 2210-6707, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2022.104305. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2210670722006096)
- Federico Battini, Giovanni Pernigotto, Andrea Gasparella, "District-level validation of a shoeboxing simplification algorithm to speed-up Urban Building Energy Modeling simulations", Applied Energy, Volume 349, 2023, 121570, ISSN 0306-2619, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2023.121570. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261923009340)
For now, this version of the algorithm implementation has the following limitations:
- There is not yet an interface, so the algorithm needs to be run from code
- Detailed models must be run for comparison and to obtain some properties to create the simplified models
- Buildings can have up to four stories
- Results are not automatically post-processed
These limitations are only related to the practical implementation and not to the methodology itself.