Selection of Energy Conservation Measures for Building Energy Retrofit: a Comparison between Quasi-steady State and Dynamic Simulations in the Hands of Users

Purpose: Quasi-steady state simulations have played a pivoting role to expand the user group of simulation to design engineers and architects in Korea. Initially they are introduced in the market as a building energy performance rating tool. In domestic practice, however, quasi-steady state simulations seem to be regarded as a de facto simulation only available for energy retrofit. Selection of ECMs and economic feasibility analysis are being decided through these tools, which implies that running these tools has become a norm step of the Investment-grade Audit. Method: This study aims at identifying issues and problems with the current practice via test cases, analyzing the reasons and opportunities, and then eventually suggesting proper uses of quasi-steady state and dynamic simulations. Result: The functionality of quasi-steady state simulations is more optimized to the rating. If they are to used for energy retrofits, their off-the-shelf functions also need to be expanded for customization and detailed reports. Yet their roles may be limited only to the go/no go decision; because their algorithms are still weak at precisely estimating energy and load savings that are required for making investment decisions compared to detailed simulations.