Publications

With  climate  change  and  the  increased  demand  for  cooling,  computational  thermo-energetic modeling becomes essential for studying and adapting buildings. However, developing models that accurately  represent  complex  buildings  can  be  highly  time-consuming  andcomputationally intensive. This study investigates the use of metamodels to reduce building simulation time without compromising result accuracy. Using the Pavilhão de Aulas II (PVB) at the Federal University of Viçosa as a case study, three metamodels were developed, via EnergyPlus, based on simplifications of the original calibrated model. Validation was performed using ASHRAE Guideline 14, considering the Normalized Mean Bias Error (NMBE) and Coefficient of Variation of the Root Mean Square Error (CV(RMSE)) indices, as well as statistical approaches. Among the three metamodels compared, the simplest achieved the best performance and the shortest simulation time. The results indicate that reducing the number of thermal zones allows decreasing computational time, while keeping errors within acceptable limits.Key-words:Metamodels; Thermal-energy simulation; Thermal zones; Calibration.