Enrichment of the energy simulation of buildings thanks to smart sensors

Context and challenges

The energy simulation of buildings makes it possible to evluate their forecast energy consumption and level of thermal comfort, on the basis of assumptions made on uses and the climate. But the real results will depend on the actual behaviour of the occupants and actual climatic variations. So that eco-design is not limited to offering a product, but helps to ensure a genuine level of service, possibly with a notion of energy efficiency guarantee, smart sensors can enhance the simulation by providing data on these aspects of behaviour and of climate.

Objectives

The aim of the PhD thesis is to take advantage of smart sensors to better anticipate occupant behaviour and improve the reliability of energy simulation.
A first part of the thesis aims to improve, thanks to the collection of information from smart sensors (temperature, humidity, noise, energy consumption, CO₂concentration), statistical models relating to the use of premises and the behaviour of occupants.
A second part concerns improving the reliability of the energy simulation of buildings. The aim is to develop new model calibration methods taking advantage of sensors.
The enhanced simulation will be tested on a case study, in particular, to find out which procedures are the most relevant in an energy efficiency guarantee process. The calculation modules developed as part of the thesis will be sent to a software publisher in order to study their distribution.