Building and plant simulation

An energy simulation for buildings and systems provides a detailed view of temperature and humidity profiles as well as energy flows within rooms, room groups, complete buildings and building services systems or individual components of such systems. These can be analysed and calculated precisely for each task, even over longer periods of time.

A building and/or system simulation can be created for existing buildings and systems or for buildings and systems in the design stage. Different structural and/or system engineering measures can be compared with each other under the same weather boundary conditions in advance of implementation. For example, air temperatures and temperatures on room enclosure surfaces, heating and cooling capacities as well as energy demand values are calculated.

A multifaceted simulation approach

Building and system simulation is a powerful tool that provides a wide range of insights for optimising rooms, buildings and production facilities in existing buildings or even in the planning phase.

We use these tools:

• For classical, dynamic building simulation in individual rooms or room groups, in complete buildings or even in urban quarters.
• In system simulation when considering electricity, heating and cooling supply
• For energy modelling of ventilation and air-conditioning approaches in buildings
• For combined consideration of individual rooms, buildings or quarters in interaction with building services installations

Both the dynamic building simulation and the supplementary system simulation form the basis of, and yield important findings for comprehensive, modern energy concepts.

Dynamic building simulation

In dynamic building simulation – based on the physical properties of building components and in interaction with specific weather boundary conditions – the temperatures in rooms or groups of rooms and the power and energy required for tempering rooms or groups of rooms are calculated over a certain period of time.

For this purpose, a building under consideration is divided into so-called thermal zones. In the simplest case, a zone can be only one room, but individual zones can also include several rooms if they have approximately the same general conditions. In the simulation model, the various physical properties of all materials and objects in a zone (in a room) and their effect on climate, temperature and energy consumption are simulated using scientific methods.

In this way, the properties of rooms can be investigated in advance under various assumptions. The calculation is carried out in time steps that can be selected as finely as desired.

The following aspects, information and output variables can be taken into account:

As a result, the following quantities are obtained:

System simulation

As an extension of the building simulation, a combined building and system simulation can be used to simulate the energetic interaction of individual components or systems for heating, ventilation, air conditioning and power supply with individual rooms up to complete buildings. Both existing and planned systems can be considered. A system simulation can even be used to examine the effects of new components. For this purpose, a corresponding calculation module can be programmed for a new component.

As with the building simulation, a wide range of factors such as weather data records and existing control and regulation concepts for the systems to be examined can be taken into account as framework conditions.

The dynamic system simulation – basis for the determination of 

• outputs (e.g. heating and cooling outputs) of systems or components
• Energies (e.g. energy demand values for heating and cooling) taking into account the system or component properties
• Effort figures
• The individual data can be determined over definable periods of time (e.g. one year) and depending on selectable climates.

The calculation of an energy simulation is far less complex than a complex CFD simulation in terms of the computing power required. This means that longer periods of time can also be mapped, seasonal effects such as heating or heat periods can be taken into account or year-round observations can be carried out.

Intelligent energy concepts

The greatest source of energy is energy saving

Many companies work with established energy supply structures that have been repeatedly adapted to changing conditions over the years with great effort and expense. Due to the current requirements of the legislator (CO2 tax, German Building Energy Act (GEG)), cost increases are already pre-programmed, especially for fossil fuels.

One of the largest sources of energy is energy saving and the reuse of energy released during production processes. In the field of ventilation technology, heat recovery (WRG) has already become a quasi-standard for many years and was consequently made a standard in the German GEG.

With the support of building and/or system simulations, we can also show you ways to optimise your systems for supplying room air and process air, as well as heating, cooling and electricity. In doing so, the existing resources are taken into account in the best possible way.