Impact of spatial accuracy on district energy simulations

Abstract An integrated approach using district energy simulations is essential to analyse energy efficient buildings and cities. Thereby, an accurate building representation in dimensions of space is considered as an essential boundary condition. Nonetheless, district energy simulations are often carried out using a limited set of archetype buildings. This paper analyses therefore the impact of a more accurate building representation in district energy models, for a given district. Three approaches to include building geometry with a different level of detail are extensively analysed through a comparison of geometrical properties, peak power, total energy use and overheating risk. The GIS-based approach is favoured for the design of district energy systems, as it enables a more accurate and automatic implementation of the spatial dimension of the dynamic energy simulation results.