Energy simulation, or building energy modeling, serves to predict how a building will use energy. The computing model receives different inputs such as climate, materials, equipment, heating, cooling and ventilation systems, and give predictions on the building energy consumption and production in some cases.

Energy simulation is widely used to calculate building performances and energy-saving measures and has several applications:

In building design to compare different models and predict their energy consumption or demonstrate their compliance with the legal norms.

In life-cycle cost analysis to determine the building design with the least capital and energy cost.

In energy retrofit analysis to determine the best measures to take for better energy savings.

Energy simulation is an efficient and essential tool to use in building design. However, you have to keep in mind that some uncertainties cannot be avoided in energy assessment. This is due to the high number of factors such as weather, climate or the behavior of the occupants of the building that cannot be accurately predicted. The best results for heating and cooling with electrical devices are given by detailed simulation tools within 3% of mean absolute error, as Yezioro, Dong and Leite demonstrate in their study .

It often takes time to find the energy simulation service which fit their needs. Here you can find a selection of services which can be useful for you.