Multi-Level Pareto Optimization for Energy-Efficient Buildings

This paper presents a multi-level framework for Pareto optimization of building retrofit and operation while considering both healthy and faulty conditions. Evaluating building performance involves various multi-criteria decision-making problems. The interaction between different energy efficiency strategies is investigated for comparing different routes to energy savings while maintaining thermal comfort. A building information database is compiled for a demonstration building containing information about potential envelope retrofits. From the building information database, a surrogate model is developed. The results of the surrogate model are used to predict annual energy consumption and retrofit costs for various envelope retrofits. To evaluate the effect of building retrofits on day-to-day operation, space heating is used as an illustrative example. The results of the retrofit optimization are used in a multi-zone thermal circuit to compare single-day energy consumption and thermal comfort. That is, the effect of retrofits on both long-term (i.e., annual) and short-term (i.e., daily) performance objectives are conducted. Fault impact analysis is performed for example operational faults for the modeled building with and without retrofits.