Evaluating the Performance of DABO and HVAC-Cx Commissioning Tools using the Virtual Cybernetic Building Testbed

Published

October 1, 2015

Author(s)

Natascha S. Milesi-Ferretti, Michael A. Galler, Steven T. Bushby, Daniel Choiniere

Abstract

Automated commissioning tools are designed to facilitate the commissioning process, decreasing the amount of time and the skill level required to carry out necessary quality assurance measures. As a result, they enable more thorough testing of building heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems to improve occupant comfort and the persistence of correct system operation. As a part of International Energy Agency Annex 47, an international research project, two tools were developed to perform automated commissioning: 1) DABO, developed by Natural Resources Canada, and 2) HVAC-Cx, a tool developed by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This paper investigates the performance of each of these automated commissioning tools for on-going commissioning of air-handling units, using data from the NIST Virtual Cybernetic Building Testbed (VCBT) as a means to conduct a repeatable evaluation over a range of operating conditions.

Citation

Science and Technology for the Built Environment

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

Building Commissioning, HVAC

Citation

Milesi-Ferretti, N. , Galler, M. , Bushby, S. and Choiniere, D. (2015), Evaluating the Performance of DABO and HVAC-Cx Commissioning Tools using the Virtual Cybernetic Building Testbed, Science and Technology for the Built Environment (Accessed March 13, 2025)