VC-21A-A012 -- OpenStudio Validation of a CLT Building in Colorado

Cross laminated timber (CLT) are massive timber plates composed of layered boards arranged crosswise and glued together. They enable faster construction times than traditional building methods by taking advantage of prefabrication. The envelope’s ability to retain moisture is not typically a consideration made in building energy modeling as concrete and steel do not absorb significant amounts of moisture. The envelope of CLT buildings likely influences the relative humidity inside structures due to the wood’s ability to absorb and release moisture from the air. The amount of wood composing CLT buildings suggests considerations should be made for the envelope’s influence on interior relative humidity. This study describes efforts to validate an OpenStudio building energy model for buildings with CLT. In this study, we simulate an educational building constructed with CLT located in Colorado, USA. OpenStudio was selected for this study because it uses EnergyPlus as its simulation engine which has the ability to simulate moisture interactions between building materials and interior air. Preliminary results shows that OpenStudio is able to predict overall monthly electric consumption. The model will be validated using non-invasive load monitoring of electricity and utility data for gas following ASHRAE Guideline 14 for whole building calibrated simulation. Until detailed load monitoring data is available, the model is being compared to monthly utility data.