Building Controls Virtual Test Bed

The Building Controls Virtual Test Bed (BCVTB) is a software environment that allows expert users to couple different simulation programs for distributed simulation. For example, the BCVTB allows to simulate a building and HVAC system in EnergyPlus and the control logic in MATLAB/Simulink, while exchanging data between the software as they simulate. The BCVTB is based on the Ptolemy II software environment.

Typical applications of the BCVTB include:

• performance assessment of integrated building energy and controls systems,
• development of new controls algorithms, and
• formal verification of controls algorithms prior to deployment in a building in order to reduce commissioning time.

Contact

Michael Wetter and Philip Haves
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Building Technologies Department
{MWetter,PHaves}@lbl.gov

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Office of Building Technologies of the U.S. Department of Energy, under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.