ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the use of simulation in supporting building policy decision-making. Examples of building simulation for policy setting include development and evaluation of building energy efficiency standards, setting building performance levels for utility incentives, evaluating potential impacts and direction for energy efficiency building retrofit programs, and sector-wide technology performance studies. In a policy framework relating to building energy performance, the targets are individual buildings, but there is a need to establish how the proposed policy or standard will perform in a broader context, of new or existing buildings within a region or country. In the United States, the Energy Information Administration has conducted quadrennial energy consumption surveys since 1979 for commercial, industrial, and residential buildings. These surveys provide a wealth of information about the numbers and consumption of the entire building stock based on a statistical representation of the sector and the representativeness of several thousand buildings for each sector.
