Meter-Based Synthesis of Equipment Schedules for Improved Models of Electrical Demand in Multifamily Buildings

The authors present a novel method for using electrical meter data to synthesize realistic equipment use schedules that can improve models of electrical demand in buildings. Other methods exist for creating schedules based on historical data from a limited set of past field studies, but the method presented here is unique because it allows a modeller to customize and calibrate equipment use schedules based on user-specified meter data and load profile metrics. A case study with water heaters demonstrates that this schedule synthesis method can outperform traditional modelling strategies by replicating key characteristics of a measured equipment load profile, including its magnitude, variability, and relationships between load and time. In particular, the new method was more effective at replicating the total water heater electrical load duration curve and ramp duration curve of a real-world reference building.