Comparative Analysis Of Cooling Load Simulation Accuracy: A Benchmarking Study Of IES-VE And Energy Plus On Fundamental Geometries Under Indonesian Tropical Climate Conditions

Abstract

Building energy simulation tools represent critical infrastructure for accurate cooling load predictions in tropical climates, yet substantial discrepancies persist between leading software platforms. This investigation presents a comprehensive benchmarking analysis comparing IES Virtual Environment (IES-VE) and EnergyPlus cooling load calculations using five fundamental geometries (cube, octagonal prism, hexagonal prism, cylinder, hemisphere) across nine Indonesian cities representing three distinct climate zones. Each geometry underwent evaluation with three volumes (216 m³, 729 m³, 1728 m³) and three window-to-wall ratios (0%, 50%, 90%/100%), utilizing 33-year compiled meteorological data (1990-2023). The analysis concentrates exclusively on external cooling loads—encompassing envelope heat transfer and solar gains—to isolate fundamental algorithmic differences in building envelope thermal modeling. Infiltration loads were eliminated by setting air exchange rates to zero in all simulations, focusing purely on envelope thermal performance. Results revealed substantial deviations between platforms, with magnitudes reaching 316% on average. The study identifies climate-specific algorithmic sensitivities and provides quantitative benchmarks for practitioners selecting simulation tools in tropical environments. Findings contribute essential validation data for building energy modeling in Southeast Asian contexts while highlighting critical gaps in current envelope thermal modeling methodologies.