The utilization of Building Energy Performance Estimation (BEPE) simulation has gained significant attention recently that stems from its capability to accurately predict the energy performance of building sector under specific conditions. Among a wide range of calculation methodologies, the 3D zonal-type simulation approximation (e.g. EnergyPlus) is frequently used in many envisaged and practical use scenarios, as it manages to strike a balance between accuracy and computational complexity. However, 3D zonal-type BEPE models’ preparation suffers from two major drawbacks: (1) the models’ preparation is a very time-consuming process due to the difficulty to collect relevant information, often requiring more time than is available due to project’s deadlines, and (2) it is a non-standardized process that produces BEP simulation models whose results can significantly vary from one modeler to another according to their experience.

Within BIMERR, Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) files are used to streamline and expedite the collection of such information, while our BEPE approach introduce a methodology to automatically translate IFC to EnergyPlus input data, making the BEPE simulation modelling process much more expedient and less vulnerable to modelling errors. BEPE module, as a component of the RenoDSS, is responsible for estimating the building energy performance before and after the renovation interventions under examination. It enables the RenoDSS user to explore various what-if scenarios, quickly run energy models (or simulations) to estimate the energy performance and fine-tune the interventions in order to explore the trade-offs.