TM59 Simulation Errors Due to Missing Occupancy

Resolving TM59 Simulation Errors Due to Missing Occupancy Settings

When performing a TM59 assessment in DesignBuilder, it's essential that the model includes at least one occupied zone. A common cause of simulation failure is the absence of occupancy settings at the building level.

Issue Summary

The calculation fails because no occupation is set in the model. Specifically, the occupancy is disabled at the "Building" level, which violates the requirements of TM59 assessments.

Error Messages

During simulation, the following EnergyPlus errors may appear:

** Severe  ** <root>[EnergyManagementSystem:Sensor][Adaptive_Model_Temperature_TM59] - Missing required property 'output_variable_or_output_meter_name'. ** Severe  ** <root>[Output:Variable][Output:Variable 16][reporting_frequency] - "On" - Failed to match against any enum values. **  Fatal  ** Errors occurred on processing input file. Preceding condition(s) cause termination. ...Summary of Errors that led to program termination:

These errors indicate that the simulation cannot proceed due to missing or incorrectly configured inputs related to occupancy and output variables.

Solution

To resolve this issue:

1. Navigate to the Building level in your model.
2. Enable occupancy by setting at least one zone as occupied.
3. Ensure that the Number of people is higher than zero.

Finally, save the changes and re-run the simulation.

This adjustment ensures compliance with TM59 standards and should eliminate the simulation error.