Uncertainty and Sensitivity Analysis - Parametric Settings Dialog

The Parametric Settings dialog can be accessed by clicking on the Parametric settings icon on the toolbar.

You can use this dialog to set up the Uncertainty and Sensitivity Analysis by entering data on the tabs described below:

• Analysis Type
• Outputs
• Design Variables

Analysis Type Tab

There are 3 types of analysis and these can be set from the first tab on this dialog.

Analysis

The analysis to select for UA/SA is 3-Uncertainty/Sensitivity Analysis.

Outputs Tab

Data on the Outputs Tab is the summary of outputs which are requested for the uncertainty/sensitivity analysis. On this tab uncertainty/sensitivity analysis outputs can be Added, Edited or Deleted by selecting the appropriate option on the right-hand info panel.

The Data shown in the table is:

• Name: User Defined name for the output.
• Analysis KPI: The pre-defined output result option. These outputs are Building Level results.

Note: Each output needs to have a unique name and must have a unique Analysis KPI

Controls on the Info panel are:

• Add Output: Creates a new output (using the Edit Analysis Outputs dialog)
• Edit Output: Edits the selected existing output from the table (using the Edit Analysis Outputs dialog)
• Delete Output: Deletes the selected existing output from the table

Tip: The Add Output/Edit Output option should be selected with care as it is not possible to cancel or revert to the old settings in the Edit Analysis Outputs dialog. The settings will either be saved as a new entry if Add Output is clicked or overwritten on the selected existing output if Edit Output is clicked.

Design Variables Tab

Data on the Design Variables Tab is the summary of the uncertain (variable) design inputs which are selected for the uncertainty/sensitivity analysis. On this tab uncertainty/sensitivity analysis Design Variables can be Added, Edited or Deleted by selecting the appropriate option on the right-side info panel.

Any number of variables can be added.

The Data shown in the table is:

• Name: User defined name for the Design Variable.
• Variable Type: Type of input Design Variable (Setpoint, Load, WWR etc.)
• Distribution Category: Type of distribution curve selected, Discrete or Continuous
• Distribution Curve: Name of distribution (Normal, Uniform, etc.)
• Distribution Summary: Details of parameters that control the distribution (Mean, Std Dev etc.)
• Target Objects: Scope of the variable suggesting the values are changed for the whole building or selected zones or elements.

Note: Each Design Variable must have a unique name

Note: In some projects, it may be necessary to set up a design variable that changes an attribute that is also changed by another template type variable. In such cases you should ensure that the template variable is defined first, i.e. it appears higher in the variables list. For example, if the Design variables list includes parametric changes for both Construction templates and Infiltration, the Construction template variable should be higher on the list than the Infiltration variable for the infiltration variable to have any effect on the analysis.

Controls on the Info panel are:

• Add Variable: Creates a new Design Variable (using Edit Analysis Variable dialog).
• Edit Variable: Edits the selected existing Design Variable from the table (using Edit Analysis Variable dialog).
• Delete Variable: Deletes the selected existing Design Variable from the table.

Tip: The Add Variable/Edit variable options should be used with care as it is not possible to cancel or revert to the old settings in the Edit Analysis Variables dialog. The settings will be saved as a new entry if Add Variable is clicked or overwritten on the selected existing Design Variable if Edit Variable is clicked.

Note: If an Uncertainty/Sensitivity Analysis result already exists, then saving any new changes in the Parametric Settings dialog will delete the existing results.