Towards a guideline for selecting the appropriate abstraction level for building systems simulation

Each modeler meets a challenging task of abstracting the relevant physical behavior of the system to be modeled. What physical phenomena are important for the particular simulation task and what models to use are the questions that need to be answered every time when performing a simulation task. This paper initiates a concept of a guideline that will guide a modeler in selecting the appropriate level of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system modeling abstraction. We introduce the concept of conceptual modeling and fidelity and present possible solutions for measuring the suitability of modeling abstraction level for a particular simulation task. The paper concludes with a simple worked out example that is used to demonstrate the proposed checking criteria.