Energy Modelling Methods to support Digital Twins of National Scale Building Stocks

About the Project

Project Context:

The decarbonisation of the Energy System will play a vital role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and help mitigate the impacts of Climate Change. The technical and societal challenges inherent in decarbonisation are set to be enduring challenges of the mid-21st century and ones that will require a whole of society approach, encompassing academia, industry, government, and citizens.

The University of Limerick is embarking on the development of a national-scale Digital Twin (DT) of its built environment to support data-driven decision-making in areas such as energy efficiency, climate resilience, urban planning and policy making. The larger-scale project will model energy renovation strategies over multiple geographical scales (single buildings to district level to national scale) using appropriate energy modelling techniques i.e., white box, grey box and black box solutions. This will enable the creation of statistical multi-scale representations of the building stock and connected energy systems. Such modelling will allow for a novel and comprehensive assessment of future energy policy and its direct and indirect impacts on the macro economy and society. Climate and energy policy scenarios can be modelled to show the impacts of future technology adoption of households, resulting energy performance, and the flexibility potential of buildings over various geographical scales. This ties in with the NexSys project and the previous work of the Building Energy Informatics Group at partner university UCD where Prof James O’Donnell is now a Visiting Full Professor.

This UL based PhD project will contribute to the energy modelling layer underpinning this digital twin, focusing on bottom-up demand modelling, electrification scenario analysis, and validation of building-stock energy models at national scale. The approach requires integration of multiple datasets and cognisance of a variety of potential renovation approaches that include but are not limited to fabric-first, cost optimal, district heating, renewable integration, demand-flexibility, peer to peer energy trading, district heating and many others. The research will quantify the impact of electrification (heat pumps, EVs, rooftop PV and other low carbon technologies) on national demand and on the low-voltage distribution network, and will support evaluation of renovation, technology adoption, and policy scenarios. The research will be grounded in real-world Irish datasets (e.g. BER, GeoDirectory, ESB Networks LV data, ERA5) and national initiatives, and will contribute to a robust, validated energy modelling layer for Ireland’s building stock. To make these models accessible to stakeholders (DSOs, regulators, policymakers, and researchers), the candidate will also extend an existing prototype building-stock knowledge graph and develop a Large Language Model (LLM) based natural-language query interface over it, exposed through a web-based tool. The energy modelling contribution remains the primary research focus; the knowledge graph, LLM querying, and web interface form the delivery layer through which model outputs are made usable. Over the course of their Ph.D. studies, the successful candidate will gain advanced research expertise, critical problem-solving skills, access to academic and industry internships, thus providing a strong foundation for a career at the forefront of innovation.

Ideal candidates for these positions will be highly motivated, numerate students with an excellent academic track record and willingness to work in a dynamic and interdisciplinary research environment. This project will involve interacting with teams from across the NexSys project.

The primary purpose of the role is:

• Conducting research in pursuit of a body of study in the domain of energy modelling of buildings and low carbon technologies.
• As part of this body of research, carrying out tasks aligned with the national scale digital twin project and broader research initiatives.
• To develop your research skills and competences, including the processes of publication in peer-reviewed academic publications.
• Plan, coordinate and implement research in line with the project research objectives.
• Engage with the various stakeholders and work package leaders and contributors as required for project success.

Required Skills / Qualifications/ Aptitudes:

• A First Class or upper Second Class (2.1 or higher) Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, Energy Systems, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Physics, or a closely related quantitative discipline.
• Strong programming skills (e.g., Python, including the scientific stack — NumPy, pandas, scipy).
• Familiarity with handling heterogeneous datasets (e.g., building stock, smart-meter, geospatial, or weather data).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Self-direction, attention to detail, and ability to manage a multi-year research workload.

Desirable Skills / Qualifications/ Aptitudes:

• Experience with energy modelling including bottom-up modelling, building physics simulation (EnergyPlus, IDA-ICE, Modelica, TRNSYS), or grey-box thermal models (RC networks).
• Familiarity with stochastic modelling techniques: copulas, Bayesian methods, Monte Carlo simulation, or scenario sampling.
• Experience with geospatial data (GIS, geopandas, QGIS) and large heterogeneous datasets.
• Experience with national-scale building stock or energy datasets (e.g., BER/EPC, GeoDirectory, smart-meter, distribution network data).
• Experience with Machine Learning, Large Language Models, or knowledge graph technologies.
• Experience developing web-based tools or interactive dashboards (e.g., Python web frameworks, JavaScript, deck.gl, or similar).
• Knowledge of Building Physics and Thermodynamics
• Energy modelling of buildings using tools such as EnergyPlus, IES VE, TRNSYS, Modelica or similar
• A record of research, as evidenced by past and recent publications in top ranking journals and contributions to international refereed conferences
• Attention to detail and strong organisational skills
• Awareness of equality, diversity and inclusion agenda.

Specific Requirements:

• Research skills, both qualitative and quantitative.
• Analytical and critical evaluation skills.
• Excellent English communication skills, in particular, writing and presentation skills.
• Attention to detail and strong organisational skills.
• Ability to manage a complex workload and work to tight deadlines.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Experience working closely with a wide range of stakeholders and in maintaining their engagement throughout the project

Funding:

The scholarship will be awarded for a maximum period of 4 years

Funding will cover the following elements:

• A stipend of €25,000 per annum
• Travel/Consumables/Materials budget
• Tuition fees