a b s t r a c tOccupant behavior is now widely recognized as a major contributing factor to uncertainty of building performance. While a surge of research on the topic has occurred over the past four decades, and particularly the past few years, there are many gaps in knowledge and limitations to current methodologies. This paper outlines the state-of-the-art research, current obstacles and future needs and directions for the following four-step iterative process: (1) occupant monitoring and data collection, (2) model development, (3) model evaluation, and (4) model implementation into building simulation tools. Major themes include the need for greater rigor in experimental methodologies; detailed, honest, and candid reporting of methods and results; and development of an efficient means to implement occupant behavior models and integrate them into building energy modeling programs.

This paper summarizes a study undertaken to reveal potential challenges and opportunities for integrating optimisation tools in Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB) Design. The paper reviews current trends in simulationbased Building Performance Optimisation (BPO) and outlines major criteria for optimisation tools selection and evaluation. This is based on analyzing user's needs for tools capabilities and requirement specifications. The review is carried out by means of a literature review of 165 publications and interviews with 28 optimisation experts. The findings are based on an inter-group comparison between experts. The aim is to assess the gaps and needs for integrating BPO tools in NZEB Design. The findings indicate existing limitations including model uncertainty, computation time, difficulty of use and steep learning curve. Some future directions anticipated or needed for improvement of current tools are presented.

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