Ideas to improve speed

[shorowit]

1. Switch to using a single OpenStudio workflow (OSW) that both modifies the HPXML file and runs the simulation. Currently we make two OpenStudio calls: the first uses an OSW to modify the HPXML file, while the second uses run_simulation.rb to run the simulation.
2. Be smarter about not running simulations if the HPXML file was not modified. For example, if an HPXML file does not have a cooling system but a cooling system efficiency knob was adjusted, recognize that there's no point to run the simulation. We might be able to do this by simply updating the ModifyXML measure to specify that we want to halt the workflow?
3. Investigate search techniques other than genetic algorithms.
4. Investigate potential for engineering judgment and/or ML to improve the choice of which knobs to adjust and how much to adjust them.