Building Shades

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After searching through the archive, I've learned I can create Building Shades in the detailed mode in eQUEST. Is it possible to do something similar through one of the wizards?

Essentially I'd like a quick, easy way of modeling surrounding buildings so that their shading effects are taken into account.

Jonathan Bowser

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You cannot do this through the wizards, it must be done in the detailed edit
mode after the wizard has been completed. shades are easy to inpliment as
long as you have the information (size and orientation) of the surrounding
buildings readily available.

hope this helps!

Rob

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Thanks for the quick response, Rob. For my own sanity, could I have something else clarified as well?

I've always been under the assumption that if I model multiple shells in the wizard, the shading effects of the shells are taken into account when performing the analysis. Is this actually the case?

Note: I understand this isn't the same thing as creating a building shade in the detailed edit mode since I'm actually introducing more components into the analysis.

Jonathan Bowser

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that is my assumption as well. i haven't truly modeled two separate
buildings before for a project, but i did try a litmus test model once.
what i did was created two shells one north of the other and looked at the
output reports for solar loads on the southern faces. the northern one did
have a smaller load on the southern face, which leads me to believe that
this part of eQuest works just fine. if anyone has an actual project that
they can speak of then that would be a better answer, but for now this is
what i got,

Rob

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If you are in the detailed edit mode and double-click on an exterior wall or roof and the second properties tab (Daylighting - Shading - Other) will show you if that surface is a shading surface or not. You can alternatively review all of your external constructions in the spreadsheet view (also in detailed edit mode). It is the last column in the spreadsheet.

Coming from the wizard, you can go into detailed edit mode and check to see how the construction in being handled then return to the wizard without losing anything as long as no changes are made in the detailed edit mode. If you right click in the field and then choose Item Help, you can read about how eQuest handles this input variable.

[cid:image001.png at 01CBAB5D.30C3AEF0]

John T. Forester, P.E., LEED AP

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To round out John?s thorough and detailed answer: Yes, coming out of the wizards, multiple shells will shade each other if you do nothing else. The exterior surfaces of one shell will act like static, opaque building shades with respect to other shells.

The ?Shading Surface - Yes/No? property for exterior surfaces John is pointing out is where you can confirm or edit that behavior (typically, when creating a 90.1 baseline model). I find it easiest to select any exterior surface from the 3D view, switch to spreadsheet view, then drag the horizontal navigation bar all the way to the right to edit the column for this variable.

NICK CATON, E.I.T.

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I appreciate everyone?s input and help with clarifying and showing this information.

Jonathan Bowser

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So I had a thought on using the DD wizard to introduce a building for shading purposes only, and I wanted to run it up the flag pole.

My thought was to model a building shell with an operation schedule (Wizard Screen 12 of 25) set to Closed and all of its Non-HVAC Enduses (15 of 25) toggled off. Then create a new HVAC System with no cooling source, heating source or system type, and assign this system to the building shell?s zones.

At first glance, the simulation results come out to zero where I expect them to, but I?m not an ME, so I?m not sure if this shell would have any other impact other than shading if I were to throw this ?dummy? setup in with the building I want to run the simulation against. When I run a simulation with a single default shell/hvac system and one with a single default shell/hvac system along with the dummy setup described above, the results I?m checking against are pretty close which lends me to believe that maybe only the dummy?s shading is being taken into account.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this process?

Jonathan Bowser

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The procedure you?re describing should work fine. In my humble opinion, it?s pretty clever actually!

A no-cooling/no-heating system results in a ?SUM? system post-wizards, which is just a placeholder. The only items that might consume energy in a shell after the HVAC system is out would be internal items: lights/receptacles/service hot water ? you?re eliminating those as well by unticking all the non-HVAC enduses.

Considering that, you could simplify your procedure a bit I think: There shouldn?t be a need to specify a ?closed? type or any other specific schedule for the shell.

NICK CATON, E.I.T.

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