Energy Modeling Blog

How to get LEEDonline to work on a 64 bit computer

Robert Fassbender's picture
Author: Bob
Posted on: Jun 11, 2014
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So, you want to use LEEDonline?

First thing, you must have Internet Explorer or Safari. It won't work in any other browser. 

There's a list of other things but if you have used LEEDonline in the past, you will need to make some changes.

If you have 64 bit Internet Explorer, you will need to setup a 32 bit option. This is easy enough:

Go to your desktop Right click and create a shortcut Set the shortcut path to C:\Program Files (x86)\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe Give the shortcut a name (something like "32 bit IE" or whatever helps you remember)

Now, to make sure that this 32-bit version of Internet explorer operates in "compatibility mode":

Open the 32 bit version of IE. Go to LEEDonline.com Go...
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Filed under: LEEDUSGBC

Chilled Beams vs High Performance VAV

Robert Fassbender's picture
Author: Bob
Posted on: Jun 4, 2014
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Hello Friends and simulators-

We get an awful lot of questions about modeling new systems, and rightly so. These often involve workarounds and many people do these workarounds differently. (Example, how do I model VRF in eQUEST?). 

What are some of these cool "new" systems:

Chilled Beams Displacement Ventilation Underfloor Air Distribution 

While all these systems have their own time and place, newer does not always mean better.
Before getting caught up in the hype of any new, flashy system, make sure that you don't disregard high performance technology in conventional systems (example high performance VAV). 

This is a great read, by an...
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Filed under: Chilled BeamsTRACE 700VAV

How to get 90% Off

Becca's picture
Author: Becca
Posted on: May 13, 2014
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We have seen a number incoming search engine links looking for "Energy-models.com coupon code"

If you want to try one of our courses, and you want a discount? How does 90% off sound?

For a limited time only, we are offering "Pay with userpoints", where you can earn points and use those points to pay for our products.

The best way to earn points is by referring others with your referral link.

Get your referral link on your user page  Share your link by email, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, telegraph, smoke signals Earn 200 points = $20.00 off for each user who creates a FREE account.  Use your...
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Filed under: DiscountsTraining

Free New Course for Managers

Robert Fassbender's picture
Author: Bob
Posted on: May 7, 2014
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Attention MANAGERS and EMPLOYERS

You probably always hear about needing better software, and that may be true, but remember that faster cars require better drivers. The software is not the limiting factor. Not even close.

I know you are busy, so to move straight to the point: we have put together a free tutorial to help you hire quality energy-modelers, or which energy-modelers you should retain (who deserves a raise?)

In a nutshell, the course covers:

The 5 factors to evaluate in an applicant 20 example interview questions to help evaluate these factors (with answers) Red Flags to watch out for Ingredients to build...
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How Liberal is LEED?

Becca's picture
Author: Becca
Posted on: Apr 28, 2014
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When we first published a map of LEED buildings per capita in 2011, we were accused of a political agenda by a few people. After the initial surprise and chuckle, our curiosity started to grow, after all, as energy-modelers we naturally gravitate towards analyzing data. So we asked ourselves, “What side would this map be on for a political agenda?”

Can you guess...
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Comparing Two eQUEST Files with Notepad++

Bob Fassbender's picture
Author: Bob F
Posted on: Feb 25, 2014
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Using notepad++, there is a very efficient way to compare two eQUEST pd2 or *.inp files.  This also works with EnergyPlus, and basically any two text based files. Check out the video and I'll show you how.

Notepad++ is a lightweight, must-have program for energy-modelers. I've fixed numerous complex eQUEST issues with the functionality. It's like wordpad, but on steroids (and yet somehow just as fast or faster) And if you write code, it helps with that too!
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Filed under: energypluseQUEST

LEED Fan Power- Step by Step

Bob Fassbender's picture
Author: Bob F
Posted on: Feb 10, 2014
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Question:

USGBC is asking me for a manual calculation on fan power. Can you walk me through how you calculate the fan power for a VAV system for LEED?

Answer:

It’s a pretty straightforward process. However, it does require some bouncing around in ASHRAE 90.1 and that can lead to confusion, so after this walk-through you might simply prefer to use our fan calculator. One of the most complicated parts of the calculation is determining the filter credit. But remember that you should only apply the fan credit if ALL the supply air is filtered. (The workaround is discussed in the...
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Filed under: Fan CalculationLEED

Not Conditioned But Not Unconditioned in 90.1?

Robert Fassbender's picture
Author: Bob
Posted on: Jan 14, 2014
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Last week, we received two incredibly similar inquiries related to the ruling in ASHRAE 90.1 from table G3.1.1a that “All conditioned spaces in the proposed design shall be simulated as being both heated and cooled even if no heating or cooling system is to be installed.”

Here is a sample of the question we received:

I have a space in the proposed that is heated only. It has a peak heating load of 12 Btuh/SF, but the baseline peak is 20 Btuh/SF. In this climate zone, heating is defined as conditioned when the peak load is greater than 15 Btuh/sf. Since the proposed is not conditioned and the baseline is conditioned, do I treat the space as unconditioned, semi-heated, or...
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Filed under: ASHRAE 90.1Heating and CoolingLEED

Experimenting with LED's

Robert Fassbender's picture
Author: Bob
Posted on: Jan 9, 2014
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Over a year ago, I decided to give LED’s a whirl and the LED's decided to give me a headache. I decided that I could not make a verdict on the purchase until a year had passed. It's been over a year, so here goes:

First thing, I did not install them for interior lighting, but for exterior night-time lighting only. I’m sure many of you are aware that LED’s are more popular for exterior lighting than they are indoors. In my opinion, exterior lighting is one of the best places to get LEED points because of the undisputed energy savings, plus LED’s can easily meet the lighting pollution reduction SSc8.

In any, case - why’d I update to outdoor LED’s? Naturally, I am energy conscious, but the main reason is because the...
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Filed under: LEDsLEEDOutdoor Lighting

An Honest Discussion of the Design Process and BIM

Robert Fassbender's picture
Author: Bob
Posted on: Dec 17, 2013
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Here’s an interesting conversation we had with someone on our recently. Of course, it does not reflect the views of Energy-models.com, but it does reflect the views of many engineers we've talked to about the design process and architects.

Anonymous: Hey - are you going to offer a Revit MEP training?

Support:  We would like to, but need to define the scope - perhaps you could help? Do you have any ideas on what a typical MEP engineer would want to learn to do in Revit MEP?

Anonymous: With regard to Energy Modeling or in BIM modeling?

Support: Considering we are an energy modeling...
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Filed under: architectsBIMRevit
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