Energy Modeling Blog

TRACE 700 users must know these 7 things

Bob Fassbender's picture
Author: Bob F
Posted on: Jan 23, 2013
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TRACE 700 is unique Building simulation software - Especially since it does both load calculations and energy modeling.  There's a lot of people that use TRACE 700 to do a lot of different things: Load Design, LEED models, Life Cycle payback, just to name a few. 

Did you know that TRACE 700 is over 2 million lines of Code? TRACE 700 is incredibly complex and has computational power that far exceeds anything you can do on a spreadsheet!

So, depending on your job title -  you may or may not use certain features of the program. For example, maybe you need to interface with GLHE pro for sizing Geothermal wells (TRACE 700 can do this, and more!), but maybe you don't

In my travels, training...
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Filed under: TRACE 700

Approved LEED simulation software packages

Bob Fassbender's picture
Author: Bob F
Posted on: Jan 9, 2013
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I've never attempted a list of LEED approved software for LEED EAc1, and EAp2. I am sorry to omit anyone, but it's a common question.

First - There are a lot of software packages that can be used that are not mentioned explicitly (see "Other" in the list below)

Second - To give a simple answer to the question, LEEDonline does in fact have a list of common software programs (so it can tell you what reports to upload). Though it has been pointed out that LEED does not actually approve software, the actual software approval process is fairly complex, so the purpose here is to keep it simple.

List of approved LEED software

(Bold indicates it is mentioned within the LEEDonline v3 EAp2...
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Filed under: energy modelingLEED

Convert EnergyPlus weather to eQUEST

Bob Fassbender's picture
Author: Bob F
Posted on: Jan 8, 2013
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As energy modeling grows worldwide, the demand for international weather has grown. eQUEST - being so popular, has a lot of weather locations, but a modeler often needs more.

A lot of you want to edit the weather, or create your own weather files and this can be done with our handy weather editor (so long as you have nearby area to start from). But, a lot of you (eQUEST/DOE2 users) need to convert your .epw weather to .bin data - which we can do here

Energyplus has a large set of international weather, but it must be converted to .BIN format. This process is easy, but there is a slight glitch in the initial install. Check out this video to see how...
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Filed under: energypluseQUEST

Modeling framed walls - steel studs/wood studs

Bob Fassbender's picture
Author: Bob F
Posted on: Jan 3, 2013
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Okay, so you've got your building geometry setup, and now you are moving on to replacing the default construction types with your actual construction types (using actual roof, wall, window details).

You quickly notice that your software package does not have an input for stud type, nor any sort of inputs relating to joists/studs (this is true of many software packages).

So How do you model joist/framed walls or roofs (steel, wood, or otherwise)?

The most common answer is found in ASHRAE Standard 90.1, Appendix A. 

Since many modeling programs can only models layers in 2 dimensions, the standard provides guidlines for this for roofs, walls and more. We will focus on an example of a Steel-Frame Wall.

...
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Filed under: eQUEST TechnicalTRACE 700

Energy Modeling on the Rise - Headlines ASHRAE

Bob Fassbender's picture
Author: Bob F
Posted on: Dec 19, 2012
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Many of you ask about trends in energy-modeling, or if energy-modeling is on the rise. For those who ask, you probably already know, and are just looking for confirmation. Yes, Energy-modeling is becoming more and more important for several reasons. You can see these reasons below, but first, let's validate the claim that energy-modeling is on the rise.

Proof of this, is that the latest ASHRAE Journal headlined "Energy-Modeling - Making Good Assumptions", in a very well written article on the topic. (Also, thanks for mentioning energy-models.com/forum!).

When ASHRAE does something, everybody else follows. Sure, we hear a lot about USGBC, GBCI, and LEED, and so on... BUT none of those organizations operate without ASHRAE (...
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Filed under: ASHRAEEnergy-modeling

I like BigASSfans and I cannot lie

Bob Fassbender's picture
Author: Bob F
Posted on: Dec 13, 2012
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Okay, so along the lines of industry standouts, a company that I would personally promote is Big-Ass-Fans 

As I mentioned in the blog on Trane Centravacs, I'm not getting paid to promote them, and I really have nothing to gain personally, and will probably get the hate mail along as BigAssFans does (which they handle with hilarity) However, I have a few reasons to like them, some technical, some simple.

1) What's in a Name?

As Shakespeare said - "A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet"... The analogy applied to big-ass-fans, sort of.... stinks? In this case, everything is in the name, and the selection of the name was...
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Filed under: Equipment

Do Efficient Bulbs Really Pay?

Bob Fassbender's picture
Author: Bob F
Posted on: Dec 9, 2012
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Love ‘em or hate ‘em - Efficient light bulbs are the future. CFL’s (Squiggly bulbs) & LED’s claim to save a lot of energy and last a lot longer than conventional bulbs. They are the biggest things since, well, errr... the light bulb. (which was invented BEFORE the automobile)

Needless to say, these new products are not without controversy. And, some people simply hate change, and thus, there is a lot of criticism about Energy Efficient bulbs.

The primary question we want to address is, do these bulbs actually pay for themselves? Check out the video and find out! [Note: the purpose of the video is not to promote CFL's or LED's, but to show the value of an energy-model!] 

Can't view the video? ...
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Filed under: Energy-modeling

Why Trane Chillers Kick Ash

Bob Fassbender's picture
Author: Bob F
Posted on: Nov 14, 2012
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Just so you know, nobody is paying me to write this - and I'm not affiliated with Trane, but a number of you have asked us, "what equipment really stands out in the industry?" I don't want to detract from many great products - there are many awesome products out there made by a multitude of companies. But, since so many of you asked, I will tell you the truth - there's no denying, you certainly can't stop a Trane chiller. (For those of you who don't know what a chiller is; think of a giant air conditioner that produces cold water). Chillers are essential for cooling large buildings, and they are very important for energy modeling - and I’m always glad when I see Trane Chillers - because it usually makes it easier to get LEED points (not...
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Filed under: Equipment

Insulation Innovation with Aerogels, Courtesy of NASA

Joe's picture
Author: Joe
Posted on: Nov 8, 2012
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Aerogels are an amazing material for a variety of reasons. But one of the big ones in relation to energy modeling and buildings is their amazing properties of insulation. Hell, they are the reference image on the R-value wikipedia page.

So what are aerogels? They are the lightest solid in the world, due to their extremely porous nature, being over 90% air.  They were first discovered in the 1931's when two chemists bet who could replace the liquid in a gel material with a gas without causing the original form of the gel to be altered. The resulting material where the liquid component of the gel has been extracted though supercritical...
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Filed under: insulation

New Public Profiles, Show Off Your Certifications

Joe's picture
Author: Joe
Posted on: Nov 2, 2012
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Now you can make your profiles public if you want people to see the certificates you have earned on Energy-Models.com. The default state of your profile is private. But, if you edit your profile, go to privacy, and check the 'Make Profile Public' checkbox, your profile will be publicly displayed.

Then you can share your profile on LinkedIn, Twitter or wherever else you want, or you can just leave it as is and it will remain private. Up to you!  

Brad's Public Profile Example

Our test user Brad has enabled his public profile, so now if you go to his profile URL at: http://energy-models.com/user/brad, you can see his certifications.

Here...
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