Hello,
I ran an eQuest model of a LEED building but the architect I work with noted that the areas from eQuest do not exactly match the actual areas of the rooms. Is this an issue that will be flagged by USGB? If so how can I change the areas in my eQuest model without losing all the data points I've imputed.
Thank you.
Donald Hay, E.I.T.
Stridde, Callins & Associates
(361) 883-9199
Good afternoon Donald,
The reviewers only flag area discrepancies in the energy model if the areas
differ by more than 5-10% (gross versus net). All areas within the building
shell should be included in the models whether conditioned,
semi-conditioned, or unconditioned. If all areas are included in the models
and the variance is within 5-10%, I would not worry about it and just
include a narrative explaining the difference with your submission.
As for the architect, each modeling software has limitations which can
result in variances. Some of the possible issues which can contribute to
variances are rounding off of the dimensions for each space, curved walls in
the footprint, only modeling interior dimensions versus exterior dimensions,
etc. Again, if you are within 5-10% of the total gross area, the impact on
the modeling results tends to be negligible.
I hope this helps. Have a nice day.
Sheila Sagerer
Energy Engineer, EIT, LEED AP
Energy Opportunities, Inc, a 7group company
Phone: 717-880-9069
www.sevengroup.com
The variances in floor areas are not due to software limitations, but to
differences between how thermal modeling software and architectural
drawings interpret floor areas. In thermal modeling, the floor area
apply to the area and volume of the enclosed space, or more
specifically, to the air of the enclosed space. In architectural
drawings, there are various conventions used in stating the gross and
net floor areas, e.g., are the floor areas taken up by exterior or
interior walls counted, etc? If the user wants to input the gross or
net areas shown on the architectural drawings into a thermal program,
there's nothing in the software that prevents them from so doing.
Joe
Joe Huang
White Box Technologies, Inc.
346 Rheem Blvd., Suite 108D
Moraga CA 94556
yjhuang at whiteboxtechnologies.com
http://weather.whiteboxtechnologies.com for simulation-ready weather data
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