EnergyPlus Version 2.2 Now Available
The latest release of the EnergyPlus building energy simulation program,
Version 2.2, was completed on April 22 (Earth Day!) and is now available
in versions for both the Windows and Linux operating systems. (Macintosh
version will be available within a few days.) A few key new features
include a dual-setpoint humidistat, enhanced economizer controls,
greater flexibility in specifying internal gains (i.e., people, lights,
equipment) and ventilation/infiltration, a microturbine electric
generator model, and upgrades to the equivalent one-diode PV model . We
have updated and extended capabilities throughout the existing building
envelope, daylighting, and HVAC equipment and systems portions of the
program.
The set of example input files now includes full-blown models of typical
new construction (drawn from the DOE Commercial Benchmarks project).
EnergyPlus V 2.2 is available at no cost from the EnergyPlus web site:
www.energyplus.gov
Also available - an update of the Energy Design Plugin for SketchUp -
version 0.94. This version includes updates to use EnergyPlus Version
2.2 and bug fixes.
What's New in Version 2.2?
Data Sets
* Electronic enthalpy air-side economizer curves
* Microturbine electric generators
Input
* Design days now allow scheduled input for Beam and Diffuse
Solar values.
* Design days allow users to select periods from weather files
to be used in design/sizing calculations.
Daylighting
* Reference point Illuminance levels calculated by DElight now
included in standard output variables.
Zone Model
* Internal gains can now be entered in intensity:
o People can be entered as number of people, people/floor area or
vice versa (area/person).
o Lighting can be entered as total Watts, Watts/floor area or
Watts/person.
* Equipment (electric, gas, other) can be entered as Watts,
Watts/floor area or Watts/person.
Natural and Mechanical Ventilation
* Outside Air Controller now allows boosted air flow rates for
high humidity control. A schedule may also be used to operate the
outside air economizer based on a time-of-day schedule. Each of these
features is also included in the controller for the stand-alone energy
recovery ventilator.
* Infiltration can be entered as total volume, volume/floor
area, volume/exterior surface area, or air changes per hour.
* Ventilation, mixing and cross mixing can be entered as total
volume, volume/floor area, volume/person, or air changes/hour.
* Airflow network model now includes more coil types, including
water cooling, water heating, detailed flat water cooling, multimode DX
cooling, and multispeed cooling and heating.
* Multiple infiltration and ventilation objects now allowed in
each zone, and the temperature control limits for the ventilation object
can now be scheduled (instead of constant).
HVAC
* Dual-setpoint humidistat with deadband now available
* Water heater volume and capacity can be autosized.
* Supply air fan operating mode (continuous versus cycling) can
now be scheduled based on time-of-day for window air conditioner,
packaged terminal heat pump and water-to-air heat pump.
* New economizer controls added to Controller:Outside Air and
Controller:Stand Alone ERV objects. New controls include Dew Point
Temperature limit and Electronic (Variable) Enthalpy limit.
* DX System (DXSystem:Airloop object) now allows cool-reheat
dehumidification control type.
On-Site Energy Supply
* New operating scheme for electric generators to follow thermal
loads.
* New microturbine electric generator model.
* Upgraded equivalent one-diode PV model to include options for
BIPV and inverter.
Environmental Impacts
* Environmental emissions can now be scheduled for all fuel
types.
Output
* New detailed reports on Internal Gains (People, Lights,
Equipment) as well as Simple Air Flow (Infiltration, Ventilation,
Mixing, Cross Mixing) in the .EIO file.
* New report variables for summed zone load components.
* Added additional column in internal heat gains reporting that
shows the sum of gains/floor area.
Utilities
* Many enhancements in the IDF Editor and HVAC Diagramming
tools.
Documentation and Guides
* Input/Output Reference and Engineering Reference updated and
extended for all new features and updates. Total documentation now
exceeds 3700 pages.
Improved warning messages to assist users, along with many other
enhancements and speed improvements throughout. See
http://www.energyplus.gov/features.html
features added in this and previous versions.
Update on User Interfaces?
EP-Quick creates an EnergyPlus input file based on a broad range of zone
templates (released in April 2005). DesignBuilder, a graphic user
interface, was released in December 2005. Hevacomp uses EnergyPlus as
its simulation engine (2006). First version of EFEN was released in
November 2007. Several other interfaces are under development. Watch
our web site ( http://www.energyplus.gov/ep_interfaces.html
information on these and other interfaces.
A number of utilities and tools for creating, editing, and running input
files come with EnergyPlus, including IDF Editor, EP-Launch, and
HVAC-Diagram (see http://www.energyplus.gov/ep_utilities.html
creating, editing, and displaying EnergyPlus input files are also
available, including DrawBDL, EcoTect, ESP-r, Green Building Studio,
EzDrawPlus, IFCtoIDF, TSe+, and EzPlus-Parm. See
http://www.energyplus.gov/third_party_tools.html
information.
EnergyPlus Training Workshops
We are planning workshops throughout 2008. For more information, please
see: http://www.gard.com/training.htm
What's going on in V2.2.0?
Will there be any considerable difference between version 2.1 and 2.2?
Yes.... and no. The basic structure of EnergyPlus is still as it has
been but there are some significant changes that you will want to be
aware of:
As always, there are a number of new features and bug fixes.
How about IDF and IDD? Do they remain unchanged?
There will be some changes in the IDD and reflected in IDFs.
Particularly for any new features, there will be new objects.
Is version 2.2 backward compatible? Can I run v2.1 file in v2.2?
For many options, the answer is yes. However, there are several changes
that require you to use the transition program for V2.2. EP-Launch can
check the selected file (if there is a version object) and you can
launch the Transition program from the EP-Launch "File" menu. You can
also view the ObjectStatus spreadsheet in the root folder of the
installed version. This file has detailed explanations of changes to the
objects. There is also a new option for the transition program that
allows you to supply a list of files and it will convert them for you.
The transition program is described more fully in the Auxiliary Programs
document.
EnergyPlus Weather Data
Weather data for more than 1300 locations worldwide are available on the
EnergyPlus web site: http://www.energyplus.gov/cfm/weather_data.cfm
the next week or two about 1067 new TMY3 files for the USA and new
weather data for Israel.)
If you know of other weather data for your country that you'd be willing
to share with the EnergyPlus user community, please contact Dru Crawley
(Drury.Crawley at ee.doe.gov
EnergyPlus_Support Group at YahooGroups
Are you a commercial or academic user of EnergyPlus? Join more than
1500 EnergyPlus users in an email group on YahooGroups-a place to ask
your questions and share information with other EnergyPlus users. The
YahooGroup also provides a searchable archive of all 6 years of
discussion. You can also upload files to share with other users. This
group supplements but does not replace the primary support email address
of EnergyPlus-Support at gard.com
The main web page for the group is:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EnergyPlus_Support
To subscribe, send an email message to:
EnergyPlus_Support-subscribe at yahoogroups.com
If you hate to constantly receive email, you can edit your YahooGroup
membership to only send a daily digest of messages.
Building Energy Simulation User News
Want to keep up to date on EnergyPlus and other building simulation
tools? Subscribe to the bi-monthly electronic newsletter for users of
EnergyPlus, DOE-2, BLAST, Genopt, SPARK, and Energy-10. See
http://simulationresearch.lbl.gov/un.html
BLDG-SIM
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Thanks!
The EnergyPlus Team
