Installation - Jordan University of Science and Technologymzali/courses/Fall14/Arch 754/slides/EnergyPlus... · The objective of this tutorial is to introduce EnergyPlus to architects

11/17/2014 objective - energyplustutorial

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Objective

1 Home 2 Objective 3 Installation 4 The problem 5 Problem - Details 6 Start IDF editor 7 Add Version 8 Building Object 9 Time Step10 Run Control11 Location12 Design Day13 Material Regular14 Construction15 Zone16 Surface Geometry17 Surface Heat Transfer18 Schedule Type19 Schedule Compact20 Controlled Zone EquipConfig21 Zone Equipment List22 Purchased Air23 Zone Control Thermostatic24 Dual Setpoint withDeadband25 Report Variable26 Report Meter27 Report28 Start EP launch29 Select the IDF file30 During Simulation Run31 Run Status32 Click DXF33 Drawing in VoloView34 Click Orbit button35 3D view of the Drawing36 Output data in Excel

The objective of this tutorial is to introduce EnergyPlus to architects andengineers who are familiar with the basic concepts of energy simulation andHVAC systems. The user of this tutorial will learn how to model a small room inEnergyPlus, how to run the simulation and how to read the output files. The userwill be able to read the heating and cooling energy consumption of this room.He/She can than experiment with size, orientation, material properties, locationetc of the room and see their effect on the heating and cooling energyconsumption.

The tutorial uses a simple building example to explain the basics of how to useEnergyPlus, give input and read the output of EnergyPlus. The emphasis is on avery simple model without any HVAC plant. The user will learn how to enter thematerial, construction and geometry of a simple building.

Installation of EnergyPlus and other tools >>

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11/17/2014 installation - energyplustutorial

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Installation


How to install EnergyPlus? Download and install EnergyPlus from:http://www.eere.energy.gov .

Other software that you will need to install:

Adobe Acrobat Reader ( http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html)to view the PDF filesA text editor such as WordPad or Notepad to edit input files,(or Ultraedit)A spreadsheet program such as MS Excel to view CSV formatted output filesA web browser to view HTML formatted output filesA 3-D DXF viewer such as Autodesk VoloView Express (http://www.gard.com/vve201setup.exe)An SVG viewer such as the Adobe SVG Viewer plug-in (http://www.adobe.com/svg/viewer/install/) or the Opera web browser (http://www.opera.com).

Assumptions in this tutorial:

OS : Windows XP

Version: Version 2.0.0 Build 025, released on 12/04/2007

Tips on using this tutorial:

It is recommended that you install E+ and follow the steps given in thetutorial. For more information on any step please refer to the E+documentation that comes with the installation.There are many screenshots that are used in this tutorial. Some ofthese will not be clear when viewed in low resolution. If you want tosee any of the screenshots in high resolution, please click on the figureand the high resolution image will open. You can then also use themagnifier to magnify the image if required.

The problem >>






































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11/17/2014 theproblem - energyplustutorial

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The problem


Overview:

Rectangular single story building - 8mx6mx2.7mNo windows, doors or any openingsSingle Zone with no partitionsLIghtweight construction

Problem - Details >>






































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11/17/2014 problem-details - energyplustutorial

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Problem - Details


Surface Construction:

To Simplify the problem it is assumed that all the sufaces (walls, roof andfloor) are made of concrete with the following properties:

Name CONCRETERoughness MediumRoughThickness {m} 0.1000000Conductivity {W/m-K} 0.8100000Density {kg/m3} 977.1200Specific Heat {J/kg-K 830.0000Absorptance:Thermal 0.9000000Absorptance:Solar 0.6500000Absorptance:Visible 0.6500000

Windows: None

Internal Load: None

Space Conditioning

Heating setpoint 20C, Cooling Setpoint 24C, No setback

Environment

Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA

Design Day: Summer

Winter

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Start IDF editor

(IDF editor is used to create E+ input files with the extension .IDF)


Click: Start > All programmes > EnergyPlus V2-0 Programms >IDFEditor

(click the image above to zoom in)

About IDF Editor

For users who want a simple way of creating or editing EnergyPlus input datafiles (IDF), IDF Editor provides this service. Any EnergyPlus object may beviewed and edited using a spreadsheet-like grid. For inputs with severaloptions, a list is provided. When a numeric input has a range of valid values,those values are displayed. It also automatically provides a list of objectnames when an object needs to be linked to another. By displaying allobjects of the same kind next to each other in a grid, it is easy to see howinputs are different across the building. The IDF Editor outputs an EnergyPlusinput file with proper syntax and comments to help the user understand theinput values. In addition, the IDF Editor converts standard inch-pound unitsinto SI units compatible with EnergyPlus.

The IDF Editor does not check inputs for validity, although some numericfields are highlighted if out of range.

Some info on IDF editor.

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11/17/2014 addversion - energyplustutorial

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Add Version


Click 'Version' in the 'Class List' on the top left of the IDF editor and thenclick 'New Obj' from the tool bar on the top.

'Obj1' will appear in the first line of the bottom window.

Write '2.0' in the 'Version Identifier' Field of 'Obj1' as shown in the figurebelow:

Informationfrom theEnergyPlusInput OutputReference:"The Versionobject allowsyou to enterthe properversion thatyour IDF wascreated for.This is checkedagainst thecurrent versionof EnergyPlusand a Severeerror issued

(nonterminating) if it does not match the current version string."

Save your file: You can save your file with any name. In this tutorial thefile is names as 'tutorial.idf'. Keep saving your work frequently as IDF editordoes not save file automatically.

Add Building object >>


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Add Version


Click 'Version' in the 'Class List' on the top left of the IDF editor and thenclick 'New Obj' from the tool bar on the top.

'Obj1' will appear in the first line of the bottom window.

Write '2.0' in the 'Version Identifier' Field of 'Obj1' as shown in the figurebelow:

Informationfrom theEnergyPlusInput OutputReference:"The Versionobject allowsyou to enterthe properversion thatyour IDF wascreated for.This is checkedagainst thecurrent versionof EnergyPlusand a Severeerror issued

(nonterminating) if it does not match the current version string."

Save your file: You can save your file with any name. In this tutorial thefile is names as 'tutorial.idf'. Keep saving your work frequently as IDF editordoes not save file automatically.

Add Building object >>


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11/17/2014 buildingobject - energyplustutorial

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Building Object


The Building object describes parameters that are used during the simulationof the building.

Click the 'Building' Object in 'Simulation Parameters' Class and then click'New Obj'. Fill the data as shown below:

Field: BuildingNameBuilding name isspecified foroutputconvenience.

Field: North AxisThe Building NorthAxis is specifiedrelative to trueNorth.

For moreinformation aboutthese fields referthe input outputguide.

Time Step >>


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11/17/2014 timestep - energyplustutorial

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Time Step


Enter the value for the field 'time step in hour' after adding a new object.

Field:TimeStep inHour

The TimeStepIn Hour objectspecifies the"basic" timestep for thesimulation.This is used inthe HeatBalancecalculation asthe drivingtime step.

Run Control >>


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11/17/2014 runcontrol - energyplustutorial

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Run Control


Run Control (Refer to Input Output Reference)

The input for Run Control allows the user to specify what kind of calculations a givenEnergyPlus simulation will perform. For instance the user may want to perform one ormore of the sizing calculations but not proceed to a annual weather file simulation. Or theuser might have all flow rates and equipment sizes already specified and desire an annualweather without any preceding sizing calculations.

Location >>







































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11/17/2014 location - energyplustutorial

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Location


Now we start with a new group - Location – Climate – Weather File Access.This group of objects (Location, RunPeriod, DesignDay, GroundTemperatures,SpecialDayPeriod, DaylightSavingPeriod) describes the ambient conditionsfor the simulation.

Here will be enter a new object - Location

Some information from the Input Output Reference:

Location

The location class describes the parameters for the building’s location. Onlyone location is allowed. Weather data file location, if it exists, will overrideany location data in the IDF. Thus, for an annual simulation, a Location doesnot need to be entered.

Field: LocationNameThis alpha field is used as an identifying field in output reports.

Field: LatitudeThis field represents the latitude (in degrees) of the facility. By convention,North Latitude is represented as positive; South Latitude as negative.Minutes should be represented in decimal fractions of 60. (15’ is 15/60 or.25)






































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Field: LongitudeThis field represents the longitude (in degrees) of the facility. By convention,East Longitude is represented as positive; West Longitude as negative.Minutes should be represented in decimal fractions of 60. (15’ is 15/60 or.25)

Field: TimeZoneThis field represents the time zone of the facility (relative to GreenwichMean Time or the 0th meridian). Time zones west of GMT (e.g. NorthAmerica) are represented as negative; east of GMT as positive. Non-wholehours can be represented in decimal (e.g. 6:30 is 6.5).

Field: ElevationThis field represents the elevation of the facility in meters (relative to sealevel).

design day >>



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11/17/2014 designday - energyplustutorial

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Design Day


Some Inforamtion from the Input Output Reference

DesignDay

The design day input describes the parameters to effect a “design day”simulation, often used for load calculations or sizing equipment. Using thevalues in these fields, EnergyPlus “creates” a complete day’s worth ofweather data (air temperatures, solar radiation, etc.)

Field: DesignDayNameThis field, like Location, is used simply for reporting and identification. Thisname must be unique among the Design Days entered.

Field: Maximum Dry-Bulb TemperatureThis numeric field should contain the day’s maximum dry bulb temperature






































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in degrees Celsius.

Field: Daily Temperature RangeA design day can have a “high” temperature and a “low” temperature (or canbe a constant temperature for each hour of the day). If there is a differencebetween high and low temperatures, this field should contain the differencefrom the high to the low. EnergyPlus, by default, distributes this range overthe 24 hours in the day.

Field: Humidity Indicating Conditions at Max Dry-BulbThis numeric field represents the “humidity indicating” conditions that arecoincident with the maximum temperature for the day. The value in this fieldis indicated by the key value in the field Humidity Indicating Type. Thisnumeric value, along with the Maximum Dry Bulb Temperature andBarometric Pressure, is used to determine a humidity ratio and then used tocalculate relative humidity, wet-bulb and dew-point temperatures at eachtimestep.

Field: Barometric PressureThis numeric field is the constant barometric pressure (Pascals) for theentire day.

Field: Wind SpeedThis numeric field is the wind speed in meters/second (constant throughoutthe day) for the day.

Field: Wind DirectionThis numeric field is the source wind direction in degrees. By convention,winds from the North would have a value of 0., from the East a value of 90.

Field: Sky ClearnessThis value represents the “clearness” value for the day. This value, alongwith the solar position as defined by the Location information and the dateentered for the design day, help define the solar radiation values for eachhour of the day. Traditionally, one uses 0.0 clearness for Winter DesignDays.

Field: Rain IndicatorThis numeric field indicates whether or not the building surfaces are wet. Ifthe value is 1, then it is assumed that the building surfaces are wet. Wetsurfaces may change the conduction of heat through the surface.

Field: Snow IndicatorThis numeric field indicates whether or not there is snow on the ground. Ifthe value is 1, then it is assumed there is snow on the ground. Snow on theground changes the ground reflectance properties.

Field: Day Of MonthThis numeric field specifies the day of the month. That, in conjunction withthe month and location information, determines the current solar positionand solar radiation values for each hour of the day.

Field: MonthThis numeric field specifies the month. That, in conjunction with the day of

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the month and location information, determines the current solar positionand solar radiation values for each hour of the day.

Field: Day TypeThis alpha field specifies the day type for the design day. This valueindicates which day profile to use in schedules.

Field: Daylight Saving Time IndicatorThis numeric field specifies whether to consider this day to be a “DaylightSaving Day”. This essentially adds 1 hour to the scheduling times used initems with schedules.

Field: Humidity Indicating TypeValid choices here are: Wet-Bulb, Dew-Point, Humidity-Ratio, Enthalpy,Schedule. Units for the first four choices are Celsius, Celsius, ratio of kg wetair/kg dry air (no units), and kJ/kg. Using one of these choices means thatyou then put an appropriate value in the “Humidity Indicating Conditions atMax Dry-Bulb” field. The Schedule choice uses the “day schedule” indicatedin the next field. That is, if you want to specify your own relative humidity tooccur throughout the day, you put “schedule” in here and put in the name ofyour “day schedule” that specifies the relative humidity in the “RelativeHumidity Day Schedule”.

Material Regular >>



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11/17/2014 materialregular - energyplustutorial

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Material Regular


Now we start with a new group - Surface Construction Elements. This groupof objects describes the physical properties and configuration for the buildingenvelope and interior elements. That is, the walls, roofs, floors, windows,doors for the building.

Specifying the Building EnvelopeBuilding element constructions in EnergyPlus are built from the basic thermaland other material property parameters in physical constructions. Materialsare specified by types and named. Constructions are defined by thecomposition of materials. Finally, surfaces are specified for the building withgeometric coordinates as well as referenced constructions.

Information from the EnergyPlus Input Output Reference:

Materials

There are three material “types” which may be used to describe layers within opaqueconstruction elements. The choice of which of these types to use is left up to the user. The three opaque types are:

Material:Regular






































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Material:Regular-R

Material:Air

Material:Regular is the “preferred” type of material. This requires knowledge of many ofthe thermal properties of the material, but it allows EnergyPlus to take into account thethermal mass of the material and thus allows the evaluation of transient conductioneffects.

Material:Regular-R is similar in nature but only requires the thermal resistance (R-value)rather than the thickness, thermal conductivity, density, and specific heat. Note that usinga simple R-value only material forces EnergyPlus to assume steady state heatconduction through this material layer.

Finally, Material:Air should only be used for an air gap between other layers in aconstruction. This type assumes that air is sufficiently lightweight to require only an R-value. In addition, since it is not exposed to any external environment, surface propertiessuch as absorptance are not necessary.

Material:Regular

This definition should be used when the four main thermal properties (thickness,conductivity, density, and specific heat) of the material are known.

Field: NameThis field is a unique reference name that the user assigns to a particular material. Thisname can then be referred to by other input data (ref: Construction).

Field: RoughnessThis field is a character string that defines the relative roughness of a particular materiallayer. This parameter only influences the convection coefficients, more specifically theexterior convection coefficient. A special keyword is expected in this field with the optionsbeing “VeryRough”, “Rough”, “MediumRough”, “MediumSmooth”, “Smooth”, and“VerySmooth” in order of roughest to smoothest options.

Field: ThicknessThis field characterizes the thickness of the material layer in meters. This should be thedimension of the layer in the direction perpendicular to the main path of heat conduction.This value must be a positive.

Field: ConductivityThis field is used to enter the thermal conductivity of the material layer. Units for thisparameter are W/(m-K). Thermal conductivity must be greater than zero.

Field: DensityThis field is used to enter the density of the material layer in units of kg/m3. Density mustbe a positive quantity.

Field: Specific HeatThis field represents the specific heat of the material layer in units of J/(kg-K). Note thatthese units are most likely different than those reported in textbooks and references whichtend to use kJ/(kg-K) or J/(g-K). They were chosen for internal consistency within




EnergyPlus. Only positive values of specific heat are allowed.

Field: Absorptance:ThermalThe thermal absorptance field in the Material input syntax represents the fraction ofincident long wavelength radiation that is absorbed by the material. This parameter isused when calculating the long wavelength radiant exchange between various surfacesand affects the surface heat balances (both inside and outside as appropriate). Values forthis field must be between 0.0 and 1.0 (with 1.0 representing “black body” conditions).

Field: Absorptance:SolarThe solar absorptance field in the Material input syntax represents the fraction of incidentsolar radiation that is absorbed by the material. Solar radiation includes the visiblespectrum as well as infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths. This parameter is used whencalculating the amount of incident solar radiation absorbed by various surfaces andaffects the surface heat balances (both inside and outside as appropriate). Values for thisfield must be between 0.0 and 1.0.

Field: Absorptance:VisibleThe visible absorptance field in the Material input syntax represents the fraction ofincident visible wavelength radiation that is absorbed by the material. Visible wavelengthradiation is slightly different than solar radiation in that the visible band of wavelengths ismuch more narrow while solar radiation includes the visible spectrum as well as infraredand ultraviolet wavelengths. This parameter is used when calculating the amount ofincident visible radiation absorbed by various surfaces and affects the surface heatbalances (both inside and outside as appropriate) as well as the daylighting calculations.Values for this field must be between 0.0 and 1.0.

Construction >>



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11/17/2014 construction - energyplustutorial

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Construction


Construction:

For walls, roofs, floors, windows, and doors, constructions are “built” fromthe included materials. Each layer of the construction is a material namelisted in order from “outside” to “inside”. Up to ten layers (eight forwindows) may be specified. “Outside” is the layer furthest away from theZone air (not necessarily the outside environment). “Inside” is the layer nextto the Zone air.


Field: NameThis field is a user specified name that will be used as a reference by otherinput syntax. For example, a heat transfer surface (ref:Surface:HeatTransfer) requires a construction name to define what themake-up of the wall is. This name must be identical to one of theCONSTRUCTION definitions in the input data file.

Field: Outside LayerEach construction must have at least one layer. This field defines thematerial name associated with the layer on the outside of the construction—outside referring to the side that is not exposed to the zone but rather theopposite side environment, whether this is the outdoor environment oranother zone. Material layers are defined based on their thermalproperties






































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elsewhere in the input file. As noted above, the outside layer should NOT bea film coefficient since EnergyPlus will calculate outside convection andradiation heat transfer more precisely.

Field(s) 2-10: LayersThe next fields are optional and the number of them showing up in aparticular CONSTRUCTION definition depends solely on the number ofmaterial layers present in that construction. The data expected is identical tothe outside layer field (see previous field description). The order of theremaining layers is important and should be listed in order of occurrencefrom the one just inside the outside layer until the inside layer is reached. Asnoted above, the inside layer should NOT be a film coefficient sinceEnergyPlus will calculate inside convection and radiation heat transfer moreprecisely.

Zone >>




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11/17/2014 zone - energyplustutorial

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Zone


Now we start with a new group - Thermal Zone Description/Geometry.Without thermal zones and surfaces, the building can’t be simulated. Thisgroup of objects (Zone, Surface) describes the thermal zone characteristicsas well as the details of each surface to be modeled. Included here areshading surfaces. (Refer to Getting Started to EnergyPlus for more information on thermalzoning)


ZoneThis element sets up the parameters to simulate each thermal zone of thebuilding.

Field: North AxisThe Zone North Axis is specified relative to the Building North Axis. Thisvalue is specified in degrees (clockwise is positive).

Field(s): Origin (X,Y,Z)The X,Y,Z coordinates of a zone origin can be specified, for convenience invertice entry. Depending on the values in “SurfaceGeometry”, these will beused to completely specify the building coordinates in “world coordinate” or






































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not. Zone Origin coordinates are specified relative to the Building Origin(which always 0,0,0).

Field: TypeZone type is currently unused.

Field: MultiplierZone Multiplier is designed as a “multiplier” for zone loads. It takes thecalculated load for the inputted zone and multiplies it and sends themultiplied load to the attached system to meet the demand. The system willhave to be specified to meet the entire multiplied zone load and will reportthe amount of the load it can meet in the Zone/Sys Sensible Heating orCooling Energy/Rate report variable. The default is 1.

Field: Ceiling HeightZone ceiling height is used in several areas within EnergyPlus. Energyplusautomatically calculates the zone ceiling height (m) from the average heightof the zone. If this field is 0.0 or negative, then the calculated zone ceilingheight will be used in subsequent calculations. If this field is positive, thenthe calculated zone ceiling height will not be used -- the number enteredhere will be used as the zone ceiling height. If this number differssignificantly from the calculated ceiling height, then a warning message willbe issued. Note that the Zone Ceiling Height is the distance from the Floor tothe Ceiling in the Zone, not an absolute height from the ground.

Field: VolumeZone volume is used in several areas within EnergyPlus. EnergyPlusautomatically calculates the zone volume (m3) from the zone geometrygiven by the surfaces that belong to the zone. If this field is 0.0 or negative,then the calculated zone volume will be used in subsequent calculations. Ifthis field is positive, then the calculated zone volume will be replaced by thenumber entered here. If this number differs significantly from the calculatedzone volume a warning message will be issued.

Field: Zone Inside Convection AlgorithmThe Zone Inside Convection Algorithm field is optional. This field specifiesthe convection model to be used in the zone. See the Zone Inside ConvectionAlgorithm object for descriptions of the available models. If omitted, thealgorithm specified in the Inside Convection Algorithm object is the default.

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11/17/2014 surfacegeometry - energyplustutorial

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Surface Geometry


SurfaceGeometry

Before the surface objects are explained in detail, a description of geometricparameters used in EnergyPlus will be given. Since the input of surfacevertices is common to most of the surface types, it will also be given aseparate discussion. Some flexibility is allowed in specifying surfacevertices. This flexibility is embodied in the SurfaceGeometry class/object inthe input file. Note that the parameters specified in this statement are usedfor all surface vertice inputs – there is no further “flexibility” allowed. Inorder to perform shadowing calculations, the building surfaces must bespecified. EnergyPlus uses a three dimensional (3D) Cartesian coordinatesystem for surface vertex specification. This Right Hand coordinate systemhas the X-axis pointing east, the Y-axis pointing north, and the Z-axispointing up.


Field: SurfaceStartingPositionThe shadowing algorithms in EnergyPlus rely on surfaces having vertices in acertain order and positional structure. Thus, the surface translator needs toknow the starting point for each surface entry. The choices are:UpperLeftCorner (ULC), LowerLeftCorner (LLC), UpperRightCorner (URC), orLowerRightCorner (LRC). Since most surfaces will be 4 sided, the conventionwill specify this position as though each surface were 4 sided. Extrapolate 3

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sided figures to this convention.

Field: VertexEntrySurfaces are always specified as being viewed from the outside of the zoneto which they belong. (Shading surfaces are specified slightly differently andare discussed under the particular types). EnergyPlus needs to know whetherthe surfaces are being specified in counterclockwise or clockwise order (fromthe SurfaceStartingPosition). EnergyPlus uses this to determine the outwardfacing normal for the surface (which is the facing angle of the surface – veryimportant in shading and shadowing calculations.

Field: CoordinateSystemVertices can be specified in two ways: using “Absolute”/“World” coordinates,or a relative coordinate specification. Relative coordinates allow flexibility ofrapid change to observe changes in building results due to orientation andposition. “World” coordinates will facilitate use within a CADD systemstructure.Relative coordinates make use of both Building and Zone North Axis valuesas well as Zone Origin values to locate the surface in 3D coordinate space.World coordinates do not use these values.Typically, all zone origin values for “World” coordinates will be (0,0,0) butBuilding and Zone North Axis values may be used in certain instances(namely the Daylighting Coordinate Location entries).

Surface: Heat Transfer >>




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Surface: Heat Transfer


Surface:HeatTransferThe heat transfer surface is necessary for all calculations. There must be atleast one heat transfer surface per zone.


Field: User supplied surface nameThis is a unique character string associated with each heat transfer surface.It is used in several other places as a reference (e.g. as the base surfacename for a Window or Door).

Field: Surface TypeUsed primarily for convenience, the surface type can be one of the choices –Wall, Floor, Ceiling, Roof. Azimuth (facing) and Tilt are determined from thevertex coordinates. Note that “normal” floors will be tilted 180° whereas flatroofs/ceilings will be tilted 0°. EnergyPlus uses this field’s designation, alongwith the calculated tilt of the surface, to issue warning messages when tiltsare “out of range”. Calculations in EnergyPlus use the actual calculated tiltvalues for the actual heat balance calculations. Note, however, that a floortilted 0° is really facing “into” the zone and is not what you will desire forthe calculations even though the coordinate may appear correct in theviewed DXF display. “Normal” tilt for walls is 90° -- here you may use thecalculated Azimuth to make sure your walls are facing away from the zone’sinterior.

Field: Construction Name of SurfaceThis is the name of the construction (ref: Construction) used in the surface.






































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Regardless of location in the building, the “full” construction (all layers) isused. For example, for an interior wall separating two zones, zone x wouldhave the outside layer (e.g. drywall) as the material that shows in zone yand then the layers to the inside layer – the material that shows in zone x.For symmetric constructions, the same construction can be used in thesurfaces described in both zones.

Field: Inside Face EnvironmentThis is the zone name to which the surface belongs.

Field: Outside Face EnvironmentThis value can be one of several things depending on the actual kind ofsurface.1) OtherZoneSurface – if this surface is an internal surface, then this is thechoice. The value will either be a surface in the base zone or a surface inanother zone. The heat balance between two zones can be accuratelysimulated by specifying a surface in an adjacent zone. EnergyPlus willsimulate a group of zones simultaneously and will include the heat transferbetween zones. However, as this increases the complexity of thecalculations, it is not necessary to specify the other zone unless the twozones will have a significant temperature difference. If the two zones will notbe very different (temperature wise), then the surface should use itself asthe outside environment. In either case, the surface name on the “outside”of this surface is placed in the next field.2) ExteriorEnvironment – if this surface is exposed to outside temperatureconditions, then this is the choice. See Sun Exposure and Wind Exposurebelow for further specifications on this kind of surface.3) Ground – if this surface is exposed to the ground, then this is the choice.The temperature on the outside of this surface will be the GroundTemperature.4) OtherSideCoeff – if this surface has a custom, user specified temperatureor other parameters (See OtherSideCoefficient specification), then this is thechoice. The outside face environment will be the name of theOtherSideCoefficient specification.5) OtherSideConditionsModel – if this surface has a specially-modeled multi-skin component, such as a transpired collector or vented photovoltaic panel,attached to the outside (See OtherSideConditionsModel specification), thenthis the choice. The outside face environment will be the name of theOtherSideConditionsModel specification.

Field: Outside Face Environment ObjectIf neither OtherZoneSurface, OtherSideCoeff, or OtherSideConditionsModelare specified for the Outside Face Environment (previous field), then thisfield should be left blank. For more information refer the input outputreference.

Field: Sun ExposureIf the surface is exposed to the sun, then “SunExposed” should be entered inthis field. Otherwise, “NoSun” should be entered. Note, a cantilevered floorcould have “ExteriorEnvironment” but “NoSun” exposure.

Field: Wind ExposureIf the surface is exposed to the Wind, then “WindExposed” should be entered




in this field. Otherwise, “NoWind” should be entered. Note: When a surface isspecified with “NoWind”, this has several implications. Within the heatbalance code, this surface will default to using the simple ASHRAE exteriorconvectioncoefficient correlation with a zero wind speed. In addition, since the ASHRAEsimple method does not have a separate value for equivalent longwavelength radiation to the sky and ground, using “NoWind” also eliminateslong wavelength radiant exchange from the exterior of the surface to boththe sky and the ground. Thus, only simple convection takes place at theexterior face of a surface specified with “NoWind”.

Field: View Factor to GroundThe fraction of the ground plane (assumed horizontal) that is visible from aheat-transfer surface. It is used to calculate the diffuse solar radiation fromthe ground that is incident on the surface. For example, if there are noobstructions, a vertical surface sees half of the ground plane and so ViewFactor to Ground = 0.5. A horizontal downward-facing surface sees theentire ground plane, so View Factor to Ground = 1.0. A horizontal upward-facing surface (horizontal roof) does not see the ground at all, so ViewFactor to Ground = 0.0.

Field: Number of Surface Vertice GroupsThis field specifies the number of sides in the surface (number of X,Y,Zvertex groups).

Schedule Type >>



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Schedule Type


Now we start with a new group - Schedules

This group of objects allows the user to influence scheduling of many items(such as occupancy density, lighting, thermostatic controls, occupancyactivity). In addition, schedules are used to control shading element densityon the building. EnergyPlus schedules consist of three pieces: a daydescription, a week description, and an annual description. An optionalelement is the schedule type. Each description level builds off the previoussub-level. The day description is simply a name and the values that span the24 hours in a day to be associated with that name. The week description alsohas an identifier (name) and twelve additional names corresponding topreviously defined day descriptions. There are names for each individual dayof the week plus holiday, summer design day, winter design day and twomore custom day designations. Finally, the annual schedule contains anidentifier and the names and FROM-THROUGH dates of the week schedulesassociate with this annual schedule. The annual schedule can have severalFROM-THROUGH date pairs. One type of schedule reads the values from anexternal file to facilitate the incorporation of monitored data or factors thatchange throughout the year. Schedules are processed by the EnergyPlusSchedule Manager, stored within the Schedule Manager and are accessedthrough module routines to get the basic values (timestep, hourly, etc).Values are resolved at the Zone Time Step frequency and carry through anyHVAC time steps.






































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ScheduleType

A “schedule type” can be used to validate portions of the other schedules.DaySchedules, for example, are validated by range -- minimum/maximum(if entered) -- as well as numeric type (continuous or discrete). Schedules,on the other hand, are only validated for range – as the numeric typevalidation has already been done.

Field: ScheduleType NameThis alpha field should contain a unique (within the schedule types)designator. It is referenced wherever “ScheduleTypes” can be referenced.

Field: rangeSince schedule values, in their base descriptions, are all numeric, this fieldwill represent the min and max range for the values. If this field is leftblank, then the schedule type is not limited to a minimum/maximum valuerange.

Field: Numeric TypeThis field designates how the range values are validated. UsingCONTINUOUS in this field allows for all numbers, including fractionalamounts, within the range to be valid. Using DISCRETE in this field allowsonly integer values between the minimum and maximum range values to bevalid.

Schedule Compact >>


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Schedule Compact


Schedule:Compact

For flexibility, a schedule can be entered in “one fell swoop”. Using theSchedule:Compact object, all the features of the schedule components areaccessed in a single command. Like the “regular” schedule object, eachschedule:compact entry must cover all the days for a year. Additionally, thevalidations for DaySchedule (i.e. must have values for all 24 hours) andWeekSchedule (i.e. must have values for all day types) will apply. Schedulevalues are “given” to the simulation at the zone time step, so there is also apossibility of “interpolation” from the entries used in this object to the valueused in the simulation.This object is an unusual object for description. For the data the number offields and position are not set, they cannot really be described in the usualField # manner. Thus, the following description will list the fields and orderin which they must be used in the object.


Field: NameThis field should contain a unique (within all Schedules) designation for thisschedule. It is referenced by various “scheduled” items (e.g. Lights, People,Infiltration) to define the appropriate schedule values.

Field: ScheduleType






































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This field contains a reference to the ScheduleType. If found in a list ofScheduleTypes (see above), then the restrictions on the ScheduleType couldbe used to validate the referenced WeekSchedule (which referenceDaySchedule) hourly field values. Field-Set (Through, For, Interpolate, Until,Value) Each compact schedule must contain the elements Through (date),For (days), Interpolate (optional), Until (time of day) and Value. In general,each of the “titled” fields must include the “title”.

Field: ThroughThis field starts with “Through:” and contains the ending date for theschedule period (may be more than one). Refer to Table 4. Date FieldInterpretation for information on date entry – note that only Month-Daycombinations are allowed for this field. Each “through” field generates a newWeekSchedule named “Schedule Name”_wk_# where # is the sequentialnumber for this compact schedule.

Field: ForThis field starts with “For:” and contains the applicable days (reference thecompact week schedule object above for complete description) for the 24hour period that must be described. Each “for” field generates a newDaySchedule named “Schedule Name”_dy_# where # is the sequentialnumber for this compact schedule.

Field: Interpolate (optional)This field, if used, starts with “Interpolate:” and contains the word “Yes” or“No”. If this field is not used, it should not be blank – rather just have thefollowing field appear in this slot. The definition of “Interpolate” in thiscontext is shown in the interval day schedule above.

Field: UntilThis field contains the ending time (again, reference the interval dayschedule discussion above) for the current days and day schedule beingdefined.

Field: ValueFinally, the value field is the schedule value for the specified time interval.

Controlled Zone Equip Config >>




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Controlled Zone Equip Config


Zone Equipment List >>





































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Zone Equipment List


Purchased Air >>





































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Purchased Air


Zone ControlThermostatic >>

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Zone Control Thermostatic


Dual Setpoint with Deadband >>





































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Dual Setpoint with Deadband


Report Variable >>





































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Report Variable


Report Meter>>

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Report Meter


Report >>

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Report


Start EP launch >>





































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Start EP launch


Now you have finished creating the input file! It is time to run the simulation. Torun the simulation you have to start the programme “EP Launch” Go to Start >All Programs > EnergyPlus V2-0 Programs >EP-Launch as shown in the figurebelow.

Select the IDF file >>





































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Select the IDF file


In the EP-Launch programme select the input file by clicking on the browsebutton. Select “No Weather File” for the Weather File option. Click “Simulate” button, located on the lower right corner of the window.

During Simulation Run >>






































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During Simulation Run


Once you start the simulation a DOS shell will open showing the progress ofsimulation. This black window will close when the simulation is over or if thereis an error.

Run Status >>






































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Run Status


After the simulation is over or EnergyPlus encounters an error, the DOS shellwill close and the focus will go back to the EP-Launch programme. A statuswindow will open and show the number of warnings and errors along with timeelapsed. If you have entered the data correctly and installation of EnergyPlus iscorrect you will not get any errors. Press OK. If there are errors press the “ERR: button in the “Quick Open Panel for SingleSimulation” window. This is a small window below the EP-Launch window. Theerror file will be opened in Notepad. Try to understand the error and fix it. If theproblem still persists, mail me your IDF file at energyplustutorial[at]gmail.com

Click DXF button >>






































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Click DXF


Now it is time to see if you have modeled the building correctly or not. One ofthe outputs of EnergyPlus is the DXF file of the building geometry. You can seethe file by clicking on the DXF button on the lower left side of the “Quick OpenPanel for Single Simulation” window.

Drawing in VoloView >>






































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Drawing in VoloView


If you have installed VoloViewer, the DXF drawing will be opened in it. Thedrawing should look like as shown in the figure below. If it does not match thereis some error in the data given for surfaces.





































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Click Orbit button


To see the drawing in 3D you can click the “orbit” button (as shown in the figurebelow).

3D view of the Drawing >>





































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3D view of the Drawing


A 3D view, similar to the one shown in the figure below, should be visible if thedata entered is correct. If the shape of the building is different then you shouldcheck the input data for the surfaces.

Output data in Excel >>





































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Output Data in Excel

1 Home2 Objective3 Installation4 The problem5 Problem - Details6 Start IDF editor7 Add Version8 Building Object9 Time Step10 Run Control11 Location12 Design Day13 Material Regular14 Construction15 Zone16 Surface Geometry17 Surface Heat Transfer18 Schedule Type19 Schedule Compact20 Controlled Zone EquipConfig21 Zone Equipment List22 Purchased Air23 Zone Control Thermostatic24 Dual Setpoint withDeadband25 Report Variable26 Report Meter27 Report28 Start EP launch29 Select the IDF file30 During Simulation Run31 Run Status32 Click DXF33 Drawing in VoloView34 Click Orbit button35 3D view of the Drawing36 Output data in Excel

Now it is time to see the results of the simulation. One of the outputs ofEnergyPlus is the CSV file. You can see the file by clicking on the CSF buttonon the top left side of the “Quick Open Panel for Single Simulation” window.The file will be opened in MS Excel (or any other programme which can openCSF file). You should get the same numbers as shown in this figure. If you aregetting the same numbers, congratulations, you have successfully completed thegetting started tutorial. Now you are ready for a beginners tutorial which will becoming soon.

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/home

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/objective

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/installation

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/theproblem

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/problem-details


http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/addversion

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/buildingobject

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/timestep

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/runcontrol

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/location

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/designday

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/materialregular

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/construction

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/zone

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/surfacegeometry

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/surfaceheattransfer

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/scheduletype

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/schedulecompact

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/controlledzoneequipconfig

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/zoneequipmentlist

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/purchasedair

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/zonecontrolthermostatic

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/dualsetpointwithdeadband

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/reportvariable

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/reportmeter

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/report

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/starteplaunch

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/selecttheidffile

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/duringsimulationrun

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/runstatus

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/clickdxf

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/drawinginvoloview

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/clickorbitbutton

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/3dviewofthedrawing

http://energyplustutorial.googlepages.com/outputdatainexcel

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