EnergyPlus™ Version 24.2.

0 Documentation

Auxiliary Programs

U.S. Department of Energy

October 4, 2024

Build: 94a887817b
COPYRIGHT (c) 1996-2024 THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS,
THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA THROUGH THE ERNEST ORLANDO
LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LABORATORY, OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY,
MANAGED BY UT-BATTELLE, ALLIANCE FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, LLC, AND OTHER
CONTRIBUTORS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS MATERIAL MAY BE
REPRODUCED OR TRANSMITTED IN ANY FORM OR BY ANY MEANS WITHOUT THE PRIOR
WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS OR THE ERNEST ORLANDO
LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LABORATORY. ENERGYPLUS IS A TRADEMARK OF THE
US DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY.
Contents

1 Auxiliary Programs Introduction 8

2 Weather Converter Program 10

2.1 Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.2 Weather Format for Simulation Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.3 Weather Data Availability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.4 Using the Weather Converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.4.1 File Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.4.2 Converting Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.4.3 Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
2.5 Definitions File & Custom File Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
2.5.1 Description of “Def” input file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
2.5.2 Expected Formats for &location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
2.5.3 Expected Formats for &miscdata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
2.5.4 Expected Formats for &wthdata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
2.5.5 Custom Files - Auxiliary Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
2.5.6 Expected Formats for &datacontrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
2.5.7 Def File Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
2.5.8 Custom File Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
2.5.9 Custom File Processing - Solar Radiation Value Calculation . . . . . . . . . 36
2.6 Reports/Files Produced by the Weather Converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
2.6.1 Audit / Log File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
2.6.2 Statistical Report File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
2.6.3 Design Day Calculations Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
2.7 Köppen Climate Classification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
2.7.1 Tropical Moist Climates (A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
2.7.2 Dry Climates (B) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
2.7.3 Moist Subtropical Mid-Latitude Climates (C) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
2.7.4 Moist Continental Mid-latitude Climates (D) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
2.7.5 Polar Climates (E) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
2.7.6 Highlands Areas (H) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
2.8 ASHRAE Climate Classification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
2.9 EnergyPlus Weather File (EPW) Data Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
2.9.1 Data Field Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
2.9.2 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
2.10 EPW CSV Format (In/Out) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

2
CONTENTS 3

2.10.1 Location Header/Data (CSV) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

2.10.2 Design Conditions Header/Data (CSV) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
2.10.3 Typical/Extreme Periods Header/Data (CSV) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
2.10.4 Ground Temperatures Header/Data (CSV) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
2.10.5 Holiday/Daylight Saving Header/Data (CSV) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
2.10.6 Comment 1 Header/Data (CSV) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
2.10.7 Comment 2 Header/Data (CSV) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
2.10.8 Data Period Header/Data (CSV) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
2.10.9 Data Records (CSV) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
2.11 Missing Weather File Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
2.12 Source Weather Data Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
2.12.1 Data Set vs. Data Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
2.12.2 SAMSON Data Set/Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
2.12.3 TMY2 Data Set/Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
2.12.4 Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment (SWERA) Format . . . . . . . 81
2.12.5 WYEC2 Data Set/Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
2.12.6 Canadian Weather for Energy Calculations (CWEC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
2.12.7 International Weather for Energy Calculations (IWEC) . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
2.12.8 Typical Meteorological Year (TMY) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
2.12.9 California Climate Zones 2 (CTZ2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
2.12.10 Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment (SWERA) . . . . . . . . . . . 83
2.12.11 Spanish Weather for Energy Calculations (SWEC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
2.12.12 Italian Climatic data collection “Gianni De Giorgio” (IGDG) . . . . . . . . 83
2.12.13 Chinese Typical Year Weather (CTYW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
2.12.14 INETI Synthetic data for Portugal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
2.12.15 ISHRAE India Weather Data Files (ISHRAE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
2.12.16 City University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Data Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
2.12.17 Chinese Standard Weather Data (CSWD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
2.12.18 Kuwait Weather Data from Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) 84
2.12.19 Egyptian Weather for Energy Calculations (EWEC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
2.12.20 Israel weather data (MSI) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
2.12.21 Representative Meteorological Year (RMY) Australia Climatic Data . . . . . 85
2.12.22 Iranian Typical Meteorological Year (ITMY) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
2.12.23 New Zealand National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research Ltd (NIWA) 85
2.12.24 Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) . . . . . . . . 86
2.12.25 Meteonorm Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
2.12.26 Other Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
2.12.27 Custom Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
2.12.28 Solar Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
2.13 Data Sources/Uncertainty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
2.14 Advanced use - accessing weather conversion capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
2.14.1 Interface to the [Link] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
2.14.2 Files used by [Link] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
2.14.3 Public calls to [Link] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
2.15 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
2.16 Web Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
4 CONTENTS

3 Ground Heat Transfer in EnergyPlus 99

3.1 Caution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
3.2 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
3.3 Use of the Ground Temperatures with Slabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
3.4 Slab configuration Drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
3.5 Running the Slab Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
3.6 Technical Details on Files for Ground Heat Transfer with Slabs . . . . . . . . . . . 104
3.7 Slab Program Output Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
3.7.1 EnergyPlus idf Objects from Slab Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
3.8 Description of the Objects in the E+[Link] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
3.8.1 Materials or GroundHeatTransfer:Slab:Materials Object . . . . . . . . . . . 107
3.8.2 MatlProps or GroundHeatTransfer:Slab:MatlProps Object . . . . . . . . . . 108
3.8.3 BoundConds or GroundHeatTransfer:Slab:BoundConds Object . . . . . . . . 109
3.8.4 BldgProps or GroundHeatTransfer:Slab:BldgProps Object . . . . . . . . . . 110
3.8.5 Insulation or GroundHeatTransfer:Slab:Insulation Object . . . . . . . . . . . 112
3.8.6 EquivalentSlab or GroundHeatTransfer:Slab:EquivalentSlab Object . . . . . 113
3.8.7 EquivSlab Object - Obsolete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
3.8.8 EquivAutoGrid Object - Obsolete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
3.8.9 Additional Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
3.8.10 Sample IDF File - Slab Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
3.9 Using Ground Temperatures with Basements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
3.10 Running the Basement Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
3.11 Technical Details on Files for Ground Heat Transfer with Basements . . . . . . . . 120
3.12 Basement Program Output Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
3.13 The Basement idd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
3.14 Description of the Objects in the [Link] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
3.14.1 SimParameters or GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:SimParameters Object . . 124
3.14.2 MatlProps or GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:MatlProps Object . . . . . . . 124
3.14.3 Insulation or GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:Insulation Object . . . . . . . . 126
3.14.4 SurfaceProps or GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:SurfaceProps Object . . . . 126
3.14.5 BldgData or GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:BldgData Object . . . . . . . . 127
3.14.6 Interior or GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:Interior Object . . . . . . . . . . 128
3.14.7 ComBldg or GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:ComBldg Object . . . . . . . . 129
3.14.8 EquivSlab or GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:EquivSlab Object . . . . . . . 130
3.14.9 EquivAutoGrid or GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:EquivAutoGrid Object . . 130
3.14.10 Sample idf File - Basement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
3.14.11 Additional Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
3.15 Using the Interface Surface Temperature Results in EnergyPlus . . . . . . . . . . . 133
3.15.1 Multiple Ground Temperatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
3.16 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

4 View Factor Calculation Program 137

4.1 Associated Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
4.2 Using the View Factor Interface program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
4.3 Additional Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
CONTENTS 5

5 Using Older Version Input Files - Transition 143

5.1 IDF Version Updater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
5.2 Transition Console Program Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
5.3 IDF Version Converter / Transition File Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
5.4 Converting imf files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

6 EPDrawGUI 147
6.1 Main Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
6.2 Option Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

7 Input Macros 151

7.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
7.2 Running the EP-Macro program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
7.3 Incorporating External Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
7.4 Selectively Accepting or Skipping Lines of Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
7.5 Defining Blocks of Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
7.5.1 Arithmetic Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
7.6 Macro Debugging and Listing Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
7.7 Listing Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

8 HVAC Diagram 162

8.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

9 CoeffConv/CoeffCheck 168
9.1 CoeffConv . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
9.2 CoeffCheck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
9.3 Running the CoeffConv or CoeffCheck programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

10 ExpandObjects 171
10.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
10.2 HVAC Template Objects Processed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
10.3 Ground Heat Transfer Objects Processed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
10.4 Building Surface Objects Processed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

11 CSVproc 174

12 convertESOMTR 176

13 CalcSoilSurfTemp Program 177

13.1 Running the Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
13.2 Program Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
13.3 Program Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

14 HVAC Performance Curve Fit Tool 182

14.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
14.2 Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
14.3 Rated Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
6 CONTENTS

14.4 Performance Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

14.5 Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
14.6 Error Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
14.7 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
14.8 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

15 Parametric Spreadsheets 187

15.1 Water-to-Water Heat Pump Parameter / Coefficient Generator (Cooling and Heating
Mode) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
15.1.1 Step 1: Catalog Data Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
15.1.2 Parameter Estimation Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
15.1.3 End Parameter Estimation Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
15.1.4 Curve Fit Model Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
15.1.5 End Curve Fit Model Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
15.2 Water-to-Air Heat Pump Parameter / Coefficient Generator (Cooling) . . . . . . . 192
15.2.1 Step 1: Catalog Data Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
15.2.2 Parameter Estimation Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
15.2.3 End Parameter Estimation Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
15.2.4 Curve Fit Model Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
15.2.5 End Curve Fit Model Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
15.3 Water-to-Air Heat Pump Parameter / Coefficient Generator (Heating Mode) . . . . 196
15.3.1 Step 1: Catalog Data Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
15.3.2 Parameter Estimation Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
15.3.3 End Parameter Estimation Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
15.3.4 Curve Fit Model Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
15.3.5 End Curve Fit Model Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
15.4 G-Function Spreadsheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

16 ParametricPreprocessor 202

17 AppGPostProcess - Appendix G PostProcessing program 203

18 Running Console Applications 205

18.1 Modifying the batch file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

19 Technical Details of Running EnergyPlus 207

19.1 EP-Launch Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
19.1.1 Start EP-Launch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
19.1.2 Selecting Input and Weather Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
19.1.3 Running a Single Input File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
19.1.4 Looking at the Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
19.1.5 Viewing the Drawing File without Running a Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . 214
19.1.6 Editing the Input Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
19.1.7 File Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
19.1.8 Edit Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
19.1.9 View Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
19.1.10 Help Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
CONTENTS 7

19.1.11 Recently Used Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

19.1.12 Running Groups of Input Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
19.1.13 History of Simulations Performed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
19.1.14 Utilities Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
19.1.15 Caveats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
19.1.16 When things go wrong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
19.1.17 Bugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
19.2 EP-Launch Lite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
19.3 EnergyPlus File Extensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
19.3.1 Input Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
19.3.2 Output Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
19.3.3 Postprocessing Program/Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
19.4 RunEPlus batch file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
19.5 Running EnergyPlus by Hand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
19.6 RunEPlus details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
19.7 RunDirMulti Batch File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
19.8 EnergyPlus Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
19.8.1 Input Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
19.8.2 Output Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
19.8.3 Postprocessing Program/Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

20 Creating Input Files 239

20.1 IDD Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
20.2 IDFEditor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
20.2.1 Start IDF Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
20.2.2 Creating or Selecting an Input Data File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
20.2.3 Class List and Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
20.2.4 Changing Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
20.2.5 Edit or Select Node Names Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
20.2.6 Working with Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
20.2.7 File Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
20.2.8 Edit Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
20.2.9 View Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
20.2.10 Help Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
20.2.11 Caveats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
20.2.12 Bugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254

21 Manipulating Output Files 255

21.1 EP-Compare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Chapter 1

Auxiliary Programs Introduction

This document will describe several of the “auxiliary programs” of the EnergyPlus system in more
detail. Some of these programs are only available or only distributed for certain platforms. Typically,
the programs are available on the Windows platform. Within the descriptions, other platforms will
be noted as applicable. These programs include:
Weather Converter Program (aka “Weather”)
Ground Heat Transfer in EnergyPlus - Procedure for Ground Temperature creation
View Factor Calculation Program - Auxiliary program used to calculate View Factors which
can be used with EnergyPlus
Using Older Version Input Files - Transition - to convert input files from one version to
another upon release of a new version
EPDraw - Create DXF files from your input files
Input Macros - Use a macro language to increase efficiency in creating EnergyPlus input files.
Unfortunately, IDF files containing macros cannot be read in the IDF Editor.
HVAC Diagram - Use a post processing program to diagram your HVAC inputs.
CoeffConv/CoeffCheck - Convert DOE-2 temperature dependent curves (Fahrenheit) to
EnergyPlus temperature curves (Centigrade/Celsius)
ExpandObjects - Some technical details of the Expand Objects program which preprocessed
HVACTemplate:* and GroundHeatTransfer:* objects for use inside EnergyPlus.
CSVproc - Get simple statistics from CSV output files.
convertESOMTR - convert your outputs to Inch-Pound (default) or other custom unit
conversions.
CalcSoilSurfTemp Program - calculate soil surface parameters used in the Earth Tube
simulation
HVAC Performance Curve Fit Tool- generates HVAC performance curves in EnergyPlus
IDF format
Parametric Spreadsheets - Parametric spreadsheets are available to help illustrate or
calculate some parameters/coefficients.
ParametricPreprocessor - Special objects can be inserted in IDF files and generate a series
of IDF files from a single source IDF file that contains parametric objects and expressions. Unlike
using the macro language, these input files are capable of being read in the IDF Editor.
AppGPostProcess - Appendix G PostProcessing program - The ASHRAE 90.1
Appendix G postprocessing program takes simulation outputs and processes them to help meet
Appendix G requirements..

8
 9

BLASTTranslator - The BLAST translator can take BLAST (Building Loads Analysis and
System Thermodynamics) input files and make them ready for running in EnergyPlus.
DOE2Translator - The DOE-2 translator can take DOE-2 program input files and make them
ready for running in EnergyPlus.
Running Console Applications - this section describes how to run console applications that
are part of EnergyPlus and how you might modify these to your specific needs. Instructions for
running individual programs are included in their descriptions.
Technical Details of Running EnergyPlus - this section gives full instructions on both
EP-Launch and the IDF-Editor as well as some more details on running EnergyPlus manually.
Chapter 2

Weather Converter Program

The Weather Converter program is stored in the EnergyPlus folder area under “PreProcess” and
subsequently in the “WeatherConverter” folder.
To perform annual/run period simulations in EnergyPlus, one needs weather data. Most weather
data is still issued in an hour by hour (hourly) format though as you will see, EnergyPlus and its
weather converter can accept data that has a finer resolution on the data (such as every 10 or 15
minutes).
The special weather format (EPW) used in EnergyPlus is a simple, ascii format as is common
in the rest of the inputs for EnergyPlus.

2.1 Background
All building simulation programs employ some means of representing local climatic conditions
relative to the building models. For example, Radiance (Ward 1996) needs a description of sky
conditions and illuminance values to calculate solar distribution through a window and within a
space. Three of the widely used energy simulation programs in the UK and US, ESP-r (ESRU
1999), BLAST (UI 1998), and DOE-2 (Winkelmann et al. 1993) also use weather conditions to
simulate the response of a building. But even after 30 years of significant development advances in
simulation capabilities, these programs use the same climate representations as in the past-a simple
set of hourly temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, and atmospheric pressure and solar
radiation or cloud cover data. These data are often ‘typical’ data derived from hourly observations at
a specific location by the national weather service or meteorological office. Examples of these typical
data include TMY2 (NREL 1995) and WYEC2 (ASHRAE 1997) in the United States and Canada
and TRY (CEC 1985) in Europe. The TMY2 and WYEC2 typical weather years contain more solar
radiation and illumination data than older formats such as TMY (NCDC 1983), WYEC (ASHRAE
1985), and TRY (NCDC 1981) in the U.S. Crawley (1998) demonstrated that the methods used
to select data for the US TMY2 and European TRY data sets better fits the long-term climate
patterns.
Radiation and illumination data are becoming increasingly necessary in simulation programs.
Anyone who has ever attempted to measure daylight factors will be familiar with the fluctuations in
lighting levels under partly cloudy conditions. The expansion and contraction of lightweight building
components also shares sensitivity to rapid fluctuations in solar radiation. Single-sided ventilation
is dependant on wind pressure fluctuations and pedestrians in many cities are acquainted with the

10
2.2. WEATHER FORMAT FOR SIMULATION PROGRAMS 11

disarming tendency of the wind to guest and change direction. It is increasingly the case that design
questions touch on such issues.
In a research context, the advent of tools such as LabVIEW (National Instruments Corporation
1999) have made it possible for increasing numbers of researchers to acquire and process test-cell
data. The increasing use of building energy management systems (BEMS) has also provided high
frequency information from which simulation could be used as a predictive tool for future control
strategies. Other issues of control, particularly of advanced daylighting control require sub-hourly
illumination data to ensure that possible control regimes are tested under realistic conditions. Janak
(1997) observed that the differences between 5 minute and hourly illumination data could result in
prediction variations approaching 40%.
Thus far, projects that mix empirical and simulation-based work have had to store and access
such data via temporal database facilities (ESRU 1999). As the number of high quality datasets
increases so does the need to encapsulate such information in a form that can be broadly distributed.
The simulation community must also consider the uncertainty in high frequency performance
predictions that are based on boundary conditions that have been sampled at one or two magnitudes
less temporal resolution.
The simulation community must also consider practitioner demands and issues of quality
assurance. Someone who is not a native of Copenhagen may not know that there are three or
four recognizable patterns of winter weather that should be included in detailed assessments. A
data set that lacks documentation or is dependent on separately held lists of assumptions can be
effectively useless.
In the absence of data within the weather data format, the simulation programs must calculate
these data often with older calculation methods. As the simulation programs have become more
capable, data at hourly resolution is no longer enough-interpolating between hourly observations
does not accurately represent weather conditions that change much more frequently such as
illumination.
We have developed a generalized weather data format for use by energy simulation programs has
been developed and adopted by both ESP-r (in the UK) and EnergyPlus (in the US). Anticipating
the need for data at time steps less than one hour, the format includes a minute field to facilitate
the use of sub hourly data. The data include basic location identifiers such as location name, data
source, latitude, longitude, time zone, elevation, peak design conditions, holidays, daylight saving
period, typical and extreme periods, ground temperatures, period(s) covered by the data and space
for descriptive comments. The time step data include dry bulb and dew point temperature, relative
humidity, station pressure, solar radiation (global, extraterrestrial, horizontal infrared, direct, and
diffuse), illuminance, wind direction and speed, sky cover, and current weather.

2.2 Weather Format for Simulation Programs

For these reasons, we developed a generalized weather data format for use with two major simulation
programs-ESP-r and EnergyPlus (Crawley et al. 1999). All the data are in SI units. The format is
simple, text-based with comma-separated data. It is based on the data available within the TMY2
weather format but has been rearranged to facilitate visual inspection of the data. The TMY2 data
are a strict, position-specific format-filling missing data with nines and zero values with zeroes. The
new weather data format contains commas to facilitate data reading and analysis with spreadsheet
programs. By eliminating redundant ‘fill’ values, the size of each file is only slightly larger than the
12 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

original TMY2 format. Details about the TMY2 format can be found in the TMY2 User’s manual
(see references at the end of this section).
The traditional distribution of data source and uncertainty flags within the raw data fields
carries with it not only the need for many field separators, it obfuscates the relationships between
non-numerical data. In a set of minute data, which could easily require hundreds of thousands of
records, the space penalty is considerable. In the E/E file format, all data source and uncertainty
fields have been clumped together as a single field immediately following the day and time stamp.
For applications where uncertainty is not an issue such data can be easily ignored. When it is
important, a single text field is conceptually and computationally easy to parse.
Another difference between the EnergyPlus/ESP-r (E/E) format and TMY2 is the addition of
two new data fields-minute and infrared sky. The minute field facilitates use of data observed at
intervals of less than one hour such as measured data from a research study of energy efficiency for
a particular building. This will allow easier and more accurate calibration of a simulation model to
measured data than possible in the past. The infrared sky field allows the programs to calculate
the effective sky temperature for re-radiation during nighttime.
The last difference is that a full year of data (such as 8760 hours) is not required-subsets of
years are acceptable. Which periods are covered by the data is described in the files. Periods
of typical weather patterns based on analysis of the data are also included within the format. A
side-by-side comparison of data included in the E/E weather format with data previously used by
ESP-r, DOE-2, and BLAST is shown in Table 2.1. A deficiency noted within ESP-r for example is
the lack of correcting air volumes for elevation change-many of the users of ESP-r are in relatively
low elevations. For DOE-2 and BLAST, neither program used illumination data in daylighting
calculations or infrared sky temperatures-it was always recalculated at time of use.
By including the uncertainty and data source information found in TMY2, users now can
evaluate the potential impact of weather variability on the performance of the building.
McDonald and Strachan (1998) are introducing uncertainty analysis into ESP-r.
We use the EnergyPlus data dictionary format to describe the E/E weather data set. (See the end
of this document). Each line in the format is preceded by a keyword such as LOCATION, DESIGN
CONDITIONS, followed by a list of variables beginning either with A or N and a number. A stands
for alphanumeric; N for numeric. The number following A/N is the sequence of that number in the
keyword list. Commas separate data. (Refer to the IDD Conventions document in “Input Output
Reference” for further explanation of the format). The header information consists of eight lines
(keywords): LOCATION, DESIGN CONDITIONS, TYPICAL/EXTREME PERIODS, GROUND
TEMPERATURES, HOLIDAYS/DAYLIGHT SAVINGS, COMMENTS 1, COMMENTS 2, and
DATA PERIODS. This is followed by the time step data.
The first eight lines or header within each E/E weather file define basic location information
such as longitude, latitude, time zone, elevation, annual design conditions, monthly average ground
temperatures, typical and extreme periods, holidays/daylight saving periods, and data periods
included. There is also space for users to document any special features or information about the
file such as sources of data.

2.3 Weather Data Availability

Typically, acquisition of weather data has been a user’s burden. Though this will remain the case in
many instances for EnergyPlus users, the EnergyPlus team has been successful in making a wealth
2.3. WEATHER DATA AVAILABILITY 13

of US, Canadian and International data available to our users. To summarize, the weather data for
2092 locations is available at the EnergyPlus web site: [Link]
The details are shown in Table 2.18. Summary of Downloadable Weather Data by Type. This
data has been selected with the energy simulation user in mind. All the data (as well as the
statistical reports - described later in this document) are downloadable for individual locations.

Table 2.1: Comparison of E/E with ESP-r/DOE-

2/BLAST Weather Data Formats

Data Element DOE-2 BLAST ESP-r E/E

Location (name, latitude, longitude, X X X X
elevation, time zone)
Data source X
Commentary X X
Design conditions X
Typical/extreme periods X X
Data periods X
Holiday/Daylight Saving X X
Solar Angles/Equation of Time Hours X
Degree Days X X
Year X X X X
Month X X X X
Day X X X X
Hour X X X X
Minute X
Data source and uncertainty flags X
Dry bulb temperature X X X X
Wet bulb temperature X X
Dew point temperature X X
Atmospheric station pressure X X X
Humidity ratio X X
Relative humidity X X
Enthalpy X
Density X
Wind Speed X X X X
Wind Direction X X X X
Infrared Sky Temperature X X
Solar Radiation (global, normal, diffuse) X X X X
Illuminance (global, normal, diffuse) X
14 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

Table 2.1: Comparison of E/E with ESP-r/DOE-

2/BLAST Weather Data Formats

Data Element DOE-2 BLAST ESP-r E/E

Sky cover (cloud amount) X X
Opaque sky cover X
Visibility X
Ceiling height X
Clearness (monthly) X
”Undisturbed” Ground temperatures X X
(monthly)
Present weather observation and codes X X
(rain, snow)
Precipitable water X
Aerosol optical depth X
Snow depth X
Days since last snowfall X
Albedo X
Liquid Precipitation Depth X
Liquid Precipitation Quantity X

2.4 Using the Weather Converter

We developed a utility for the E/E format to read standard weather service file types such as
SAMSON and newer ‘typical year’ weather files such as TMY2, WYEC2, and IWEC. The utility
also reads ESP-r (CLM format), DOE-2 (fmt format), BLAST (Ascii format) files and other files.
The utility translates and extends typical weather data into the E/E format. The processor
makes the calculations necessary for supplying data (when data is missing) and calculates the
Horizontal Infrared Radiation Intensity values-not typically currently an observed value reported
by the meteorological offices through the world. The utility also prepares an statistical summary
of the weather data set as part of the processing. An additional “output format” from the utility
is a comma-delimited file that can easily be imported into a spreadsheet program such as ExcelTM
for further user perusal, charting and/or editing.
The utility consists of two parts: a user interface that executes on standard Wintel systems and
a DLL that does the work of the processing. The DLL interface is described in a later section for
those developers who might wish to access it directly.
The user front end is a simple to use program with standard graphical user interface menus. It
is executed from the Start Menu programs using the specific folder where the EnergyPlus program
was installed. (e.g., Start Menu -> EnergyPlus <version> -> WeatherConverter). For convenience,
it automatically opens with the “convert” option.
EP-Launch can also be used to run the weather utility program. Weather is one of the options on
2.4. USING THE WEATHER CONVERTER 15

the Utilities tab in EP-Launch. See the section on EP-Launch in this document for more information
on how to use EP-Launch with the weather utility program.

Figure 2.1: Main menu screen of the Weather Converter Utility

2.4.1 File Menu

The file menu has four options:

[Link] Fix Out of Range Data

This is a toggle option that once selected is saved in the registry with other options (for example,
screen size) for the program. As shown in the IDD type description of the Weather Data, there
are minimum and maximum values for several of the fields. The weather converter program can
ignore these (and just report them) or it can try to fix them with appropriate values. If the option
is “checked”, then the processor will try to fix the data; if it is blank, the processor will not fix the
data though it will report any out of range data that it finds.
16 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

[Link] Select Delta DB Trigger

Depending on the quality control and accuracy of the weather data collection, time period (usually
hour to hour) changes in some data values may make the data suspect for that time period. This
selection brings up the screen shown below and will allow the user some control over the actual
value reporting. Note that this data is not “fixed”, merely reported by the program in the audit
output file.

Figure 2.2: Delta DB Trigger Selection

Though only one “trigger” value is selected from this screen, consecutive values of dry-bulb
temperature, dew-point temperature and wind speed are reported using appropriate calculated
values. Both dew-point and wind speed use a calculated value based on mean of their values over
the entire data period and standard deviation from that mean, heuristically derived.
An excerpt from the audit file is illustrative:
Average Delta DB Change = 0.78 °C ; Std Dev = 0.83 °C

Average Delta DP Change = 0.68 °C ; Std Dev = 0.78 °C

Average Delta Relative Humidity Change = 4.02% ; Std Dev = 4.22%

Average Delta Wind Speed Change = 0.91m/s ; Std Dev = 0.88m/s

2.4. USING THE WEATHER CONVERTER 17

Hourly Dry Bulb temperature change trigger = minimum of 12.13 °C and 10.°C

12.13 °C = calculated trigger based on mean change in dry -bulb temperature and standard deviation shown
above

10.°C = trigger set by user

Here the calculated DB trigger would be 12.13°C, but the user chosen trigger is 10°C. Changes
> = 10°C will be reported.

• Delta DB/DP Range Triggered for Apr 30

• Change in DB = 11.60°C, Hour = 14

Such detail allows the user to hand edit the incoming data, if desired.

[Link] Delete File

You may use this menu option to browse your computer and delete files.

[Link] Input Folder = > Output Folder

Choosing this option (a check will show and will carry over from one use to the next) sets the output
folder for saving files to be the same as the input folder where the original files are located.

[Link] Exit
This choice exits the program.

2.4.2 Converting Data

This screen is automatically shown when you start the program - it will allow you to select raw
data for processing, change the default type (based on file extension), select the kind of conversion
you want, select where and what name to store for the processed data, and process the data. An
“almost” completed screen shows:
The screen is navigated by choosing the following buttons on the left portion of the screen.
Interpretation from the program is shown in the status boxes on the right portion of the screen.

[Link] Select File to Convert

Selecting this command button brings up a common dialog interface that allows you to select a file
for conversion from a specific set of default file extensions. These are shown in the following table.
Note that you can (mostly) override the default file extension by the use of a simple DEF file and
change the input file type.
18 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

Figure 2.3: Convert Data Screen selections

2.4. USING THE WEATHER CONVERTER 19

Table 2.2: Input File Extensions with implied Data types

File Extension Implicit Data File Type

LST Processing List of Files
< any > or CST Custom - must have ”def” file as specified below
EPW EnergyPlus E/E
CSV Comma Delimited File (EPW Format) Note: special EnergyPlus
CSV format. For other CSV files use the DEF file and describe
the format.
TM2 TMY2
TMY TMY
IWC IWEC
WY2 WYEC2
DAT SAMSON
FMT DOE-2 Formatted File
CLM ESP-r Climate Formatted File
ASC BLAST ASCII
SWE SWERA
WEA Ecotect WEA file

Of course, the “all files” (*.*) may be used as well. If the file selected is not one of the above
types, you will be cautioned to use the “override default type” button to select the correct type
before proceeding. Most of the data file types are described in other publications and won’t be
described in detail here.
Note on the input CSV format: It is the EPW CSV format. The CSV format must mirror the
output CSV format very closely. The processor expects a Location header record and the headers
for the data fields as a minimum (as well as the data that supports those header fields). If you have
a differently formatted file, possible comma delimited, investigate the “custom” format option.
The LST data type allows you to specify a list of files to be “batch processed”. The format of
this file is very simple (however, the default extensions from the preceding table must be used or
you must include a “def” file - see below for details).
Each line of the LST file can have a columnar structure as shown in the following table or can
have the input file separated from the output file with a TAB character.

Table 2.3: LST File Structure

Columns Contents
1-45 Name of Input File to be Processed
20 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

Table 2.3: LST File Structure

Columns Contents
46-105 (or follow the Output File with: EPW - same as output type ”EPW” CSV -
first name with a same as output type ”CSV” Both - same as output type ”both”
{TAB}) Rpt - same as output type ”rpt”
106-end (or follow the URL for KML output
second name with a
{TAB})

[Link] Definitions File

An auxiliary file, the Definitions File (extension .def) can be used to specify additional or
replacement characteristics for the incoming data. This file is fully described in the section
“Definitions File & Custom File Processing” later in this document.

[Link] Override Default Type

This button is used as described above to select the correct data type for a file that might have one
of the standard “default” extensions but may, in fact, be a data file of an entirely different type.
For example, the BLAST ASCII files as they exist on the BLAST CD have extensions of .dat - our
default type for the SAMSON data. You must select the proper data type for your data or the
processor probably won’t work anywhere near what you expect.

[Link] Select Output Format

You may select from four options of output format:

• EPW Format – both an epw file and a statistical report file are produced

• CSV Format - both a csv file and a statistical report file are produced

• Both EPW and CSV - epw, csv, and statistical report files are produced

• Rpt only - only a statistical report file is produced (output extension is “stat”)

Note that the CSV file is very similar to the EPW format file but is ready to be imported into
a spreadsheet program such as ExcelTM and has some additional “header” records in front of each
EPW style header record

[Link] Save File As…

This button allows you to select the location to save your file set from the output format selection.
The utility automatically places a “data type” extension on the file name to show its original data
file type.
Note on Save As… Since you select the “save as” file name from a dialog, the processor DOES
NOT warn you of overwriting previous files of the same name. In addition, if you have previously
2.5. DEFINITIONS FILE & CUSTOM FILE PROCESSING 21

saved several types (e.g. EPW and CSV) but this time only save the RPT - it DOES NOT create
new of the others nor does it delete the previous ones.

[Link] Convert File

Pressing this button causes the processing of the data to proceed. If you choose a “.lst” input
format, you will see messages as each once is completed and/or has errors. If you choose a single
data file, you will see a similar message box once the processing is done (or has terminated due to
errors).

2.4.3 Help
No online help is available. This brings up an “about” box for the program.

2.5 Definitions File & Custom File Processing

2.5.1 Description of “Def” input file
Some of the data formats have inherent omissions (e.g. TMY does not have location data, BLAST
ASCII does not have elevations). In order to overcome this limitation and to provide further
flexibility, a definitions file (extension must be .def) is implemented. By naming this with the same
“file name” as your input file (in the same folder), the weather converter will read the format and
use that data, as appropriate, in the file conversions. The .def file uses Fortran “Namelist” input
fields as shown in the example below. For flexibility, you can also define a “[Link]” file (such
as when you have a list of files to process and the format or some portion is all the same between
the group of files. The two def files (one named the same as the file name for the raw data and one
named [Link]) will both be processed. Conflicts between the two will be shown in the .audit
file. The set of namelist groups is:

• &location - Location data

• &miscdata - Comments to be applied to “COMMENT2” in the EPW file and “Source Data”

• &wthdata - weather data specifications including file type, custom formats

• &datacontrol - user specified control over “missing” data (Custom format only)

Note that the “Def” formats are entirely different from the usual IDF formats of
EnergyPlus. No commas separate fields. No semicolon terminates the entry.
&location
City = 'Hong Kong '
StateProv = ' '
Country = 'CHN '
InLat = 22.75
InLong = 115
InTime = 8
InElev = 0
InWMO = 450040
/
22 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

&miscdata
Comments1 = 'This file was given to us by....'
SourceData = 'Original xyz data '
/

The “slash” (/) character terminating each block is very important - omissions results in incorrect
reading of data.
Definitions File Details are shown in the following table. You may leave out a field if you wish
- the program will use whatever default is applicable (or usable) from the data format. All data
formats accept this additional file. Only Custom format currently uses the &datacontrol element.
And only Custom format input type uses the Data Elements, Format and Conversion factors from
the &wthdata element.
Note that strings in the “def” should be enclosed in single quotes if there is more than one word
in the string - if only one word, quotes do not need to be used.

Table 2.4: Definitions File &location description

& location Field Description Field Name Type

Name of City City String
State or Province StateProv String
Country Code Country String (3 characters)
Latitude (N+/S-) InLat Numeric
Longitude (W-/E+) InLong Numeric
Time Zone (GMT +/-) InTime Numeric
Elevation (meters) InElev Numeric
WMO # InWMO Numeric or String (6 characters)

2.5.2 Expected Formats for &location

[Link] Fields: City, StateProv, Country

These fields are string variables. If Country is not included, an attempt to use the State/Prov entry
may be used to determine country. Otherwise, these fields are not validated and are used to create
part of the “location” header record in the EPW file. City can be up to 30 characters in length;
StateProv up to 15 characters; Country up to 10 characters (standard 3 character abbreviation
preferred).

[Link] Fields: InLat, InLong

These fields are decimal equivalent for Latitude and Longitude. The convention is North Latitude
is positive; South is negative. Likewise, East Longitude is positive; West Longitude is negative.
That is, if your latitude is N 30° 15’ (North 30 degrees, 15 minutes) then your input is +30.25.
2.5. DEFINITIONS FILE & CUSTOM FILE PROCESSING 23

[Link] Field: InTime

This field is the decimal equivalent for the Time Zone value. The convention is GMT +/-. That is,
if your time zone is “behind” GMT time by 6 hours, your input would be -6.

[Link] Field: InElev

This field is the location elevation in meters. Range can be from -300 to 6096. (These are the values
from EnergyPlus - there is no validation of these in the weather converter.)

[Link] Field: InWMO

This field is the WMO (World Meterological Organization) number for the location. Though not
validated per se, if found in the “design conditions” auxiliary files, the Design Day information can
be generated.

Table 2.5: Definitions File - &miscdata description

& miscdata Field Description Field Name Type

String for Comments 1 header Comments1 String
String for Comments 2 header Comments2 String
String for Source Data in Location header SourceData String
URL for output OutputURL String

2.5.3 Expected Formats for &miscdata

[Link] Fields: Comments1, Comments2
These are strings. After concatenation, they become part of the comment header lines in the EPW
headers. Up to 150 characters each is allowed.

[Link] Field: SourceData

This string is applied to the “Source Data” field in the Location Header. Up to 60 characters is
allowed.

[Link] Field: OutputURL

When a list of files is being processed, one of the outputs that results from the processing is a KML
(Keyhole Markup Language) file that can be used with Google Earth to pinpoint the locations of
the weather site. This field can be used to set this URL for later output. The list file format also
includes a URL as its third (optional) parameter. If included, this input would overwrite other
URL designations.
24 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

Table 2.6: Definitions file - &wthdata description

& wthdata Field Description Field Name Type

Input File Type InputFileType String
Number of records per hour NumInHour Integer
Data Element Names DataElements Strings
Data Units DataUnits Strings
Multiplicative Conversion Factors for DataConversionFactorsNumeric
Data
Special Missing Values DataMissingValues Numeric
Format for input InFormat Format String or
”delimited”
Delimiter Character DelimiterChar
Decimal Delimiter Character DecimalSymbolChar String
Date Separator DateSeparator String (single character)

2.5.4 Expected Formats for &wthdata

[Link] Field: InputFileType
You can always use this field and def file to “override” the default input format type that depends on
the extension of your file (see Table 2.2. Input File Extensions with implied Data types). A complete
set of valid values for Input File types is shown in the following table. Data Files are described
more fully in the section Source Weather Data Formats that occurs later in this document.

Table 2.7: Input File Type Values

Value File Type Description

Tmy or tm2 TMY2 Data File
Iwec or iwc IWEC Data File
Samson or dat SAMSON Data File
wyec2 or wy2 WYEC2 Data File
Fmt or txt DOE-2 FMT File
Clm or esp-r ESP-r Formatted (CLM) data file
Blast or asc BLAST ASCII Data File
Tmy TMY Data File
Epw EPW Data File
Csv EPW - CSV Data File
Wea Ecotect wea Data File
Swera or swe SWERA Data File
2.5. DEFINITIONS FILE & CUSTOM FILE PROCESSING 25

Table 2.7: Input File Type Values

Value File Type Description

Custom or User Custom Data File

[Link] Field: NumInHour

This field can be used to specify multi-interval (per hour) files. Without this field, the only formats
that can have multiple intervals per hour are the EPW and CSV file formats - using the header
record DataPeriods value for that field.

[Link] Fields below only used in “Custom” format processing

[Link] Field: DataElements
For custom files, you will need to indicate which data elements are in which positions of the raw
data file. The fields must come from a standardized list of names see following tables that include
internal names (short and long - as shown in Table 8) as well as the EnergyPlus CSV format names
(short and long - shown in Table 2.9) plus some further elements that can be specified when the
standard data elements are not part of the raw data (as shown in Table 2.10). “Ignore” is used to
skip a raw data field that is not applicable to the weather converter formats. Note that variables
listed in the following table (in italics) are allowed for flexibility - i.e. wetbulb temperature can
be used to determine relative humidity and/or dewpoint temperature. The following three tables
illustrate the names for data elements.

Table 2.8: Internal Data Element Names (directly

applicable to EPW)

Short Name Long Name Default EPW Used by

Units EnergyPlus
year Year - N
month Month - Y
day Day - Y
hour hour - Y
minute minute - N
datasource datasource - N
◦
drybulb dry_bulb_temperature C Y
◦
dewpoint dew_point_temperature C Y
relhum relative_humidity % Y
atmos_pressure atmospheric_pressure Pa Y
exthorrad extraterrestrial_horizontal W h/m2 N
_radiation
26 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

Table 2.8: Internal Data Element Names (directly

applicable to EPW)

Short Name Long Name Default EPW Used by

Units EnergyPlus
extdirrad extraterrestrial_direct W h/m2 N
_normal_radiation
horirsky horizontal_infrared W h/m2 Y
_radiation_intensity_from_sky
glohorrad global_horizontal_radiation W h/m2 N
dirnorrad direct_normal_radiation W h/m2 Y
difhorrad diffuse_horizontal_radiation W h/m2 Y
glohorillum global_horizontal_illuminance lx N
dirnorillum direct_normal_illuminance lx N
difhorillum diffuse_horizontal_illuminance lx N
zenlum zenith_luminance lx N
◦
winddir wind_direction Y
windspd wind_speed m/s Y
totskycvr total_sky_cover tenths N
opaqskycvr opaque_sky_cover tenths N
visibility visibility km N
ceiling_hgt ceiling_height m N
presweathobs present_weather_observation - Y
presweathcodes present_weather_codes - Y
precip_wtr precipitable_water mm N
aerosol_opt_depth aerosol_optical_depth thousandths N
snowdepth snow_depth cm Y
days_last_snow days_since_last_snow - N
Albedo albedo - N
liq_precip_depth liquid_precip_depth mm Y
liq_precip_rate liquid_precip_rate h N

The following table illustrates that the EnergyPlus CSV header names can be used for data
elements in DEF files, if desired.
2.5. DEFINITIONS FILE & CUSTOM FILE PROCESSING 27

Table 2.9: Names from the EnergyPlus CSV files

Short Name Long Name Default EPW Units Used by EnergyPlus

Date Date (used to derive - N
Month/Day)
hh:mm HH:MM (used to - N
derive hour/minute)
datasource datasource - N
◦
Drybulb dry bulb temperature C Y
◦
dewpoint dew point C Y
temperature
Relhum relative humidity % Y
atmos pressure atmospheric pressure Pa Y
exthorzrad extraterrestrial W h/m2 N
horizontal radiation
extdirrad extraterrestrial W h/m2 N
direct normal
radiation
horzirsky horizontal infrared W h/m2 Y
radiation intensity
from sky
glohorzrad global horizontal W h/m2 N
radiation
dirnorzrad direct normal W h/m2 Y
radiation
difhorzrad diffuse horizontal W h/m2 Y
radiation
glohorzillum global horizontal lx N
illuminance
dirnorzillum direct normal lx N
illuminance
difhorzillum diffuse horizontal lx N
illuminance
Zenlum zenith luminance lx N
◦
winddir wind direction Y
windspd wind speed m/s Y
totskycvr total sky cover tenths N
opaqskycvr opaque sky cover tenths N
visibility visibility km N
ceiling hgt ceiling height m N
28 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

Table 2.9: Names from the EnergyPlus CSV files

Short Name Long Name Default EPW Units Used by EnergyPlus

presweathobs present weather - Y
observation
presweathcodes present weather - Y
codes
precip wtr precipitable water mm N
aerosol opt depth aerosol optical depth thousandths N
snowdepth snow depth cm Y
days last snow days since last snow - N
Albedo albedo - N
rain liquid precipitation mm Y
depth
rain quantity liquid precipitation h N
rate

2.5.5 Custom Files - Auxiliary Data

Often raw data files will not have the preceding elements but similar elements that can be used to
derive the values used in the EPW files and in EnergyPlus. (For example, dew point temperature
and relative humidity are needed and can be derived from dry builb temperature and a humidity
indicating element such as wet bulb temperature or humidity ratio). The following table contains
the data element names that can be used in the Weather Converter program to derive other data
which will then be placed into the EPW data fields.

Table 2.10: Auxiliary Data for Custom Files

Short Name Long Name Units Used by EnergyPlus

◦
wetbulb wet_bulb C N
_temperature
humratio humidity_ratio g/kg N
dirhorrad direct_horizontal W h/m2 N
_radiation
interval Interval unit N
hour_yr hour_of_year h N
time Time hh:mm N
hh:mm HH:MM hh:mm N
Date Date mm/dd/yyyy N

Explanation of these data elements follows:

2.5. DEFINITIONS FILE & CUSTOM FILE PROCESSING 29

[Link] Wetbulb (Wet Bulb Temperature)

If you have the wet bulb temperature, this data element can be used to derive the dew point
temperature and relative humidity.

[Link] HumRatio (Humidity Ratio)

If you have the humidity ratio, this data element can be used to derive the dew point temperature
and relative humidity.

[Link] Dirhorrad (Direct Horizontal Radiation)

If you have direct horizontal radiation (and at least one other solar element from global horizontal
radiation or diffuse horizontal radaition), this data element will be used to derive the direct normal
radiation.

[Link] Interval
If your “number of records per hour” is >1, then you can designate each interval of that hour with
this field.

[Link] Hour_Of_Year
If you wish, you can just put in the hour of the year for each record. Note that if no date element
is entered, then the default is that the data is in hour of the year (including possible number of
records per hour).

[Link] Time (or HH:MM)

Time can be entered (rather than hour) and the units must be hh:mm; this is then decoded on each
record to the appropriate hour.

[Link] Date
Dates can be entered as month, day, and year. The units field must be entered and should
designate the format for the date decoding. Date separator characters for this field are entered
in the DateSeparator item. Default date separator is “/” and that is what is used in the table that
shows the allowable units:

Table 2.11: Allowable date formats for Custom Data

entries.

Units Format Interpretation Example

mm/dd/yyyy mm/dd/yy m/d/y Month, day, year 12/13/2009
yyyy/mm/dd yy/mm/dd y/m/d Year, month, day 2009/12/13
dd/mm/yyyy dd/mm/yy d/m/y Day, month, year 13/12/2009
30 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

[Link] Field: DataUnits

There should be as many DataUnits entries as DataElement entries. These are not generally used
but may be used in the future for automatic conversions. The exception to this is “temperature”
fields. Use “f” for Fahrenheit, “k” for Kelvin temperatures. Note that the DataConversionFactor
for this field will be applied prior to conversion. (Many formats use integer numbers to represent
values that are in tenths, for example.)

[Link] Field: DataConversionFactors

There should be as many DataConversionFactors entries as DataElement entries. These factors are
multiplicative factors (i.e. the input value is multiplied by this factor) and can be used to process
input data into the values used in the EPW weather files.

[Link] Field: DataMissingValues

There should be as many entries (though some can be blank) as DataElement entries. The values
entered will override the default “missing” values (from the EPW data dictionary) and, whereas
the defaults may be interpreted as a > = missing value (i.e. > = 999), these values will be exact
(i.e. = -999.)

[Link] Field: InFormat

The value in this field should be “delimited” if you are using a free format data file or specify a
“Fortran style” format statement.

[Link] Field: DelimiterChar

If you use a “delimited” format file, you need to specify a delimiter character. Only a single character
may be specified.

[Link] Field: DecimalSymbolChar

A single character can be used to specify the decimal “point” character. Default is the US Standard
“.”. With use of DelimiterChar and this field, one can essentially use the fields to specify European
Standard Excel export formats.

[Link] Field: DateSeparator

If you are entering the aforementiond “date” Data Element and your date separator is a character
other than slash (“/”), then you need to enter a single character so the program can interpret your
date entries.
2.5. DEFINITIONS FILE & CUSTOM FILE PROCESSING 31

Table 2.12: Definitions file - &datacontrol description

& datacontrol Field Field Name Type

Description
Records to Skip NumRecordsToSkip Integer
Records to Read MaxNumRecordsToRead Integer
Missing Data Action MissingDataAction
Missing Wind Direction MissingWindDirAction
Action
Missing Wind Direction MissingWindDirValue Real
Value
Missing Opaque Sky MissingOpaqueSky
Cover Action CoverAction
Missing Opaque Sky MissingOpaqueSky Real (Value 0.0 to 10.0) - tenths of
Cover Value CoverValue sky cover
Maximum Wind Speed MaxWindSpeed Real
Maximum Direct Solar MaxDirectSolar Real
Maximum Diffuse Solar MaxDiffuseSolar Real
Maximum Illuminance MaxIlluminanceValue Real
Value
Generate Solar Radiation GenerateSolarRadiationWarnings
Warnings
Generate Illuminance GenerateIlluminanceWarnings
Warnings

2.5.6 Expected Formats for &datacontrol

Most of the items in this element are particularly applicable to custom format input files. Currently,
they are only used in custom files, but may be more generally applicable in future releases.

[Link] Field: NumRecordsToSkip

This is an integer number of records to skip during processing. You might use this if your input file
has some information at the top of the file.

[Link] Field: MaxNumRecordsToRead

This is an integer number of records to read (typically 8760 for a full year). You might use this if
your input file has some information after the data records.
32 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

[Link] Fields: MissingDataAction, MissingWindDirAction, MissingOpaqueSkyCoverAction

These fields tell the converter program what to do with “missing” data. Missing data can be found
in two forms: totally not included in the DataElements or a missing value (as defined in the EPW
format). Valid values for these fields are:

• DEFAULT - use the default processing that the weather converter already uses - starts off
with a specific value and updates if data is found.

• CONSTANT - use a constant value to replace all missing data

• RANDOM - use a random number to generate the missing data

An additional value for MissingOpaqueSkyCoverAction is:

• TOTALSKY - use the value for Total Sky Cover

[Link] Fields: MissingWindDirValue, MissingOpaqueSkyCoverValue

The values specified in this field are used with the action fields previously mentioned.

[Link] Field: MaxWindSpeed

The default maximum wind speed (40m/s) may not be enough for some locations - this allows the
override capability.

[Link] Field: MaxDirectSolar, MaxDiffuseSolar, MaxIlluminanceValue

Default maximum solar values may not be enough for some locations - this allows the override
capability.

[Link] Field: GenerateSolarRadiationWarnings, GenerateIlluminanceWarnings

If you don’t want to see extra warnings when input values are greater than max values (default or
as specified in previous fields), use NO as the keyword. Use YES to make sure you see the warnings.
Default is YES.

2.5.7 Def File Examples

In the following examples, every attempt has been made to make sure that these work with the
Weather Converter program. However, we cannot foresee all possible combinations. Caveat
emptor - user beware.
Here’s an example where the delimiter between fields is a semi-colon (;) and the decimal symbol
character is a comma (,) - typical of some non-USA regional settings:
&location
City = <cityname >
StateProv = <state/province >
Country = <country >
InWMO = <wmo >
InLat = <latitude >
InLong = <longitude >
2.5. DEFINITIONS FILE & CUSTOM FILE PROCESSING 33

InElev = <elevation >

InTime = <timezone >
/

&wthdata
NumInHour = 1
InputFileType = 'CUSTOM '
InFormat = 'DELIMITED '
DataElements = Date ,HH:MM ,Datasource ,Dry Bulb Temperature ,Dew Point Temperature ,Relative Humidity ,
Atmospheric Pressure ,Extraterrestrial Horizontal Radiation , Extraterrestrial Direct Normal Radiation ,
Horizontal Infrared Radiation Intensity from Sky ,Global Horizontal Radiation ,Direct Normal Radiation ,
Diffuse Horizontal Radiation ,Global Horizontal Illuminance ,Direct Normal Illuminance ,Diffuse
Horizontal Illuminance ,Zenith Luminance ,Wind Direction ,Wind Speed ,Total Sky Cover ,Opaque Sky Cover ,
Visibility ,Ceiling Height ,Present Weather Observation ,Present Weather Codes ,Precipitable Water ,
Aerosol Optical Depth ,Snow Depth ,Days Since Last Snow ,Albedo ,Liquid Precipitation Depth ,Liquid
Precipitation Quantity
DataUnits = '[Link] ','hh:mm ','x','x','x','x','C','C','%','Pa ','Wh/m2 ','Wh/m2 ','Wh/m2 ','Wh/m2 ','Wh/m2
','Wh/m2 ','lux ','lux ','lux ','Cd/m2 ','deg ','m/s','tenths ','tenths ','km ','m','x','x','mm ','{.001}','cm
','x','{.01}','mm ','hr '
DataConversionFactors = 1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1
DelimiterChar = ';'
DateSeparator = '.'
DecimalSymbolChar = ','
/

&datacontrol
NumRecordsToSkip = 19
MaxNumRecordsToRead = 8784
MissingWindDirAction = RANDOM
/

Figure 4. DEF file for with non-standard field delimiter and decimal symbol
Here’s an example of a file used to “enhance” a DOE-2 FMT file:
&location
City = 'Kelburn '
StateProv = 'Wellington '
Country = 'NZL '
InWMO = 934360
InLat = -42.3333
InLong = 174.8
InElev = 8
InTime = 1
/

&wthdata
NumInHour = 1
InputFileType = 'FMT '
/

&miscdata
Comments1 = 'Standard Data Files for Computer Thermal Simulation of Solar Low Energy Non -residential
Buildings; ven der Werff , Amor , and Donn 1990'
Comments2 = 'Full Actual year of dataSource data is TRY format converted to DOE -2 format;'
/

Figure 5. DEF file for DOE-2 FMT file

Here’s an example of a fixed format used for custom file processing. Note that random sky cover
is used, to facilitate calculating Horizontal IR from Sky that is used in EnergyPlus. Also, random
wind direction is used because the data set does not contain wind direction.
&location
City = 'Torino -Caselle '
StateProv = ' '
Country = 'ITA '
34 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

InWMO = 160590
InLat = 45.18333
InLong = 7.65
InElev = 282
InTime = 1
/

&wthdata
NumInHour = 1
InputFileType = 'CUSTOM '
InFormat = '(I2 , I2 , I2 , F7.2, F7.2, F5.1, F5.1, F5.1)'
DataElements = Month ,Day ,Hour ,DirNorRad ,DifHorRad ,DryBulb ,Wind\_Speed ,Relative\_Humidity
DataUnits = ,,,'kJ/M2 ','kJ/M2 ','C','m/s','%'
DataConversionFactors = 1 ,1 ,1 ,.2777778 ,.2777778 ,1 ,1 ,1
/

&miscdata
Comments1 = 'Italian Climate Data Set Gianni de Giorgio '
Comments2 = 'Period of record 1951 -1970 '
SourceData = 'IGDG Data Set '
/

&datacontrol
MissingOpaqueSkyCoverAction = RANDOM
MissingWindDirAction = RANDOM
/

Figure 6. DEF file for formatted custom file.

An example of a free format custom file. Here, there were several lines of text after the numeric
data at the end of the file - thus we used the number of records to read parameter rather than hand
editing each input file.
&location
City = 'Beijing '
StateProv = 'Beijing '
Country = 'CHN '
InWMO = '545110 '
InLat = 39.92
InLong = 116.27
InElev = 55
InTime = 8
/

&miscdata
Comments1 = 'China Data Set - Zhang/Huang '
/

&wthdata
NumInHour = 1
InputFileType = 'CUSTOM '
InFormat = 'DELIMITED '
DataElements = Ignore ,Year ,Month ,Day ,Hour ,Ignore ,DryBulb ,DewPoint ,Ignore ,Relative\_Humidity ,Ignore ,
DirNorRad ,DifHorRad ,WindDir ,Wind\_Speed ,OpaqSkyCvr ,Atmos\_Pressure
DataUnits = x,x,x,x,x,x,'k','k',x,'%',x,'wh/m2 ','wh/m2 ','deg ','m/s',x,'Pa '
DataConversionFactors = 1,1,1,1,1,1,.1,.1,1,1,1,1,1,1,.1,.1,10
DelimiterChar = ' '
/

&datacontrol
NumRecordsToSkip = 0
MaxNumRecordsToRead = 8760
/
2.5. DEFINITIONS FILE & CUSTOM FILE PROCESSING 35

Figure 7. DEF File for delimited custom file.

Suppose you have a file that is “almost” TMY2 format. You can easily specify a Def file to treat
it as a custom file rather than a TMY2 file (which, by standards, will have the data filled).
&location
City = <cityname >
StateProv = <state/province >
Country = <country >
InWMO = <wmo >
InLat = <latitude >
InLong = <longitude >
InElev = <elevation >
InTime = <timezone >
/

&wthdata
NumInHour = 1
InputFileType = 'CUSTOM '
InFormat = '(1X,I2 ,I2 ,I2 ,I2 ,I4 ,I4 ,I4 ,A2 ,I4 ,A2 ,I4 ,A2 ,I4 ,A2 ,I4 ,A2 ,I4 ,A2 ,I4 ,A2 ,I2 ,A2 ,I2 ,A2 ,I4 ,A2 ,I4 ,A2 ,I3 ,A2
,I4 ,A2 ,I3 ,A2 ,I3 ,A2 ,I4 ,A2 ,I5 ,A2 ,I1 ,A9 ,I3 ,A2 ,I3 ,A2 ,I3 ,A2 ,I2 ,A2)'
DataElements = ignore ,year ,month ,day ,hour ,ExtHorzRad ,ExtDirNormRad ,GloHorzRad ,ignore ,DirNormRad ,ignore ,
DifHorzRad ,ignore ,GloHorzIllum ,ignore ,DirNormIllum ,ignore ,DifHorzIllum ,ignore ,ZenithLum ,ignore ,ignore
,ignore ,ignore ,ignore ,DryBulb ,ignore ,DewPoint ,ignore ,RelHumid ,ignore ,Pressure ,ignore ,WindDir ,ignore ,
WindSpd ,ignore ,Visibility ,ignore ,CeilHgt ,ignore ,ObsIndicator ,WeatherCodes ,PrecWtr ,ignore ,AerOptDepth ,
ignore ,SnowDepth ,ignore ,DaysSnow ,ignore
DataUnits = 'x','x','x','x','x','x','Wh/m2 ','Wh/m2 ','Wh/m2 ','x','Wh/m2 ','x','Wh/m2 ','x','lux ','x','lux ','
x','lux ','x','Cd/m2 ','x','x','x','x','x','C','x','C','x','%','x','x','x','deg ','x','m/s','x','x','x
','x','x','x','x','x','x','x','x','x','x','x','x'
DataConversionFactors =
1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0.1,1,0.1,1,1,1,100,1,1,1,0.1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1

&miscdata
Comments1 = 'Custom DEF format for TMY2 formatted files.'
SourceData = 'TMY2 '
/

&datacontrol
NumRecordsToSkip = 1
MaxNumRecordsToRead = 8784
MissingWindDirAction = RANDOM
MissingDataAction = DEFAULT
MissingOpaqueSkyCoverAction = RANDOM
/

Figure 8. DEF File for almost TMY2 files.

Finally, an example of using an EPW file as a custom file with a DEF format. Note that the
specially formatted CSV files from EnergyPlus can be automatically read in and this format is
provided as an extra bonus.
&location
City = <cityname >
StateProv = <state/province >
Country = <country >
InWMO = <wmo >
InLat = <latitude >
InLong = <longitude >
InElev = <elevation >
InTime = <timezone >
/

&wthdata
NumInHour = 1
InputFileType = 'CUSTOM '
36 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

InFormat = 'DELIMITED '

DataElements = year ,month ,day ,hour ,minute ,datasource ,Dry\_Bulb\_Temperature ,Dew\_Point\_Temperature ,
Relative\_Humidity ,Atmospheric\_Pressure ,Extraterrestrial\_Horizontal\_Radiation , Extraterrestrial \
_Direct\_Normal\_Radiation ,Horizontal\_Infrared\_Radiation\_Intensity\_from\_Sky ,Global\_Horizontal\
_Radiation ,Direct\_Normal\_Radiation ,Diffuse\_Horizontal\_Radiation ,Global\_Horizontal\_Illuminance ,
Direct\_Normal\_Illuminance ,Diffuse\_Horizontal\_Illuminance ,Zenith\_Luminance ,Wind\_Direction ,Wind\
_Speed ,Total\_Sky\_Cover ,Opaque\_Sky\_Cover ,Visibility ,Ceiling\_Height ,Present\_Weather\_Observation ,
Present\_Weather\_Codes ,Precipitable\_Water ,Aerosol\_Optical\_Depth ,Snow\_Depth ,Days\_Since\_Last\
_Snow ,Albedo ,Liquid\_Precipitation\_Depth ,Liquid\_Precipitation\_Quantity
DataUnits = 'x','x','x','x','x','x','C','C','%','Pa ','Wh/m2 ','Wh/m2 ','Wh/m2 ','Wh/m2 ','Wh/m2 ','Wh/m2 ','lux
','lux ','lux ','Cd/m2 ','deg ','m/s','tenths ','tenths ','km ','m','x','x','mm ','{.001}','cm ','x','{.01}','
mm ','hr '
DataConversionFactors = 1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1
DelimiterChar = ','
/

&miscdata
Comments1 = 'Standard EPW Custom def format for reading EPW files in EnergyPlus Weather Converter '
SourceData = 'EPW '
/

&datacontrol
NumRecordsToSkip = 8
MaxNumRecordsToRead = 8784
MissingWindDirAction = RANDOM
/

Figure 9. DEF File for EPW files.

2.5.8 Custom File Processing

In “normal” file processing, conversion from the input data elements to the EPW data elements
is automatic. In “custom” file processing, there is limited flexibility in this regard. For example,
the user may use “wet bulb” temperature in their inputs - this will allow the weather converter to
calculate appropriate values for dew point temperature (if it is missing) and/or relative humidity.
Again, limited calculations/derivations are done - should one input wet bulb temperature along
with dew point temperature and relative humidity. Likewise, if only values for global horizontal
radiation and diffuse horizontal radiation are given, the program will calculate a value for direct
normal radiation using commonly recognized relationships between these values.

2.5.9 Custom File Processing - Solar Radiation Value Calculation

EnergyPlus only uses the solar radiation data for Direct Normal and Diffuse Horizontal radation
in its calculations. But many data sources have only Global Horizontal (sometimes called Total)
or none of the solar radiation elements. When global radiation is available, then a different model
(Perez Model) is used to split the global into direct normal and diffuse horizontal values.
With any two of the solar components, it is reasonable to use the simple relationship of Global,
Diffuse and Direct, such as:

Globalhorizontalradiation = Directhorizontalradiation + Dif f usehorizontalradiation (2.1)

Using known solar position (calculated internally by the Weather converter from latitude,
longitude, date and hour), one has:
Directhorizontalradiation
Directnormalradiation = (2.2)
sin(Solarheight )
2.6. REPORTS/FILES PRODUCED BY THE WEATHER CONVERTER 37

In custom weather file processing does the following:

• If you have two of the solar radiation components, then you can easily compute the third
• If you have global horizontal then Perez model is used for the direct/diffuse components split.
• If you have no solar data, then Zhang-Huang model is used to estimate global horizontal, and
Perez model is used to split that into direct and diffuse components.

However, many data sources may not have any solar radiation components. A study was
undertaken to find an appropriate solar model to fill in missing solar data for weather files. The
goal was to determine one or more possible solar models to use in the weather conversion/creation
process. One model seemed better overall with the usual given data from the sources than others.
The model, termed Zhang-Huang, has been used in a variety of locations and data creations,
including the upcoming IWEC2 data. The model uses a simplistic approach of recent drybulb
temperatures, cloud-cover, global solar constant and solar position. This model is only used when
all solar values are missing from the incoming data. Results, of course, can vary depending on
locations.
For example, in Brisbane AUS, comparing the solar creation with the original IWEC data looks
very good:
Of course, there are other locations that don’t compare quite as well:

2.6 Reports/Files Produced by the Weather Converter

Minimally, two outputs are produced for every weather converter run: an audit / log file and a
statistical report file. The audit / log file shows details of the processing (including any errors) as
well as the statistical report. The statistical report produced from the weather conversion process
is a short, but complete, picture of the weather data on the file. A single file (.stat extension) is
produced of the “statistics” about the data file. A feature of the weather converter is to look in
several design condition files for possible design conditions for the location from the stored design
condition files (source: ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals, 2001). If found (WMO (World
Meteorological Organization) id is used for matching), these will be shown in the report as well
as included in the output data files (EPW and CSV, as applicable). In addition, the Köppen
classification scheme is used to characterize the climate based on the data file’s contents. Other
statistics are given as well to help you visualize the data.
In the “reporting” section of the file, each line contains “tab-delimited” elements. This will allow
you to easily place the data into a spreadsheet program for further refinement but the tabs are not
as intrusive for “normal viewing” as commas.

2.6.1 Audit / Log File

As an example, the initial portion of an audit file is shown (illustrating the error reporting):
-Input File Type = WY2 , with FileName = D:\ DevTests\Release\WeatherData \04772. wy2
-Out of Range Data items will NOT be corrected.
Warning ** Dew Point = 5.00& deg;C > Dry Bulb = 4.90& deg;C on date = 5/ 1 at hour = 4
Warning ** Dew Point = 4.80& deg;C > Dry Bulb = 4.40& deg;C on date = 5/ 1 at hour = 5
Warning ** Dew Point = 4.70& deg;C > Dry Bulb = 3.80& deg;C on date = 5/ 1 at hour = 6
Warning ** Suspected missing data line after processing 365 days
Month = 0 Day = 0 Hour = 0
Processing continues but may be in error
38 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

Figure 2.4: Solar radiation comparison - IWEC vs Weather Solar Model (Brisbane AUS)
2.6. REPORTS/FILES PRODUCED BY THE WEATHER CONVERTER 39

Figure 2.5: Comparison of IWEC vs Weather program Solar Model (Singapore)

40 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

Warning ** Suspected Blank line after processing 365 days

** Remaining records , if any , will be ignored
Warning ** Missing Data Found on Source Weather Data File
** Missing (and corrected) Aerosol Optical Depth , Number of items = 8760
Warning ** Out of Range Data Found on Weather Data File
** Out of Range Dew Point Temperatures > Dry Bulb Temperatures , Number of items = 3

- Start Date/End Date for Weather Source

Start Date = Jan 1; End Date = Dec 31

- Actual Data Years for Monthly Data **

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1966 1980 1964 1964 1968 1970 1977 1981 1979 1969 1974 1960
- ** Not all weather data sources represent contiguous years.
- ** Monthly data values may come from different years.

- Data Sources should be checked for relevancy to these statistics.

Average Delta DB Change = 0.76& deg;C ; Std Dev = 0.73& deg;C

Average Delta DP Change = 0.62& deg;C ; Std Dev = 0.69& deg;C
Average Delta Relative Humidity Change = 3.50% ; Std Dev = 3.63%
Average Delta Wind Speed Change = 0.93m/s ; Std Dev = 0.88m/s
Hourly Dry Bulb temperature change trigger = minimum of 11.07& deg;C and 10.& deg;C
11.07& deg;C = calculated trigger based on mean change in dry -bulb temperature and standard deviation
shown above
10.& deg;C = trigger set by user

-Output File Type = epw , with FileName = D:\ DevTests\Release\WeatherData\Out\CAN\_Ottawa -International\

_Airport\_CWEC.epw
-Output File Type = csv , with FileName = D:\ DevTests\Release\WeatherData\Out\CAN\_Ottawa -International\
_Airport\_CWEC.csv

2.6.2 Statistical Report File

As will be seen in comparison with a “statistical” report shown following, the audit file may contain
some details about the data that the statistical report does not (such as the data years for the
weather data). Some basic statistics are shown first:
Statistics for USA_CA_San.[Link] .724940 _TMY3
Location -- San Francisco Intl Ap CA USA
{N 37& deg; 37'} {W 122& deg; 24'} {GMT -8.0 Hours}
Elevation -- 2m above sea level
Standard Pressure at Elevation -- 101301 Pa
Data Source -- TMY3

WMO Station 724940

- Displaying Design Conditions from "Climate Design Data 2009 ASHRAE Handbook"
- ASHRAE design conditions are carefully generated from a period of record
- (typically 30 years) to be representative of that location and to be suitable
- for use in heating/cooling load calculations.

Design Stat ColdestMonth DB996 DB990 DP996 HR_DP996 DB_DP996 DP990 HR_DP990
DB_DP990 WS004c DB_WS004c WS010c DB_WS010c WS_DB996 WD_DB996
Units {} {&deg;C} {&deg;C} {&deg;C} {} {&deg;C} {&deg;C} {} {&deg;C} {m/s}
{&deg;C} {m/s} {&deg;C} {m/s} {deg}
Heating 1 3.8 4.9 -3.7 2.8 10.7 -1.2 3.4 11.2 12.9 12.1 11.6
12.2 2.2 150
2.6. REPORTS/FILES PRODUCED BY THE WEATHER CONVERTER 41

Design Stat HottestMonth DBR DB004 WB_DB004 DB010 WB_DB010 DB020 WB_DB020
WB004 DB_WB004 WB010 DB_WB010 WB020 DB_WB020 WS_DB004 WD_DB004 DP004
HR_DP004 DB_DP004 DP010 HR_DP010 DB_DP010 DP020 HR_DP020 DB_DP020
EN004 DB_EN004 EN010 DB_EN010 EN020 DB_EN020 \#Hrs_8 -4_&_DB -12.8/20.6
Units {} {&deg;C} {&deg;C} {&deg;C} {&deg;C} {&deg;C} {&deg;C} {&deg;C} {&deg;C}
{&deg;C} {&deg;C} {&deg;C} {&deg;C} {&deg;C} {m/s} {deg} {&deg;C} {} {&deg;C
} {&deg;C} {} {&deg;C} {&deg;C} {} {&deg;C} {kJ/kg} {&deg;C} {kJ/kg}
{&deg;C} {kJ/kg} {&deg;C} {}
Cooling 8 8.5 28.3 17.2 25.7 16.7 23.6 16.2 18.6 25.7 17.8 23.9
17 22.4 5.9 310 16.1 11.5 19.9 15.3 10.9 19.2 14.7 10.4 18.7 52.4
25.8 49.8 23.8 47.6 22.4 2038

Design Stat WS010 WS025 WS050 WBmax DBmin_mean DBmax_mean DBmin_stddev DBmax_stddev
DBmin05years DBmax05years DBmin10years DBmax10years DBmin20years DBmax20years DBmin50years
DBmax50years
Units {m/s} {m/s} {m/s} {&deg;C} {&deg;C} {&deg;C} {&deg;C} {&deg;C} {&deg;C} {&deg
;C} {&deg;C} {&deg;C} {&deg;C} {&deg;C} {&deg;C} {&deg;C}
Extremes 12.8 11.5 10.6 22.3 1.8 34.6 1.5 2.3 0.8 36.2 -0.1 37.5
-0.9 38.8 -1.9 40.5

- Displaying Monthly Design Conditions "Climate Design Data 2009 ASHRAE Handbook"
- Monthly Optical Sky Depth Beam (taub) and Diffuse (taud)
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct
Nov Dec
taub (beam) 0.316 0.326 0.334 0.362 0.368 0.353 0.371 0.365 0.352 0.335
0.320 0.318
taud (diffuse) 2.608 2.528 2.525 2.345 2.360 2.496 2.395 2.435 2.518 2.545
2.611 2.538

taub = Clear Sky Optical Depth for Beam Irradiance

taud = Clear Sky Optical Depth for Diffuse Irradiance

- Monthly Solar Irradiance Wh/m$ ^{2}$ (noon on 21st of month)

ib (beam) 879 910 933 918 912 923 903 904 901 887 866 846
id (diffuse) 79 93 100 124 123 108 118 112 99 90 78
80

ib = Clear Sky Noon Beam Normal Irradiance on 21st Day

id = Clear Sky Noon Diffuse Horizontal Irradiance on 21st Day

- Monthly Drybulb and Mean Coincident Wetbulb Temperatures&deg;C

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct
Nov Dec
Drybulb 0.4% 17.8 21.1 23.3 26.9 28.3 31.5 29.4 29.2 31.1 29.5 22.7 17.5
Coincident Wetbulb 0.4% 12.1 13.9 14.4 16.2 17.3 17.7 18.4 18.2 18.0 16.5 14.0 12.9
Drybulb 2.0% 15.8 17.9 19.8 22.5 23.7 25.6 25.3 25.0 27.1 25.5 20.0 16.2
Coincident Wetbulb 2.0% 12.1 12.7 13.4 14.4 15.8 16.7 17.3 17.5 17.1 15.6 13.5 13.0
Drybulb 5.0% 14.6 16.2 17.6 19.5 21.1 22.3 22.7 22.9 23.9 22.6 18.2 15.2
Coincident Wetbulb 5.0% 11.8 12.6 13.0 13.6 15.1 15.8 16.5 16.8 16.6 15.2 13.4 12.5
Drybulb 10.% 13.5 15.0 16.2 17.5 19.1 20.6 21.2 21.5 21.8 20.5 16.8 14.2
Coincident Wetbulb 10.% 11.2 12.1 12.5 12.9 14.1 15.1 15.9 16.2 16.1 14.9 13.3 11.7

Drybulb 0.4% = 0.4% Monthly Design Drybulb Temperature

Coincident Wetbulb 0.4% = 0.4% Monthly Mean Coincident Wetbulb Temperature
Drybulb 2.0% = 2.0% Monthly Design Drybulb Temperature
Coincident Wetbulb 2.0% = 2.0% Monthly Mean Coincident Wetbulb Temperature
Drybulb 5.0% = 5.0% Monthly Design Drybulb Temperature
Coincident Wetbulb 5.0% = 5.0% Monthly Mean Coincident Wetbulb Temperature
Drybulb 10.% = 10.% Monthly Design Drybulb Temperature
Coincident Wetbulb 10.% = 10.% Monthly Mean Coincident Wetbulb Temperature

Or, if the weather converter must calculate the design stats:

42 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

-EnergyPlus Weather Converter V7 .1.0.010

Statistics for FaroCST
Location -- Faro - PRT
{N 37& deg; 2'} {E 7&deg; 55'} {GMT +0.0 Hours}
Elevation -- 100m above sea level
Standard Pressure at Elevation -- 100129 Pa
Data Source -- Custom -085790

WMO Station 085790

- Displaying Design Conditions calculated from this weather file.

- The following design temperature statistics are calculated based on THIS weather file ONLY
- and may not be representative of a long -term period of record normally used for
- design temperatures. Also , note that dew point temperatures are listed where
- wet -bulb temperatures are normally presented.

Design Stat Coldest Month HDB 99.6% HDB 99%

Units {} {C} {C}
Heating 3 5.6 6.0

Design Stat Hottest Month CDB .4% CDB 1% CDB 2% CDP .4% CDP 1% CDP 2%
Units {} {C} {C} {C} {C} {C} {C}
Cooling 8 33.3 32.5 31.8 22.6 22.0 21.7

Design Stat Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Units {m/s} {m/s} {m/s} {m/s} {m/s} {m/s} {m/s} {m/s} {m/s} {m/s} {m/s} {m/s}
Max WS 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

- Heating/Cooling Degree Days/Hours calculated from this weather file are later in this report.

These are followed by groupings of Monthly temperature data.

- Monthly Statistics for Dry Bulb temperatures&deg;C

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Maximum 16.7 22.2 23.9 28.3 29.4 32.8 26.7 29.4 30.0 26.7 20.6 16.1
Day:Hour 19:13 14:13 12:15 2:15 1:12 30:14 12:13 2:13 15:14 20:14 1:14 1:15

Minimum 2.2 5.0 4.4 8.3 8.9 9.4 11.1 11.1 11.1 7.8 3.3 2.8
Day:Hour 24:06 26:07 23:05 19:05 4:02 22:03 1:04 28:05 7:02 31:05 30:05 26:05

Daily Avg 9.6 11.3 12.7 13.7 15.0 15.3 15.9 16.6 16.7 15.1 12.8 10.7

- Maximum Dry Bulb temperature of 32.8& deg;C on Jun 30

- Minimum Dry Bulb temperature of 2.2& deg;C on Jan 24

- Monthly Statistics for Extreme Dry Bulb temperatures&deg;C

\# Days Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Max > = 32 1
Max < = 0
Min < = 0
Min < = -18

- Monthly Statistics for Dew Point temperatures&deg;C

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Maximum 13.3 12.2 13.9 15.0 16.7 16.1 14.0 16.7 16.7 14.4 14.4 13.9
Day:Hour 17:12 21:04 29:15 2:14 14:09 5:12 8:14 3:10 23:12 6:14 11:12 7:03

Minimum -1.1 0.6 -1.1 -0.6 0.0 5.0 6.1 4.4 7.8 -1.7 -3.3 -5.6
Day:Hour 24:05 24:07 12:15 12:13 2:17 18:17 2:13 30:12 15:17 16:21 21:21 19:12

Daily Avg 6.4 6.6 8.1 8.2 9.4 10.0 10.7 11.5 12.5 9.4 8.3 6.1

- Maximum Dew Point temperature of 16.7& deg;C on May 14

- Minimum Dew Point temperature of -5.6& deg;C on Dec 19
For the dry bulb and dew point temperatures , an average hourly report , by month , is also given:
2.6. REPORTS/FILES PRODUCED BY THE WEATHER CONVERTER 43

- Average Hourly Statistics for Dry Bulb temperatures&deg;C

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
0:01- 1:00 8.9 9.9 10.6 11.6 12.3 12.1 13.4 14.0 14.4 13.3 11.6 9.7
1:01- 2:00 8.7 9.5 10.3 11.4 12.1 12.0 13.2 13.7 14.3 12.7 11.2 9.4
2:01- 3:00 8.3 9.0 10.1 11.3 12.0 11.7 13.1 13.5 14.1 12.4 11.0 9.2
3:01- 4:00 7.8 8.6 10.0 11.2 12.0 11.6 12.9 13.4 14.0 12.4 11.1 8.9
4:01- 5:00 7.9 8.5 9.7 11.0 11.8 11.5 13.4 13.3 13.8 12.0 10.6 8.7
5:01- 6:00 7.8 8.4 9.6 11.3 12.4 12.3 13.8 13.5 13.9 12.2 10.8 8.5
6:01- 7:00 7.9 8.3 9.8 12.2 14.0 14.1 14.3 14.9 14.6 12.5 10.9 8.5
7:01- 8:00 7.9 9.2 11.5 13.1 15.5 15.7 15.4 16.3 16.1 14.3 11.5 8.9
8:01- 9:00 8.8 10.1 12.6 14.1 16.6 16.6 16.5 17.5 17.4 15.3 12.6 9.9
9:01 -10:00 9.5 11.0 13.7 15.0 17.7 17.7 17.5 18.4 18.5 16.1 13.2 10.9
10:01 -11:00 10.1 12.1 14.5 16.2 18.8 19.1 18.4 19.6 19.6 17.2 13.8 11.5
11:01 -12:00 10.6 13.2 15.6 16.8 19.3 19.9 19.3 20.6 20.5 18.0 14.3 11.9
12:01 -13:00 11.4 14.2 16.4 17.1 19.2 20.6 20.2 21.3 21.3 18.9 14.9 12.5
13:01 -14:00 11.5 14.5 16.9 17.0 19.0 20.5 19.8 21.5 21.4 19.2 15.4 12.9
14:01 -15:00 11.9 14.8 16.8 17.0 18.4 19.7 19.4 21.1 21.0 19.1 15.7 13.0
15:01 -16:00 11.6 15.1 16.0 16.7 17.6 18.8 19.0 20.1 19.9 18.2 15.4 13.0
16:01 -17:00 11.0 14.1 15.1 15.8 16.7 17.6 18.0 18.8 18.8 17.0 14.3 12.4
17:01 -18:00 10.6 13.1 13.8 14.4 15.7 16.6 16.9 17.4 17.0 15.8 13.7 12.0
18:01 -19:00 10.3 12.2 12.7 13.3 14.4 15.3 15.8 16.1 15.9 15.3 13.4 11.5
19:01 -20:00 10.0 11.8 12.3 12.9 13.4 13.8 15.3 15.4 15.6 14.9 13.0 11.1
20:01 -21:00 9.7 11.4 11.7 12.6 13.2 13.3 14.8 15.0 15.1 14.5 12.6 10.6
21:01 -22:00 9.6 11.0 11.6 12.3 13.0 12.9 14.2 14.7 14.8 14.2 12.1 10.4
22:01 -23:00 9.5 10.6 11.3 12.0 12.7 12.5 14.0 14.3 14.6 13.8 12.1 10.3
23:01 -24:00 9.2 10.3 11.1 11.8 12.4 12.5 13.7 14.3 14.5 13.5 11.7 10.0
Max Hour 15 16 14 13 12 13 13 14 14 14 15 15
Min Hour 6 7 6 5 5 5 4 5 5 5 5 6

- Average Hourly Statistics for Dew Point temperatures&deg;C

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
0:01- 1:00 6.7 6.6 8.0 8.1 9.5 9.7 9.9 11.4 12.3 9.7 8.0 5.7
1:01- 2:00 6.6 6.1 7.7 8.1 9.4 9.6 10.1 11.2 12.3 9.3 8.0 5.8
2:01- 3:00 6.3 5.9 7.4 8.2 9.3 9.4 10.0 11.2 12.2 9.1 7.6 5.9
3:01- 4:00 5.9 5.9 7.7 8.0 9.3 9.5 9.7 11.0 12.1 8.9 8.0 5.8
4:01- 5:00 5.9 5.6 7.6 8.0 9.2 9.4 9.9 11.0 12.1 9.1 7.6 5.5
5:01- 6:00 5.9 5.5 7.5 8.1 9.4 9.8 10.1 11.1 12.1 9.1 7.8 5.7
6:01- 7:00 6.0 5.7 7.6 8.5 9.7 10.3 10.2 11.6 12.4 9.5 7.8 5.8
7:01- 8:00 5.9 6.1 8.4 8.8 9.7 10.6 10.8 11.8 12.7 10.4 7.9 6.1
8:01- 9:00 6.1 6.8 8.8 9.0 10.0 10.8 11.0 12.1 12.9 10.4 8.2 6.3
9:01 -10:00 6.1 7.3 8.8 8.9 9.7 10.9 11.0 12.4 13.2 10.4 8.1 6.3
10:01 -11:00 6.4 7.1 8.5 8.7 9.8 10.8 11.4 12.0 13.4 9.9 8.3 6.2
11:01 -12:00 6.3 6.8 8.3 8.6 9.5 10.6 11.5 11.8 13.3 9.7 8.1 6.2
12:01 -13:00 6.2 6.9 8.3 8.5 9.4 10.5 11.5 11.6 12.8 9.2 8.3 6.5
13:01 -14:00 6.3 6.8 8.0 8.7 9.2 10.2 11.6 11.5 12.6 9.3 8.4 6.6
14:01 -15:00 6.4 7.1 8.4 8.1 9.2 10.1 11.5 11.4 12.4 8.8 8.7 6.4
15:01 -16:00 6.6 7.6 8.0 7.7 9.0 9.9 11.4 11.2 12.4 8.9 8.6 6.3
16:01 -17:00 6.6 7.1 7.9 7.8 9.0 9.7 11.2 11.4 12.3 9.0 9.3 6.7
17:01 -18:00 6.6 6.8 7.9 7.8 9.1 9.6 11.0 11.4 12.3 8.9 9.4 6.7
18:01 -19:00 6.5 6.7 7.9 7.9 9.4 9.6 10.6 11.4 12.3 9.0 9.1 6.7
19:01 -20:00 6.5 6.5 7.9 8.0 9.3 9.6 10.7 11.5 12.4 9.2 8.9 6.3
20:01 -21:00 6.6 6.6 8.2 7.7 9.5 9.6 10.6 11.5 12.4 9.3 8.5 6.2
21:01 -22:00 6.8 6.8 8.0 8.1 9.5 9.7 10.2 11.4 12.5 9.5 8.6 6.0
22:01 -23:00 6.7 6.6 8.3 8.0 9.7 9.7 10.4 11.5 12.4 9.6 8.4 6.1
23:01 -24:00 6.6 6.5 8.4 8.1 9.6 9.6 10.3 10.7 12.4 9.4 8.5 5.9
Max Hour 22 16 9 9 9 10 14 10 11 9 18 19
Min Hour 6 6 3 16 16 5 4 24 4 15 3 5

Humidity/precipitation: Relative Humidity (both monthly and average hourly by month)

- Monthly Statistics for Relative Humidity %
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Maximum 100 96 96 100 100 96 93 96 100 96 96 100
Day:Hour 7:05 6:04 20:22 9:03 25:02 5:01 18:04 7:02 4:07 7:07 11:07 7:05

Minimum 23 30 22 24 25 30 25 36 19 20 32 25
Day:Hour 17:15 14:13 4:16 5:10 9:12 17:10 2:13 14:13 28:15 30:13 20:15 24:15
44 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

Daily Avg 77 75 70 72 73 73 71 74 72 73 74 79

- Average Hourly Relative Humidity %

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
0:01- 1:00 83 81 77 81 85 84 83 86 84 81 81 84
1:01- 2:00 84 82 75 80 87 84 83 86 85 82 81 85
2:01- 3:00 86 83 76 83 88 85 83 87 85 82 82 86
3:01- 4:00 87 84 78 82 87 85 83 87 85 83 83 85
4:01- 5:00 88 84 79 83 88 83 81 88 85 83 83 86
5:01- 6:00 89 84 80 83 88 81 80 88 85 83 83 86
6:01- 7:00 89 84 80 79 81 80 78 84 82 83 83 86
7:01- 8:00 88 82 75 73 74 75 73 77 78 78 79 86
8:01- 9:00 83 81 70 70 68 69 68 71 71 74 74 82
9:01 -10:00 77 79 68 65 64 64 62 67 65 70 70 79
10:01 -11:00 74 74 65 62 59 62 59 60 59 65 66 76
11:01 -12:00 69 69 59 60 55 60 56 57 54 60 63 73
12:01 -13:00 65 63 58 59 53 58 53 55 52 55 59 71
13:01 -14:00 62 63 58 60 54 59 55 55 54 56 61 68
14:01 -15:00 61 63 58 60 56 60 56 57 56 58 62 67
15:01 -16:00 61 62 59 62 59 60 58 61 58 59 64 69
16:01 -17:00 66 65 62 63 62 65 62 63 63 64 67 74
17:01 -18:00 71 68 67 66 67 69 67 69 67 69 70 76
18:01 -19:00 74 71 71 69 73 74 72 75 73 73 73 76
19:01 -20:00 77 73 72 73 79 76 75 79 76 75 74 77
20:01 -21:00 78 74 74 75 81 78 77 82 78 77 76 78
21:01 -22:00 79 76 76 76 83 80 80 83 79 78 77 79
22:01 -23:00 79 78 76 78 84 81 81 84 81 79 78 82
23:01 -24:00 82 79 76 79 84 83 82 84 82 80 80 82
Max Hour 7 7 7 5 5 4 1 6 5 5 7 7
Min Hour 15 16 15 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 15

- Monthly Indicators for Precipitation/Moisture (kPa)

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
0.8 1.1 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.1 0.9

Wind and Wind Chill/Heat Index

- Monthly Statistics for Wind Chill/Heat Index temperatures&deg;C **
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Minimum WC -1 -1 -6 -1 -2 4 9 0 -8
Day:Hour 19:09 2:10 16:06 15:04 5:24 1:23 27:04 27:04 28:04

Average WC 6 7 4 5 5 6 9 7 4
Avg Del WC 1 2 5 3 4 4 0 2 3
\# Hours WC 293 166 258 159 56 10 3 86 358

Maximum HI 27 28
Day:Hour 2:10 15:11

Average HI 27 28
Avg Del HI 0 0
\# Hours HI 1 1

- ** WindChill/HeatIndex Temps -- statistics ... only those different from Air Temps

- Monthly Wind Direction % {N = 0 or 360,E = 90,S = 180,W = 270}

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
North 20 11 6 5 4 3 7 6 9 8 16 27
NorthEast 10 10 6 3 3 2 3 3 5 6 6 13
East 8 8 6 3 2 1 1 3 3 5 9 8
SouthEast 13 7 6 2 1 0 0 0 1 6 17 17
2.6. REPORTS/FILES PRODUCED BY THE WEATHER CONVERTER 45

South 18 10 9 5 3 1 0 1 5 14 14 12
SouthWest 7 6 19 8 5 2 1 6 7 8 11 4
West 9 14 31 35 32 59 21 32 22 16 10 5
NorthWest 15 35 18 39 50 33 66 50 49 36 17 15

- Monthly Statistics for Wind Speed m/s

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Maximum 11.8 14.9 17.0 12.9 15.9 11.8 12.4 13.4 14.9 10.8 8.8 13.4
Day:Hour 29:12 10:22 2:15 9:16 10:17 10:16 4:16 29:14 11:15 22:19 3:10 27:13

Minimum 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Day:Hour 1:04 1:10 4:04 4:19 8:05 17:07 1:07 1:07 1:07 3:04 2:01 2:03

Daily Avg 2.5 3.5 5.1 4.8 6.5 5.6 5.7 5.5 4.8 3.9 2.7 3.6

- Maximum Wind Speed of 17.0 m/s on Mar 2

- Minimum Wind Speed of 0.0 m/s on Jan 1

Rain/Albedo:
- Monthly Statistics for Liquid Precipitation mm
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Total 47 0 3 24 22 0 0 0 2 14 21 72

- Monthly Statistics for Albedo

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Average 0.160 0.000 0.130 0.130 0.130 0.140 0.000 0.000 0.180 0.180 0.160 0.210

Solar Radiation
- Monthly Statistics for Solar Radiation (Direct Normal , Diffuse , Global Horizontal) Wh/m$ ^{2}$
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Direct Avg 2537 3829 4485 5123 5691 6743 6867 6329 6017 4178 3080 3314

Direct Max 5405 7987 8803 8786 10462 10595 10692 10218 8485 7348 6194 6730
Day 27 18 20 18 23 2 25 3 10 3 2 25

Diffuse Avg 1127 1300 1763 2344 2335 2247 2148 1998 1643 1610 1252 912

Global Avg 2136 3160 4402 5672 6419 7148 7129 6401 5460 3761 2530 2127
- Maximum Direct Normal Solar of 10692 Wh/m$ ^{2}$ on Jul 25

- Average Hourly Statistics for Direct Normal Solar Radiation Wh/m$ ^{2}$
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
0:01- 1:00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1:01- 2:00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2:01- 3:00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3:01- 4:00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4:01- 5:00 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
5:01- 6:00 0 0 0 25 47 87 51 22 1 0 0 0
6:01- 7:00 0 2 38 194 201 283 200 162 85 64 0 0
7:01- 8:00 50 98 210 340 345 413 310 304 239 279 168 63
8:01- 9:00 220 246 309 407 439 509 444 466 365 383 297 266
9:01 -10:00 277 338 424 470 526 575 525 554 523 399 372 375
10:01 -11:00 288 449 477 456 561 599 617 594 653 438 428 413
11:01 -12:00 303 467 531 546 576 641 657 643 744 445 426 473
12:01 -13:00 342 498 537 504 572 653 705 666 732 533 360 455
13:01 -14:00 398 494 535 536 579 687 732 675 730 537 414 461
14:01 -15:00 326 487 481 494 553 659 712 678 688 478 314 403
15:01 -16:00 295 413 433 403 499 570 660 621 593 393 229 306
16:01 -17:00 37 273 348 363 395 499 584 488 447 186 73 101
17:01 -18:00 2 65 153 285 286 368 432 352 208 44 0 0
18:01 -19:00 0 0 8 100 107 186 222 103 9 0 0 0
46 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

19:01 -20:00 0 0 0 0 2 13 14 2 0 0 0 0
20:01 -21:00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
21:01 -22:00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
22:01 -23:00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
23:01 -24:00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Max Hour* 14 13 13 12 14 14 14 15 12 14 11* 12
Min Hour 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

- Average Hourly Statistics for Diffuse Horizontal Solar Radiation Wh/m$ ^{2}$
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
0:01- 1:00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1:01- 2:00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2:01- 3:00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3:01- 4:00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4:01- 5:00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5:01- 6:00 0 0 0 1 26 35 24 12 0 0 0 0
6:01- 7:00 0 1 14 45 81 79 73 56 36 5 0 0
7:01- 8:00 2 28 70 107 135 129 140 112 98 61 28 11
8:01- 9:00 51 82 124 155 190 177 182 159 146 118 84 57
9:01 -10:00 105 123 169 225 215 192 199 196 181 155 127 100
10:01 -11:00 146 164 203 268 255 235 224 219 192 208 167 131
11:01 -12:00 174 187 227 267 260 232 242 225 189 226 192 141
12:01 -13:00 176 173 224 281 249 242 211 231 190 225 205 153
13:01 -14:00 170 178 227 258 244 221 205 207 178 191 178 134
14:01 -15:00 148 154 194 226 211 201 192 184 156 184 147 98
15:01 -16:00 122 118 159 216 188 190 167 154 134 144 114 67
16:01 -17:00 34 71 100 162 149 148 137 128 95 91 10 20
17:01 -18:00 0 24 49 126 93 109 96 81 46 3 0 0
18:01 -19:00 0 0 2 9 39 54 47 31 3 0 0 0
19:01 -20:00 0 0 0 0 0 5 9 1 0 0 0 0
20:01 -21:00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
21:01 -22:00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
22:01 -23:00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
23:01 -24:00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Max Hour* 13 12 14 13 12 13 12 13 11* 12 13 13
Min Hour 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

- Average Hourly Statistics for Global Horizontal Solar Radiation Wh/m$ ^{2}$
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
0:01- 1:00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1:01- 2:00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2:01- 3:00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3:01- 4:00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4:01- 5:00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5:01- 6:00 0 0 0 2 31 45 29 14 0 0 0 0
6:01- 7:00 0 1 17 83 136 165 127 91 47 8 0 0
7:01- 8:00 3 39 119 237 295 330 282 234 175 122 47 15
8:01- 9:00 92 150 254 383 469 511 462 429 330 269 164 108
9:01 -10:00 197 268 414 558 625 650 607 600 520 368 277 222
10:01 -11:00 272 409 532 641 749 773 769 717 684 486 382 306
11:01 -12:00 326 473 626 746 800 845 863 805 790 531 425 367
12:01 -13:00 353 490 638 726 787 872 886 840 786 589 401 373
13:01 -14:00 365 476 619 708 763 855 879 797 735 528 381 336
14:01 -15:00 280 409 505 595 656 751 786 716 613 433 269 239
15:01 -16:00 206 281 381 463 523 594 634 560 445 292 170 135
16:01 -17:00 40 135 221 321 349 421 456 366 252 131 15 27
17:01 -18:00 0 30 73 196 184 244 254 187 80 4 0 0
18:01 -19:00 0 0 2 14 53 87 86 44 3 0 0 0
19:01 -20:00 0 0 0 0 0 5 11 1 0 0 0 0
20:01 -21:00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
21:01 -22:00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
22:01 -23:00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
23:01 -24:00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Max Hour 14 13 13 12 12 13 13 13 12 13 12 13
Min Hour 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

- Average Hourly Statistics for Total Sky Cover %

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
0:01- 1:00 59 43 54 47 43 28 37 41 42 31 49 42
1:01- 2:00 60 46 60 53 41 26 41 40 51 33 45 40
2.6. REPORTS/FILES PRODUCED BY THE WEATHER CONVERTER 47

2:01- 3:00 62 52 59 48 43 27 45 41 55 30 46 43
3:01- 4:00 60 55 61 52 42 31 50 38 59 30 46 44
4:01- 5:00 63 57 65 56 50 40 52 45 65 33 49 43
5:01- 6:00 62 61 60 53 54 37 55 52 64 39 54 38
6:01- 7:00 60 63 59 59 55 36 58 54 63 41 55 38
7:01- 8:00 61 67 63 51 51 34 52 54 62 42 52 43
8:01- 9:00 65 68 64 48 48 32 45 42 59 44 49 50
9:01 -10:00 64 71 59 43 46 29 38 38 43 40 44 50
10:01 -11:00 63 66 54 42 45 30 32 35 33 37 46 52
11:01 -12:00 58 64 55 42 48 26 26 33 25 36 42 49
12:01 -13:00 52 59 53 43 46 27 19 30 25 35 39 50
13:01 -14:00 50 61 55 40 46 24 18 27 22 34 41 48
14:01 -15:00 49 62 62 39 44 24 17 27 20 31 43 44
15:01 -16:00 47 64 59 41 47 25 16 26 20 32 46 43
16:01 -17:00 47 62 56 43 48 27 19 31 21 27 46 44
17:01 -18:00 49 61 57 40 45 27 24 33 22 29 46 45
18:01 -19:00 47 59 51 40 43 29 27 36 18 26 46 42
19:01 -20:00 51 54 45 39 42 31 28 37 18 25 47 41
20:01 -21:00 53 49 47 41 39 30 27 38 19 27 44 42
21:01 -22:00 54 44 45 43 39 26 29 40 27 26 46 45
22:01 -23:00 58 43 46 40 38 30 32 38 32 27 44 44
23:01 -24:00 55 41 50 40 38 26 36 41 39 26 46 49
Max Hour 9 10 5 7 7 5 7 7 5 9 7 11
Min Hour 16 24 22 15 23 14 16 16 19 20 13 6

- Average Hourly Statistics for Opaque Sky Cover %

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
0:01- 1:00 57 36 41 41 38 28 36 35 38 26 44 36
1:01- 2:00 57 38 44 45 34 26 40 36 46 30 43 35
2:01- 3:00 58 39 43 43 37 27 44 36 51 27 43 37
3:01- 4:00 57 41 49 50 39 31 48 34 57 28 45 37
4:01- 5:00 60 43 45 54 45 39 50 36 62 30 47 35
5:01- 6:00 60 46 46 52 45 36 54 41 57 37 51 33
6:01- 7:00 58 48 49 58 48 35 56 45 52 39 52 32
7:01- 8:00 59 49 46 50 44 31 50 46 52 40 49 38
8:01- 9:00 62 51 50 46 40 29 43 36 47 43 48 43
9:01 -10:00 61 53 43 41 37 26 37 32 34 38 43 44
10:01 -11:00 59 50 41 40 35 27 30 31 25 36 45 44
11:01 -12:00 55 46 35 40 35 22 25 26 16 34 38 41
12:01 -13:00 49 42 33 40 33 21 18 23 15 30 37 43
13:01 -14:00 46 41 34 38 34 18 15 20 13 30 36 40
14:01 -15:00 45 40 37 37 32 20 15 18 13 27 40 42
15:01 -16:00 44 39 37 39 33 22 13 19 14 29 42 39
16:01 -17:00 41 40 36 41 36 24 16 24 16 25 44 39
17:01 -18:00 46 39 38 38 34 24 21 22 16 27 42 40
18:01 -19:00 44 40 30 38 36 24 25 26 14 24 42 36
19:01 -20:00 45 37 27 36 36 27 26 29 14 23 42 36
20:01 -21:00 49 35 31 37 35 27 25 33 16 25 39 35
21:01 -22:00 49 32 32 40 35 25 27 36 22 23 41 38
22:01 -23:00 53 33 31 38 33 30 31 35 26 24 41 39
23:01 -24:00 52 33 35 38 31 26 35 36 33 23 43 43
Max Hour 9 10 9 7 7 5 7 8 5 9 7 10
Min Hour 17 22 20 20 24 14 16 15 14 20 14 7

The program calculated “undisturbed” ground temperatures:

- Monthly Calculated "undisturbed" Ground Temperatures **& deg;C

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
0.5 m 9.8 9.5 10.1 11.5 13.4 15.1 16.3 16.7 16.0 14.6 12.8 11.0
2.0 m 11.0 10.4 10.6 11.4 12.6 14.0 15.1 15.7 15.6 14.8 13.5 12.1
4.0 m 12.0 11.4 11.3 11.6 12.4 13.3 14.2 14.8 14.9 14.5 13.8 12.8

- ** These ground temperatures should NOT BE USED in the GroundTemperatures object to compute building
floor losses.
- The temperatures for 0.5 m depth can be used for GroundTemperatures :Surface.
- The temperatures for 4.0 m depth can be used for GroundTemperatures :Deep.
- Calculations use a standard soil diffusivity of 2.3225760E-03 {m**2/ day}
As noted in the above statistics calculation , the "undisturbed" ground temperatures calculated by the
48 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

weather converter should not be used in building losses but are appropriate to be used in the
GroundTemperatures :Surface and GroundTemperatures:Deep objects. The reasoning (for building losses)
is that these values are too extreme for the soil under a conditioned building. For best results , use
the Slab or Basement program described in this document to calculate custom monthly average ground
temperatures (see the Ground Heat Transfer section). This is especially important for residential
applications and very small buildings. If one of these ground temperature preprocessors is not used ,
for typical commercial buildings in the USA , a reasonable default value is 2C less than the average
indoor space temperature.
Heating/cooling degree days from the weather file are shown. Long term heating/cooling degree days are
shown earlier if available from ASHRAE HOF for the location/WMO.
- Monthly Heating/Cooling Degree Days/Hours
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
HDD 10C 52 3 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 36
HDD 18C 290 188 223 173 130 100 73 59 54 92 169 273

CDD 10C 10 39 32 68 118 142 188 189 200 157 72 10

CDD 18C 0 0 0 0 0 3 14 0 14 1 0 0

CDH 20C 0 9 0 45 93 136 330 223 410 129 0 0

CDH 23C 0 0 0 5 13 41 167 50 169 13 0 0
CDH 27C 0 0 0 0 0 0 61 5 59 0 0 0

- 1227 annual cooling degree -days (10& deg;C baseline)

- 100 annual heating degree -days (10& deg;C baseline)

- 32 annual cooling degree -days (18& deg;C baseline)

- 1825 annual heating degree -days (18& deg;C baseline)
In the preceding display for degree -days , users more familiar with degree days to a Fahrenheit
temperature base , may wish to multiply the degree day or degree hour values by 9/5.
And then the K&ouml;ppen , ASHRAE and typical/extreme period calculations:
- Climate type "Cfb" (K&ouml;ppen classification)**
- Marine west coastal (warm summer , mild winter , rain all year , lat. 35 -60& deg;N)
* - ** Note that the K&ouml;ppen classification shown here is derived algorithmically from the source
weather data .*
* - It may not be indicative of the long term climate for this location .*

- Climate type "3C" (ASHRAE Standards 90.1 -2004 and 90.2 -2004 Climate Zone)**
- Warm - Marine , Probable K&ouml;ppen classification = Cs , Dry Summer Subtropical (Mediterranean)
* - ** Note that the ASHRAE classification shown here is derived algorithmically from the source weather
data .*
* - It may not be indicative of the long term climate for this location .*

- Typical/Extreme Period Determination

- Summer is Jul:Sep
Extreme Summer Week (nearest maximum temperature for summer)
Extreme Hot Week Period selected: Sep 23: Sep 29, Maximum Temp = 35.10& deg;C, Deviation = |16.393|& deg;
C
Typical Summer Week (nearest average temperature for summer)
Typical Week Period selected: Aug 19: Aug 25, Average Temp = 16.27& deg;C, Deviation = | 0.032|& deg;C

- Winter is Jan:Mar
Extreme Winter Week (nearest minimum temperature for winter)
Extreme Cold Week Period selected: Jan 22: Jan 28, Minimum Temp = -0.40& deg;C, Deviation = | 8.532|& deg
;C
Typical Winter Week (nearest average temperature for winter)
Typical Week Period selected: Mar 5:Mar 11, Average Temp = 10.19& deg;C, Deviation = | 0.417|& deg;C

- Autumn is Oct:Dec
Typical Autumn Week (nearest average temperature for autumn)
Typical Week Period selected: Nov 12: Nov 18, Average Temp = 12.19& deg;C, Deviation = | 0.990|& deg;C
2.6. REPORTS/FILES PRODUCED BY THE WEATHER CONVERTER 49

- Spring is Apr:Jun
Typical Spring Week (nearest average temperature for spring)
Typical Week Period selected: May 13: May 19, Average Temp = 13.59& deg;C, Deviation = | 0.018|& deg;C

As this data is all tab-delimited, putting in a spreadsheet and displaying is not difficult:

Figure 2.6: Monthly Dry Bulb Data in SpreadSheet (for graphing)

And these can be easily used to produce graphs:

Figure 2.7: Graph of Spreadsheet Data

2.6.3 Design Day Calculations Output

Using the WMO field (or determining it from the WBAN field), the Weather Converter performs
table look up in the Design Condition files to see if there are recorded design conditions for the
subject location. If this location is found, then design day objects are produced on the resultant
design day object (ddy extension) file - ready for inclusion into an EnergyPlus input data file.
If no design conditions are located, then the design day object file will still include a location
50 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

object for inclusion with EnergyPlus. However, statistics using the weather file are displayed to the
statistics file - these “can” be used to create your own design day definitions but you should read
the warning that is issued and take care if your weather file is only a “single instance” weather data
representation.
The location objects as well as the design condition objects are constrained by the data source.
Some data sources do not have elevation information - thus, a location object from such a source
will have an elevation of 0.0. Likewise, the time zone of some locations may not be available from
the source data nor other data resources that the weather converter uses. A time zone will be
estimated from the standard meridian of the location (determined by the longitude) but it may not
be accurate. A user needs to be aware of these limitations when taking the design day files from
the weather converter.
Note that you can always include a “def” file with this data to assure accuracy regardless of
input format limitations.
An excerpt of a design day output is shown in the following (actual design day objects have
been deleted for brevity). Note that with the 2009 ASHRAE HOF climate conditions, a possible
DaylightSavingPeriod object may be included.

! The following Location and Design Day data are produced as possible from the indicated data source.
! Wind Speeds follow the indicated design conditions rather than traditional values (6.7 m/s heating ,
3.35 m/s cooling)
! No special attempts at re -creating or determining missing data parts (e.g. Wind speed or direction)
! are done. Therefore , you should look at the data and fill in any incorrect values as you desire.

Site:Location ,
Chicago Ohare Intl Ap_IL_USA Design_Conditions , !- Location Name
41.98 , !- Latitude {N+ S-}
-87.92, !- Longitude {W- E+}
-6.00, !- Time Zone Relative to GMT {GMT+/-}
201.00; !- Elevation {m}

! WMO = 725300 Time Zone = NAC: (GMT -06:00) Central Time (US & Canada)
! Data Source = ASHRAE 2009 Annual Design Conditions
RunPeriodControl:DaylightSavingTime ,
2nd Sunday in March , !- StartDate
2nd Sunday in November; !- EndDate

! Using Design Conditions from "Climate Design Data 2009 ASHRAE Handbook"
! Chicago Ohare Intl Ap_IL_USA Extreme Annual Wind Speeds , 1% = 11.1m/s, 2.5% = 9.4m/s, 5% = 8.6m/s
! Chicago Ohare Intl Ap_IL_USA Extreme Annual Temperatures , Max Drybulb = -23.7& deg;C Min Drybulb =
35.9& deg;C

! Chicago Ohare Intl Ap_IL_USA Annual Heating Design Conditions Wind Speed = 4.9m/s Wind Dir = 270
! Chicago Ohare Intl Ap Annual Cooling Design Conditions Wind Speed = 5.2m/s Wind Dir = 230

! Coldest Month = January

! Chicago Ohare Intl Ap IL USA Annual Heating 99.6% , MaxDB = -20&deg;C

! Chicago Ohare Intl Ap IL USA Annual Heating 99%, MaxDB = -16.6& deg;C

! Chicago Ohare Intl Ap IL USA Annual Cooling (DB = >MWB) 1%, MaxDB = 31.6& deg;C MWB = 23& deg;C

! Chicago Ohare Intl Ap IL USA Annual Humidification 99.6% Design Conditions DP = >MCDB , DP = -25.7& deg
;C
2.6. REPORTS/FILES PRODUCED BY THE WEATHER CONVERTER 51

! Chicago Ohare Intl Ap IL USA Annual Humidification 99% Design Conditions DP = >MCDB , DP = -22.1& deg;C

! Chicago Ohare Intl Ap IL USA Annual Heating Wind 99.6% Design Conditions WS = >MCDB , WS = 12.4m/s

! Chicago Ohare Intl Ap IL USA Annual Heating Wind 99% Design Conditions WS = >MCDB , WS = 11.4m/s

! Hottest Month = July

! Chicago Ohare Intl Ap IL USA Annual Cooling (DB = >MWB) .4%, MaxDB = 33.3& deg;C MWB = 23.7& deg;C

! Chicago Ohare Intl Ap IL USA Annual Heating Design Conditions Wind Speed = 4.9m/s Wind Dir = 270

! Chicago Ohare Intl Ap IL USA Annual Cooling (DB = >MWB) 2%, MaxDB = 30.1& deg;C MWB = 22.1& deg;C

! Chicago Ohare Intl Ap IL USA Annual Cooling (WB = >MDB) .4%, MDB = 31.2& deg;C WB = 25.5& deg;C

! Chicago Ohare Intl Ap IL USA Annual Cooling (WB = >MDB) 1%, MDB = 29.6& deg;C WB = 24.5& deg;C

! Chicago Ohare Intl Ap IL USA Annual Cooling (WB = >MDB) 2%, MDB = 28.1& deg;C WB = 23.5& deg;C

! Chicago Ohare Intl Ap IL USA Annual Cooling (DP = >MDB) .4%, MDB = 28.9& deg;C DP = 23.8& deg;C HR =
0.0192

! Chicago Ohare Intl Ap IL USA Annual Cooling (DP = >MDB) 1%, MDB = 27.7& deg;C DP = 22.9& deg;C HR =
0.0180

! Chicago Ohare Intl Ap IL USA Annual Cooling (DP = >MDB) 2%, MDB = 26.5& deg;C DP = 21.9& deg;C HR =
0.0170

! Chicago Ohare Intl Ap IL USA Annual Cooling (Enthalpy = >MDB) .4%, MDB = 31.4& deg;C Enthalpy = 79.2 kJ
/kg

! Chicago Ohare Intl Ap IL USA Annual Cooling (Enthalpy = >MDB) 1%, MDB = 29.6& deg;C Enthalpy = 75.1 kJ/
kg

! Chicago Ohare Intl Ap IL USA Annual Cooling (Enthalpy = >MDB) 2%, MDB = 28.2& deg;C Enthalpy = 70.9 kJ/
kg

Design day “definitions” originate in the ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals. Prior to 1997,
these conditions were described for winter and summer (heating and cooling). They were based on
seasonal percentages.
EnergyPlus uses the design day object values and creates an entire day of weather data - this
is described more fully in the Input Output Reference under the DesignDay object. The weather
converter program assigns “SummerDesignDay” and “WinterDesignDay” day types by default -
these day types influence “scheduling” of various elements. How to use these effectively is described
during the DesignDay and Schedule objects discussions in the Input Output Reference.
Beginning in 1997, and continuing (the latest version was published in 2009), the design condition
data is based on annual percentages. In addition, only locations with long-term hourly observations
52 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

data (on which to form the basis) are included.

[Link] [From ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals, 2009]:

Design data based on dry-bulb temperature represent peak occurrences of the sensible component
of ambient outdoor conditions. Design values based on wet-bulb temperature are related to the
enthalpy of the outdoor air. Conditions based on dew point relate to the peaks of the humidity
ratio. The designer, engineer, or other user must decide which set(s) of conditions and probability
of occurrence apply to the design situation under consideration.
The 99.6% and 99% Heating conditions are often used in the sizing of heating equipment.
The 0.4, 1.0, and 2.0% dry-bulb temperatures and mean coincident wet-bulb temperatures (i.e.,
DB = >MWB) often represent conditions on hot, mostly sunny days. These are often used in sizing
cooling equipment such as chillers or air-conditioning units.
Design conditions based on wet-bulb temperatures (i.e., WB = >MDB) represent extremes of
the total sensible plus latent heat of outdoor air. This information is useful for cooling towers,
evaporative coolers, and fresh air ventilation system design.
Design conditions based on dew-point temperatures (i.e., DP = >MDB) are directly related
to extremes of humidity ratio, which represent peak moisture loads from the weather. Extreme
dew-point conditions may occur on days with moderate dry-bulb temperatures, resulting in high
relative humidity. These values are especially useful for humidity control applications, such as
desiccant cooling and dehumidification, cooling-based dehumidification, and fresh-air ventilation
systems. The values are also used as a check point when analyzing the behavior of cooling systems
at part-load conditions, particularly when such systems are used for humidity control as a secondary
function. Humidity ratio values are calculated from the corresponding dew-point temperature and
the standard pressure at the location’s elevation.
The enthalpy design conditions (i.e. Enthalpy = > MDB) gives the annual enthalpy for the
cooling season; this is used for calculating cooling loads caused by infiltration and/or ventilation
into buildings. Enthalpy represents the total heat content of air (the sum of its sensible and latent
energies). Cooling loads can be easily calculated knowing the conditions of both the outdoor ambient
and the building’s interior air.

2.7 Köppen Climate Classification

Various attempts have been made to classify the climates of the earth into climatic regions. One
notable, yet ancient and misguided example is that of Aristotle’s Temperate, Torrid, and Frigid
Zones. However, the 20th century classification developed by German climatologist and amateur
botanist Wladimir Köppen (1846-1940) continues to be the authoritative map of the world climates
in use today.
Introduced in 1928 as a wall map co-authored with student Rudolph Geiger, the Köppen system
of classification (map) was updated and modified by Köppen until his death. Since that time, it
has been modified by several geographers.
The modified Köppen Climate Classification System is the most widely used system for
classifying the world’s climates. Its categories are based on the annual and monthly averages of
temperature and precipitation. The Köppen system recognizes six major climatic types; each type
is designated by a capital letter.
2.7. KÖPPEN CLIMATE CLASSIFICATION 53

In addition to the major climate types, each category is further sub-divided into sub-categories
based on temperature and precipitation. There are only 24 sub-categories possible - making the
general schemes quite easy to comprehend.
For example, the U.S. states located along the Gulf of Mexico are designated as “Cfa.” The
“C” represents the “mild mid-latitude” category, the second letter “f” stands for the German word
feucht or “moist,” and the third letter “a” indicates that the average temperature of the warmest
month is above 22°C. Thus, “Cfa” gives us a good indication of the climate of this region, a mild
mid-latitude climate with no dry season and a hot summer.
The Köppen classification code (and some statistics) was adapted (with permission of Peter
Schild) from the COMIS weather program code.

Table 2.13: Köppen Climate Classification – Major

Groups

Köppen Climate Description

Type
A Tropical Moist Climates: all months have average temperatures
above 18 degrees Celsius
B Dry Climates: with deficient precipitation during most of the
year
C Moist Mid-latitude Climates with Mild Winters
D Moist Mid-Latitude Climates with Cold Winters
E Polar Climates: with extremely cold winters and summers
H Highland areas: Due to mountainous areas, this classification
can encompass any of the previous five.

More details on each of the major categories and sub-categories follow:

2.7.1 Tropical Moist Climates (A)

Tropical moist climates extend northward and southward from the equator to about 15 to 25 degrees
of latitude. In these climates all months have average temperatures greater than 18 degrees Celsius.
Annual precipitation is greater than 1500 mm. Three minor Köppen climate types exist in the A
group and their designation is based on seasonal distribution of rainfall. Af or tropical wet is a
tropical the climate where precipitation occurs all year long. Monthly temperature variations in
this climate are less than 3 degrees Celsius. Because of intense surface heating and high humidity
cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds form early in the afternoons almost every day. Daily highs are
about 32 degrees Celsius while night time temperatures average 22 degrees Celsius. Am is a tropical
monsoon climate. Annual rainfall is equal to or greater than Af, but falls in the 7 to 9 hottest
months. During the dry season very little rainfall occurs. The tropical wet and dry or savanna
(Aw) has an extended dry season during winter. Precipitation during the wet season is usually less
than 1000 millimeters and only during the summer season.
54 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

2.7.2 Dry Climates (B)

The most obvious climatic feature of these climates is potential evaporation and transpiration
exceeds precipitation. These climates extend from 20 - 35 degrees North and South of the equator
and in large continental regions of the mid-latitudes often surrounded by mountains. Minor types
of this climate include: Bw - dry arid (desert) is a true desert climate. It covers 12 % of the earth’s
land surface and is dominated by xerophytic vegetation. Bs - dry semiarid (steppe) is a grassland
climate that covers 14% of the earth’s land surface. It receives more precipitation than the Bw
either from the inter-tropical convergence zone or from mid-latitude cyclones.

2.7.3 Moist Subtropical Mid-Latitude Climates (C)

This climate generally has warm and humid summers with mild winters. Its extent is from 30 to 50
degrees of latitude mainly on the eastern and western borders of most continents. During the winter
the main weather feature is the mid-latitude cyclone. Convective thunderstorms dominate summer
months. Three minor types exist: Cfa - humid subtropical; Cs - mediterranean; and Cfb - marine.
The humid subtropical climate (Cfa) has hot muggy summers and mainly thunderstorms. Winters
are mild and precipitation during this season comes from mid-latitude cyclones. A good example
of a Cfa climate is the southeastern USA. Cfb, marine, climates are found on the western coasts of
continents. They have a humid climate with short dry summer. Heavy precipitation occurs during
the mild winters because of continuous presence of mid-latitude cyclones. Mediterranean climates
(Cs) receive rain primarily during winter season from the mid-latitude cyclone. Extreme summer
aridity is caused by the sinking air of the subtropical highs and may exist for up to 5 months.
Locations in North America are from Portland, Oregon to all of California.

2.7.4 Moist Continental Mid-latitude Climates (D)

Moist continental mid-latitude climates have warm to cool summers and cold winters. The location
of these climates is pole ward of the C climates. The warmest month is greater than 10º C, while
the coldest month is less than -30º C. Winters are severe with snowstorms, strong winds, bitter cold
from Continental Polar or Arctic air masses. Like the C climates there are three minor types: Dw
- dry winters; Ds - dry summers; and Df - wet all seasons.

2.7.5 Polar Climates (E)

Polar climates have year-round cold temperatures with warmest month less than 10º C. Polar
climates are found on the northern coastal areas of North America and Europe, Asia and on the
landmasses of Greenland and Antarctica. Two minor climate types exist. ET or polar tundra is a
climate where the soil is permanently frozen to depths of hundreds of meters, a condition known as
permafrost. Vegetation is dominated by mosses, lichens, dwarf trees and scattered woody shrubs.
EF or polar ice caps has a surface that is permanently covered with snow and ice.

2.7.6 Highlands Areas (H)

Highland areas can encompass any of the previously mentioned major categories – the determining
factor is one of altitude (temperature decreases roughly 2º C for every increase of 305 m). This
is a complex climate zone. Highland regions roughly correspond to the major categories change in
2.8. ASHRAE CLIMATE CLASSIFICATION 55

temperature with latitude - with one important exception. Seasons only exist in highlands if they
also exist in the nearby lowland regions. For example, although A climates have cooler temperatures
at higher elevations, the seasonal changes of C, D and E climates are not present.
The following shows an overview of the world and its Köppen classifications.

Figure 2.8: World viewed as Köppen Climate Zones

And a more basic view with monthly dry bulb temperature and dew point temperatures for
these zones (Northern Hemisphere).

2.8 ASHRAE Climate Classification

For the ASHRAE 90.1 and 90.2 standards (2004), a climate zone classification scheme was
introduced, similar to the Köppen classification. The methodology is described in two ASHRAE
Transactions papers - Briggs - 2002.

2.9 EnergyPlus Weather File (EPW) Data Dictionary

The “data dictionary” for EnergyPlus Weather Data is shown below. Note that semi-colons do
NOT terminate lines in the EnergyPlus Weather Data. It helps if you have familiarity with the
IDD conventions please view them in the Input Output Reference document. Briefly, we have
similar “\” conventions that are important for reading the following tables:
\minimum, \minimum> - values for this field must be either > = or > than the following
number
\maximum, \maximum< - values for this field must be either < = or < than the following
number
\missing - if values in this field are > = the following number, it is considered “missing” and
missing data rules will apply
56 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

Figure 2.9: Monthly Dry Bulb Temperatures in Köppen Climates (Northern Hemisphere)
2.9. ENERGYPLUS WEATHER FILE (EPW) DATA DICTIONARY 57

Figure 2.10: Monthly Dew Point in Köppen Climates (Northern Hemisphere)

58 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

\default - blank fields will receive the following as “default” values

\units - expected units for the field. Standard EnergyPlus units are shown in the Input Output
Reference Document.
Note that in the header records where “date” is used, the interpretation is shown in the following
table.
Table 2.14: Weather File Date Field Interpretation

Field Contents Interpretation Header Applicability

< number > Julian Day of Year All date fields
< number > / < Month / Day All date fields
number >
< number > / Month / Day / Year
DataPeriod only - special multiple year file
< number > / < - ref: RunPeriod:CustomRange object in
number > IDF / Input Output Reference document
< number > Month Day and Month All date fields
Month < number > Day and Month All date fields
< number > Numbered weekday Holiday, DaylightSavingPeriod
Weekday in Month of month
Last Weekday In Last weekday of Holiday, DaylightSavingPeriod
Month month

In the table, Month can be one of (January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August,
September, October, November, December). Abbreviations of the first three characters are also
valid.
In the table, Weekday can be one of (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,
Saturday). Abbreviations of the first three characters are also valid.
!ESP(r)/EnergyPlus Weather Format
!April 2002
\memo Dates in the EPW file can be several formats:
\memo <number >/<number > (month/day)
\memo <number > Month
\memo Month <number >
\memo <number > (taken to be Julian day of year)
\memo Months are January , February , March , April , May ,
\memo June , July , August , September , October , November , December
\memo Months can be the first 3 letters of the month

LOCATION ,
A1 , \field city
\type alpha
A2 , \field State Province Region
\type alpha
A3 , \field Country
\type alpha
A4 , \field Source
\type alpha
N1 , \field WMO
\note usually a 6 digit field. Used as alpha in EnergyPlus
\type alpha
N2 , \field Latitude
\units deg
2.9. ENERGYPLUS WEATHER FILE (EPW) DATA DICTIONARY 59

\minimum -90.0
\maximum +90.0
\default 0.0
\note + is North , - is South , degree minutes represented in decimal (i.e. 30 minutes is .5)
\type real
N3 , \field Longitude
\units deg
\minimum -180.0
\maximum +180.0
\default 0.0
\note - is West , + is East , degree minutes represented in decimal (i.e. 30 minutes is .5)
\type real
N4 , \field TimeZone
\units hr - not on standard units list ???
\minimum -12.0
\maximum +12.0
\default 0.0
\note Time relative to GMT.
\type real
N5 ; \field Elevation
\units m
\minimum -1000.0
\maximum < +9999.9
\default 0.0
\type real

The Location header record duplicates the information required for the Location Object. When
only a Run Period object is used (i.e. a weather file), then the Location Object Is not needed.
When a Run Period and Design Day objects are entered, then the Location on the weather file (as
described previously) is used and overrides any Location Object entry.
DESIGN CONDITIONS ,
N1 , \field Number of Design Conditions
A1 , \field Design Condition Source
\note current sources are ASHRAE HOF 2009 US Design Conditions , Canadian Design Conditions
\note and World Design Conditions
A2 , \field Design Condition Type (HEATING)
\note fields here will be dependent on the source , they are shown in a header/data format
\note in both the .rpt and .csv files that are produced by the WeatherConverter program
...
An , \field Design Condition Type (COOLING)
\note same as note on Heating Design Conditions

The Design Conditions header record encapsulates matching (using WMO# – World
Meteorological Organization Station Number) design conditions for a weather file location.
Currently only those design conditions contained in the ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals 2009
are contained in the weather files. These conditions can be used as desired. In addition, Design
Day definition files have been created of all World, Canada, and United States Design Conditions.
TYPICAL/EXTREME PERIODS ,
N1 , \field Number of Typical/Extreme Periods
A1 , \field Typical/Extreme Period 1 Name
A2 , \field Typical/Extreme Period 1 Type
A3 , \field Period 1 Start Day
A4 , \field Period 1 End Day
\note repeat (A1 -A3) until number of typical periods
-- etc to # of periods entered

Using a heuristic method, the weather converter can determine typical and extreme weather
periods for full year weather files. These will then be shown on the Typical/Extreme Periods
header record. These are also reported in the statistical report output from the Weather Converter.
GROUND TEMPERATURES ,
N1 , Number of Ground Temperature Depths
N2 , \field Ground Temperature Depth 1
60 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

\units m
N3 , \field Depth 1 Soil Conductivity
\units W/m-K,
N4 , \field Depth 1 Soil Density
\units kg/m3
N5 , \field Depth 1 Soil Specific Heat
\units J/kg -K,
N6 , \field Depth 1 January Average Ground Temperature
\units C
N7 , \field Depth 1 February Average Ground Temperature
\units C
N8 , \field Depth 1 March Average Ground Temperature
\units C
N9 , \field Depth 1 April Average Ground Temperature
\units C
N10 , \field Depth 1 May Average Ground Temperature
\units C
N11 , \field Depth 1 June Average Ground Temperature
\units C
N12 , \field Depth 1 July Average Ground Temperature
\units C
N13 , \field Depth 1 August Average Ground Temperature
\units C
N14 , \field Depth 1 September Average Ground Temperature
\units C
N15 , \field Depth 1 October Average Ground Temperature
\units C
N16 , \field Depth 1 November Average Ground Temperature
\units C
N17 , \field Depth 1 December Average Ground Temperature
\units C
\note repeat above (N2 -N17) to number of ground temp depths indicated
-- etc to # of depths entered

The weather converter program can use a full year weather data file to calculate “undisturbed”
ground temperatures based on temperatures. Since an important part of soil heat transfer includes
soil properties such as conductivity, density and specific heat AND these cannot be calculated from
simple weather observations, this header record is provided primarilyfor user information. However,
with the FC construction option, these are automatically selected (.5 depth) for use if the user does
not include values in the Site:GroundTemperature:FcfactorMethod object.
As noted in the statistics report, the “undisturbed” ground temperatures calculated by the
weather converter should not be used in building losses but are appropriate to be used in the
GroundTemperatures:Surface and GroundTemperatures:Deep objects. The reasoning (for building
losses) is that these values are too extreme for the soil under a conditioned building. For best results,
use the Slab or Basement program described in this document to calculate custom monthly average
ground temperatures (see the Ground Heat Transfer section). This is especially important for
residential applications and very small buildings. If one of these ground temperature preprocessors
is not used, for typical commercial buildings in the USA, a reasonable default value is 2C less than
the average indoor space temperature.
HOLIDAYS/DAYLIGHT SAVING ,
A1 , \field LeapYear Observed
\type choice
\key Yes
\key No
\note Yes if Leap Year will be observed for this file
\note No if Leap Year days (29 Feb) should be ignored in this file
A2 , \field Daylight Saving Start Day
A3 , \field Daylight Saving End Day
N1 , \field Number of Holidays (essentially unlimited)
A4 , \field Holiday 1 Name
A5 , \field Holiday 1 Day
\note repeat above two fields until Number of Holidays is reached
2.9. ENERGYPLUS WEATHER FILE (EPW) DATA DICTIONARY 61

-- etc to # of Holidays entered

The Holidays / Daylight Saving header record details the start and end dates of Daylight Saving
Time and other special days such as might be recorded for the weather file. These can be used by
keying “Yes” for appropriate fields in the Run Period Object.
Note: EnergyPlus processed weather files available on the EnergyPlus web site: have neither
special days specified nor daylight saving period.
For example, using a RunPeriod:

RunPeriod ,
1, !- Begin Month
1, !- Begin Day Of Month
12, !- End Month
31, !- End Day Of Month
Wednesday , !- Day Of Week For Start Day
Yes , !- Use WeatherFile Holidays/Special Days
No , !- Use WeatherFile DaylightSavingPeriod
Yes , !- Apply Weekend Holiday Rule
Yes , !- Use WeatherFile Rain Indicators
Yes; !- Use WeatherFile Snow Indicators

Will use any holidays specified in the Holidays / Daylight Saving header record of the weather
file but will not use the Daylight Saving Period that is specified there (if any). In addition, the user
can specify Special Day Periods via the Special Day Period object and/or Daylight Saving Period
via the Daylight Saving Period object to additionally specify these items.
COMMENTS 1, A1 \field Comments_1
COMMENTS 2, A1 \field Comments_2

The Comment header records may provide additional information about the weather data source
or other information which may not fit in other header record formats.
DATA PERIODS ,
N1 , \field Number of Data Periods
N2 , \field Number of Records per hour
A1 , \field Data Period 1 Name/Description
A2 , \field Data Period 1 Start Day of Week
\type choice
\key Sunday
\key Monday
\key Tuesday
\key Wednesday
\key Thursday
\key Friday
\key Saturday
A3 , \field Data Period 1 Start Day
A4 , \field Data Period 1 End Day
\note repeat above to number of data periods
-- etc to # of periods entered

A weather file may contain several “data periods” though this is not required (and, in fact, may
be detrimental). In addition, a weather file may contain multiple records per hour BUT these must
match the Number of Time Steps In Hour for the simulation. Multiple interval data files can be
valued when you want to be sure of the weather values for each time step (rather than relying on
“interpolated” weather data). A weather file may also contain several consecutive years of weather
data. EnergyPlus will automatically process the extra years when the Number of Years field is used
in the RunPeriod object. Sorry - there is no way to jump into a year in the middle of the EPW file.
Note that a Run Period object may not cross Data Period boundary lines.
62 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

For those interested in creating their own weather data in the CSV or EPW formats or reading
the .csv and .epw files that are produced by the Weather Converter program, the fields are shown in
the following “IDD” description. Items shown in bold are used directly in the EnergyPlus program.
! Actual data does not have a descriptor
N1 , \field Year
N2 , \field Month
N3 , \field Day
N4 , \field Hour
N5 , \field Minute
A1 , \field Data Source and Uncertainty Flags
\note Initial day of weather file is checked by EnergyPlus for validity (as shown below)
\note Each field is checked for "missing" as shown below. Reasonable values , calculated
\note values or the last "good" value is substituted.
N6 , \field Dry Bulb Temperature
\units C
\minimum > -70
\maximum < 70
\missing 99.9
N7 , \field Dew Point Temperature
\units C
\minimum > -70
\maximum < 70
\missing 99.9
N8 , \field Relative Humidity
\missing 999.
\minimum 0
\maximum 110
N9 , \field Atmospheric Station Pressure
\units Pa
\missing 999999.
\minimum > 31000
\maximum < 120000
N10 , \field Extraterrestrial Horizontal Radiation
\units Wh/m2
\missing 9999.
\minimum 0
N11 , \field Extraterrestrial Direct Normal Radiation
\units Wh/m2
\missing 9999.
\minimum 0
N12 , \field Horizontal Infrared Radiation Intensity
\units Wh/m2
\missing 9999.
\minimum 0
N13 , \field Global Horizontal Radiation
\units Wh/m2
\missing 9999.
\minimum 0
N14 , \field Direct Normal Radiation
\units Wh/m2
\missing 9999.
\minimum 0
N15 , \field Diffuse Horizontal Radiation
\units Wh/m2
\missing 9999.
\minimum 0
N16 , \field Global Horizontal Illuminance
\units lux
\missing 999999.
\note will be missing if > = 999900
\minimum 0
N17 , \field Direct Normal Illuminance
\units lux
\missing 999999.
\note will be missing if > = 999900
\minimum 0
N18 , \field Diffuse Horizontal Illuminance
\units lux
2.9. ENERGYPLUS WEATHER FILE (EPW) DATA DICTIONARY 63

\missing 999999.
\note will be missing if > = 999900
\minimum 0
N19 , \field Zenith Luminance
\units Cd/m2
\missing 9999.
\note will be missing if > = 9999
\minimum 0
N20 , \field Wind Direction
\units degrees
\missing 999.
\minimum 0
\maximum 360
N21 , \field Wind Speed
\units m/s
\missing 999.
\minimum 0
\maximum 40
N22 , \field Total Sky Cover
\missing 99
\minimum 0
\maximum 10
N23 , \field Opaque Sky Cover (used if Horizontal IR Intensity missing)
\missing 99
\minimum 0
\maximum 10
N24 , \field Visibility
\units km
\missing 9999
N25 , \field Ceiling Height
\units m
\missing 99999
N26 , \field Present Weather Observation
N27 , \field Present Weather Codes
N28 , \field Precipitable Water
\units mm
\missing 999
N29 , \field Aerosol Optical Depth
\units thousandths
\missing .999
N30 , \field Snow Depth
\units cm
\missing 999
N31 , \field Days Since Last Snowfall
\missing 99
N32 , \field Albedo
\missing 999
N33 , \field Liquid Precipitation Depth
\units mm
\missing 999
N34; \field Liquid Precipitation Quantity
\units hr
\missing 99

2.9.1 Data Field Descriptions

Descriptions of the fields are taken from the IWEC manual - as descriptive of what should be
contained in the data fields.

[Link] Field: Year

This is the Year of the data. Not really used in EnergyPlus. Used in the Weather Converter
program for display in audit file.
64 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

[Link] Field: Month

This is the month (1-12) for the data. Cannot be missing.

[Link] Field: Day

This is the day (dependent on month) for the data. Cannot be missing.

[Link] Field: Hour

This is the hour of the data. (1 - 24). Hour 1 is 00:01 to 01:00. Cannot be missing.

[Link] Field: Minute

This is the minute field. (1..60)

[Link] Field: Data Source and Uncertainty Flags

The data source and uncertainty flags from various formats (usually shown with each field) are
consolidated in the E/E+ EPW format. More is shown about Data Source and Uncertainty in
Data Sources/Uncertainty section later in this document.

[Link] Field: Dry Bulb Temperature

This is the dry bulb temperature in C at the time indicated. Note that this is a full numeric field
(i.e. 23.6) and not an integer representation with tenths. Valid values range from -70°C to 70°C.
Missing value for this field is 99.9.

[Link] Field: Dew Point Temperature

This is the dew point temperature in C at the time indicated. Note that this is a full numeric field
(i.e. 23.6) and not an integer representation with tenths. Valid values range from -70°C to 70°C.
Missing value for this field is 99.9.

[Link] Field: Relative Humidity

This is the Relative Humidity in percent at the time indicated. Valid values range from 0% to
110%. Missing value for this field is 999.

[Link] Field: Atmospheric Station Pressure

This is the station pressure in Pa at the time indicated. Valid values range from 31,000 to 120,000.
(These values were chosen from the standard barometric pressure for all elevations of the World).
Missing value for this field is 999999.

[Link] Field: Extraterrestrial Horizontal Radiation

This is the Extraterrestrial Horizontal Radiation in Wh/m2. It is not currently used in EnergyPlus
calculations. It should have a minimum value of 0; missing value for this field is 9999.
2.9. ENERGYPLUS WEATHER FILE (EPW) DATA DICTIONARY 65

[Link] Field: Extraterrestrial Direct Normal Radiation

This is the Extraterrestrial Direct Normal Radiation in Wh/m2. (Amount of solar radiation in
Wh/m2 received on a surface normal to the rays of the sun at the top of the atmosphere during the
number of minutes preceding the time indicated). It is not currently used in EnergyPlus calculations.
It should have a minimum value of 0; missing value for this field is 9999.

[Link] Field: Horizontal Infrared Radiation Intensity

This is the Horizontal Infrared Radiation Intensity in Wh/m2. If it is missing, it is calculated from
the Opaque Sky Cover field as shown in the following explanation. It should have a minimum value
of 0; missing value for this field is 9999.

4
HorizontalIR = ϵσTdrybulb (2.3)
where
• HorizontalIR is the horizontal IR intensity {W/m2 }
• ϵ is the sky emissivity
• σ is the Stefan-Boltzmann constant = 5.6697e-8 W/m2 -K4
• Tdrybulb is the drybulb temperature {K}
The sky emissivity is given by
( ( ))
Tdewpoint ( )
ϵ = 0.787 + 0.764 ln 1 + 0.0224N − 0.0035N 2 + 0.00028N 3 (2.4)
273
where
• Tdewpoint is the dewpoint temperature {K}
• N is the opaque sky cover {tenths}
Example: Clear sky (N = 0 ), Tdrybulb = 273 + 20 = 293K , Tdewpoint = 273 + 10 = 283K :
ϵ = 0.787 + 0.764 ∗ 0.036 = 0.815
HorizontalIR = 0.815 ∗ 5.6697e − 8 ∗ (2934 ) = 340.6W /m2
References (Walton, 1983) (Clark, Allen, 1978) for these calculations are contained in the
references section at the end of this list of fields.

[Link] Field: Global Horizontal Radiation

This is the Global Horizontal Radiation in Wh/m2. (Total amount of direct and diffuse solar
radiation in Wh/m2 received on a horizontal surface during the number of minutes preceding the
time indicated.) It is not currently used in EnergyPlus calculations. It should have a minimum
value of 0; missing value for this field is 9999.

[Link] Field: Direct Normal Radiation

This is the Direct Normal Radiation in Wh/m2. (Amount of solar radiation in Wh/m2 received
directly from the solar disk on a surface perpendicular to the sun’s rays, during the number of
minutes preceding the time indicated.) If the field is missing (≥ 9999 ) or invalid (< 0 ), it is set to
0. Counts of such missing values are totaled and presented at the end of the runperiod.
66 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

[Link] Field: Diffuse Horizontal Radiation

This is the Diffuse Horizontal Radiation in Wh/m2. (Amount of solar radiation in Wh/m2 received
from the sky (excluding the solar disk) on a horizontal surface during the number of minutes
preceding the time indicated.) If the field is missing (≥ 9999 ) or invalid (< 0 ), it is set to 0.
Counts of such missing values are totaled and presented at the end of the runperiod.

[Link] Field: Global Horizontal Illuminance

This is the Global Horizontal Illuminance in lux. (Average total amount of direct and diffuse
illuminance in hundreds of lux received on a horizontal surface during the number of minutes
preceding the time indicated.) It is not currently used in EnergyPlus calculations. It should have a
minimum value of 0; missing value for this field is 999999 and will be considered missing if greater
than or equal to 999900.

[Link] Field: Direct Normal Illuminance

This is the Direct Normal Illuminance in lux. (Average amount of illuminance in hundreds of lux
received directly from the solar disk on a surface perpendicular to the sun’s rays, during the number
of minutes preceding the time indicated.) It is not currently used in EnergyPlus calculations. It
should have a minimum value of 0; missing value for this field is 999999 and will be considered
missing if greater than or equal to 999900.

[Link] Field: Diffuse Horizontal Illuminance

This is the Diffuse Horizontal Illuminance in lux. (Average amount of illuminance in hundreds of
lux received from the sky (excluding the solar disk) on a horizontal surface during the number of
minutes preceding the time indicated.) It is not currently used in EnergyPlus calculations. It should
have a minimum value of 0; missing value for this field is 999999 and will be considered missing if
greater than or equal to 999900.

[Link] Field: Zenith Luminance

This is the Zenith Illuminance in Cd/m2. (Average amount of luminance at the sky’s zenith in tens
of Cd/m2 during the number of minutes preceding the time indicated.) It is not currently used in
EnergyPlus calculations. It should have a minimum value of 0; missing value for this field is 9999.

[Link] Field: Wind Direction

This is the Wind Direction in degrees where the convention is that North = 0.0, East = 90.0, South
= 180.0, West = 270.0. (Wind direction in degrees at the time indicated. If calm, direction equals
zero.) Values can range from 0 to 360. Missing value is 999.

[Link] Field: Wind Speed

This is the wind speed in m/sec. (Wind speed at time indicated.) Values can range from 0 to 40.
Missing value is 999.
2.9. ENERGYPLUS WEATHER FILE (EPW) DATA DICTIONARY 67

[Link] Field: Total Sky Cover

This is the value for total sky cover (tenths of coverage). (i.e. 1 is 1/10 covered. 10 is total coverage).
(Amount of sky dome in tenths covered by clouds or obscuring phenomena at the hour indicated
at the time indicated.) Minimum value is 0; maximum value is 10; missing value is 99.

[Link] Field: Opaque Sky Cover

This is the value for opaque sky cover (tenths of coverage). (i.e. 1 is 1/10 covered. 10 is total
coverage). (Amount of sky dome in tenths covered by clouds or obscuring phenomena that prevent
observing the sky or higher cloud layers at the time indicated.) This is not used unless the field
for Horizontal Infrared Radiation Intensity is missing and then it is used to calculate Horizontal
Infrared Radiation Intensity. Minimum value is 0; maximum value is 10; missing value is 99.

[Link] Field: Visibility

This is the value for visibility in km. (Horizontal visibility at the time indicated.) It is not currently
used in EnergyPlus calculations. Missing value is 9999.

[Link] Field: Ceiling Height

This is the value for ceiling height in m. (77777 is unlimited ceiling height. 88888 is cirroform
ceiling.) It is not currently used in EnergyPlus calculations. Missing value is 99999.

[Link] Field: Present Weather Observation

If the value of the field is 0, then the observed weather codes are taken from the following field.
If the value of the field is 9, then “missing” weather is assumed. Since the primary use of these
fields (Present Weather Observation and Present Weather Codes) is for rain/wet surfaces, a missing
observation field or a missing weather code implies no rain.

Table 2.15: Present Weather Observation Values

Element Values Definition

Observation 0 or 9 0 = Weather observation made; 9 =
Indicator Weather observation not made, or missing

[Link] Field: Present Weather Codes

The present weather codes field is assumed to follow the TMY2 conventions for this field. Note that
though this field may be represented as numeric (e.g. in the CSV format), it is really a text field
of 9 single digits. This convention along with values for each “column” (left to right) is presented
in Table 2.16. Note that some formats (e.g. TMY) does not follow this convention - as much
as possible, the present weather codes are converted to this convention during WeatherConverter
processing. Also note that the most important fields are those representing liquid precipitation -
where the surfaces of the building would be wet. EnergyPlus uses “Snow Depth” to determine if
snow is on the ground.
68 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

Table 2.16: Weather Codes Field Interpretation

Column - Poisition in Element Description Possible Values Definition

Field
1 Occurrence 0 - 2, 4, 6- 9 0 = Thunderstorm-
ofThunderstorm,Tornado, lightning and
orSquall thunder. Wind
gusts less than 25.7
m/s, and hail, if
any, less than 1.9
cm diameter 1 =
Heavy or severe
thunderstorm-
frequent intense
lightning and
thunder. Wind
gusts greater than
25.7 m/s and hail,
if any, 1.9 cm or
greater diameter 2
= Report of tornado
or waterspout 4 =
Moderate squall-
sudden increase
of windspeed by
at least 8.2 m/s,
reaching 11.3 m/s
or more and lasting
for at least 1 minute
6 = Water spout
(beginning January
1984) 7 = Funnel
cloud (beginning
January 1984) 8 =
Tornado (beginning
January 1984) 9 =
None if Observation
Indicator element
equals 0, or else
unknown or missing
if Observation
Indicator element
equals 9
2.9. ENERGYPLUS WEATHER FILE (EPW) DATA DICTIONARY 69

Table 2.16: Weather Codes Field Interpretation

Column - Poisition in Element Description Possible Values Definition

Field
2 Occurrence ofRain, 0-9 0 = Light rain 1
RainShowers, = Moderate rain 2
orFreezing Rain = Heavy rain 3 =
Light rain showers
4 = Moderate rain
showers 5 = Heavy
rain showers 6 =
Light freezing rain 7
= Moderate freezing
rain 8 = Heavy
freezing rain 9 =
None if Observation
Indicator element
equals 0, or else
unknown or missing
if Observation
Indicator element
equals 9 Notes: Light
= up to 0.25 cm per
hour Moderate =
0.28to 0.76 cm
per hour Heavy =
greater than 0.76cm
per hour
70 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

Table 2.16: Weather Codes Field Interpretation

Column - Poisition in Element Description Possible Values Definition

Field
3 Occurrence ofRain 0, 1, 3-9 0 = Light rain squalls
Squalls,Drizzle, 1 = Moderate rain
orFreezing Drizzle squalls 3 = Light
drizzle 4 = Moderate
drizzle 5 = Heavy
drizzle 6 = Light
freezing drizzle 7 =
Moderate freezing
drizzle 8 = Heavy
freezing drizzle 9 =
None if Observation
Indicator element
equals 0, or else
unknown or missing
if Observation
Indicator element
equals 9 Notes:
When drizzle or
freezing drizzle
occurswith other
weather phenomena:
Light = up to0.025
cm per hour
Moderate = 0.025
to 0.051cm per hour
Heavy = greater
than 0.051 cmper
hour When drizzle
or freezing drizzle
occurs alone: Light
= visibility 1 km or
greater Moderate =
visibility between 0.5
and 1 km Heavy =
visibility 0.5 km or
less
2.9. ENERGYPLUS WEATHER FILE (EPW) DATA DICTIONARY 71

Table 2.16: Weather Codes Field Interpretation

Column - Poisition in Element Description Possible Values Definition

Field
4 Occurrence ofSnow, 0 - 9 0 = Light snow 1
SnowPellets, or = Moderate snow 2
IceCrystals = Heavy snow 3 =
Light snow pellets
4 = Moderate snow
pellets 5 = Heavy
snow pellets 6 =
Light ice crystals
7 = Moderate ice
crystals 8 = Heavy
ice crystals 9 =
None if Observation
Indicator element
equals 0, or else
unknown or missing
if Observation
Indicator
element equals 9
Notes:Beginning
in April 1963,
any occurrence
of icecrystals is
recorded as a 7.
5 Occurrence ofSnow 0 - 7, 9 0 = Light snow 1
Showers,Snow = Moderate snow
Squalls, orSnow showers 2 = Heavy
Grains snow showers 3 =
Light snow squall 4
= Moderate snow
squall 5 = Heavy
snow squall 6 =
Light snow grains
7 = Moderate
snow grains 9 =
None if Observation
Indicator element
equals 0, or else
unknown or missing
if Observation
Indicator element
equals 9
72 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

Table 2.16: Weather Codes Field Interpretation

Column - Poisition in Element Description Possible Values Definition

Field
6 Occurrence ofSleet, 0 - 2, 4, 9 0 = Light ice
SleetShowers, or Hail pellet showers 1
= Moderate ice
pellet showers 2 =
Heavy ice pellet
showers 4 = Hail 9 =
None if Observation
Indicator element
equals 0, or else
unknown or missing
if Observation
Indicator element
equals 9 Notes: Prior
to April 1970, ice
pellets werecoded as
sleet. Beginning in
April 1970, sleetand
small hail were
redefined as ice
pellets andare coded
as 0, 1, or 2.
7 Occurrence ofFog, 0 - 9 0 = Fog 1 = Ice fog
BlowingDust, or 2 = Ground fog 3
Blowing Sand = Blowing dust 4 =
Blowing sand 5 =
Heavy fog 6 = Glaze
(beginning 1984)
7 = Heavy ice fog
(beginning 1984) 8
= Heavy ground fog
(beginning 1984) 9 =
None if Observation
Indicator element
equals 0, or else
unknown or missing
if Observation
Indicator element
equals 9 Notes:These
values recorded only
when visibility isless
than 11 km.
2.9. ENERGYPLUS WEATHER FILE (EPW) DATA DICTIONARY 73

Table 2.16: Weather Codes Field Interpretation

Column - Poisition in Element Description Possible Values Definition

Field
8 Occurrence ofSmoke, 0 - 7, 9 0 = Smoke 1 =
Haze,Smoke Haze 2 = Smoke
andHaze, and haze 3 = Dust
BlowingSnow, 4 = Blowing snow
BlowingSpray, or 5 = Blowing spray
Dust 6 = Dust storm
(beginning 1984) 7
= Volcanic ash 9 =
None if Observation
Indicator element
equals 0, or else
unknown or missing
if Observation
Indicator element
equals 9 Notes:
These values
recorded only when
visibility is less than
11 km.
9 Occurrence ofIce 0 - 2, 9 0 = Light ice pellets
Pellets 1 = Moderate ice
pellets 2 = Heavy
ice pellets 9 =
None if Observation
Indicator element
equals 0, or else
unknown or missing
if Observation
Indicator element
equals 9

For example, a Present Weather Observation (previous field) of 0 and a Present Weather Codes
field of 929999999 notes that there is heavy rain for this data period (usually hourly but depends
on the number of intervals per hour field in the “Data Periods” record).

[Link] Field: Precipitable Water

This is the value for Precipitable Water in mm. (This is not rain - rain is inferred from the
PresWeathObs field but a better result is from the Liquid Precipitation Depth field)). It is not
currently used in EnergyPlus calculations (primarily due to the unreliability of the reporting of this
value). Missing value is 999.
74 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

[Link] Field: Aerosol Optical Depth

This is the value for Aerosol Optical Depth in thousandths. It is not currently used in EnergyPlus
calculations. Missing value is .999.

[Link] Field: Snow Depth

This is the value for Snow Depth in cm. This field is used to tell when snow is on the ground and,
thus, the ground reflectance may change. Missing value is 999.

[Link] Field: Days Since Last Snowfall

This is the value for Days Since Last Snowfall. It is not currently used in EnergyPlus calculations.
Missing value is 99.

[Link] Field: Albedo

The ratio (unitless) of reflected solar irradiance to global horizontal irradiance. It is not currently
used in EnergyPlus.

[Link] Field: Liquid Precipitation Depth

The amount of liquid precipitation (mm) observed at the indicated time for the period indicated
in the liquid precipitation quantity field. If this value is not missing, then it is used and overrides
the rain indicator (IsRain) as true, when the hourly liquid precipitation is no less than 0.8 mm.
Conversely, if the rain indicator shows rain and this field is missing or zero, it is set to 2.0 mm.

[Link] Field: Liquid Precipitation Quantity

The period of accumulation (hr) for the liquid precipitation depth field. It is not currently used in
EnergyPlus.

2.9.2 References
Walton, G. N. 1983. Thermal Analysis Research Program Reference Manual. NBSSIR 83-2655.
National Bureau of Standards, p. 21.
Clark, G. and C. Allen, “The Estimation of Atmospheric Radiation for Clear and Cloudy Skies,”
Proceedings 2nd National Passive Solar Conference (AS/ISES), 1978, pp. 675-678.

2.10 EPW CSV Format (In/Out)

EPW CSV Format to the Weather Converter is a special CSV format which echoes the format of the
EPW file. For the “header” records in the CSV file, they are basically the same as the header records
for the EPW file (see above). However, in the CSV file, each header is shown and then the data.
Partial year files will not have all of these headers “filled” in. Also see Figure 2.11. EnergyPlus EPW
CSV file (spreadsheet view) and Figure 2.12. EnergyPlus EPW CSV Data Records (spreadsheet
view) for snapshot pictures of the EnergyPlus EPW CSV file as shown in a spreadsheet.
2.10. EPW CSV FORMAT (IN/OUT) 75

2.10.1 Location Header/Data (CSV)

Location Title,Latitude {N+/S-},Longitude {E+/W-},TimeZone {+/- GMT},Elevation {m}
LOCATION_SYDNEY__AUS_IWEC Data_947670,-33.95,151.18,10.0,3.0
LOCATION + the city, state/province, country and WMO fields from the EPW file are
concatenated to form the “Location Title”. The latitude, longitude, time zone and elevation fields
are numeric.

2.10.2 Design Conditions Header/Data (CSV)

If there are design conditions, then the format is as follows:
Number of Design Conditions,Title of Design Condition,Design Stat,HDB 99.6%,HDB 99%,X
WS 1%,X WS 2.5%,X WS 5%,CM WS .4%,CM MDB .4%,CM WS 1%,CM MDB 1%,MWS
99.6%,PWD 99.6%,MWS .4%,PWD .4%,X MnDB Max,X MnDB Min,X StdDB Max,X StdDB
Min,Design Stat,CDB .4%,C MWB .4%,CDB 1%,C MWB 1%,CDB 2%,C MWB 2%,E WB .4%,E
MDB .4%,E WB 1%,E MDB 1%,E WB 2%,E MDB 2%,DP .4%,HR .4%,MDB .4%,DP 1%,HR
1%,MDB 1%,DP 2%,HR 2%,MDB 2%,DB Range
„ Units, {°C}, {°C}, {m/s}, {m/s}, {m/s}, {m/s}, {°C}, {m/s}, {°C}, {m/s}, {Degree}, {m/s},
{Degree}, {°C}, {°C}, {°C}, {°C}, Units, {°C}, {°C}, {°C}, {°C}, {°C}, {°C}, {°C}, {°C}, {°C},
{°C}, {°C}, {°C}, {°C}, {g/kg}, {°C}, {°C}, {g/kg}, {°C}, {°C}, {g/kg}, {°C}, {°C}
1, World Climate Design Data 2001 ASHRAE Handbook, HEATING, 5.8, 6.8, 11.3, 9.9, 8.8,
11.1, 14.2, 9.1, 13.4, 1.1, 320, 5.3, 300, 39.3, 3.1, 2.9, 1.9, COOLING, 32.2, 20, 29.5, 19.7, 27.9, 20.1,
23, 28, 22.3, 26.2, 21.7, 25.3, 21.7, 16.4, 24.8, 21.1, 15.8, 24.3, 20.6, 15.3, 23.9, 6.7
However, if there are no design conditions, then the format looks like:
Number of Design Conditions,Title of Design Condition,
0
Theoretically, there can be more than one design condition included.

2.10.3 Typical/Extreme Periods Header/Data (CSV)

The results from the typical / extreme period heuristic calculation are shown.
Number of Typical/Extreme Periods,Period Name,Period Type,Period Start Day,Period End
Day,<repeat to # periods>
6,Summer - Week Nearest Max Temperature For Period,Extreme,1/ 4,1/10,Summer -
Week Nearest Average Temperature For Period,Typical,11/29,12/ 5,Winter - Week Nearest
Min Temperature For Period,Extreme,7/ 3,7/ 9,Winter - Week Nearest Average Temperature For
Period,Typical,6/ 5,6/11,Autumn - Week Nearest Average Temperature For Period,Typical,3/22,3/28,Spring
- Week Nearest Average Temperature For Period,Typical,8/ 1,8/ 7

2.10.4 Ground Temperatures Header/Data (CSV)

The results from the ground temperature heuristic calculation are shown, typically for 3 depths.
Users may also fill in the blank fields (soil conductivity, soil density, soil specific heat) with known
values and/or perform their own calculations and depths and supply those. These should be
considered “undisturbed” ground temperatures - temperatures of soil that have not been disturbed
by construction. They are not considered appropriate for calculations of building losses.
76 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

The program uses a heuristic, time lagged calculation based on dry bulb temperature and
location. References on the topic are found in Kusuda (see references).
Number of Ground Temperature Depths,Ground Temperature Depth {m},Soil Conductivity
{W/m-K},Soil Density {kg/m3},Soil Specific Heat {J/kg-K},Jan {C},Feb{C},Mar {C},Apr
{C},May {C},Jun {C},Jul {C},Aug {C},Sep {C},Oct {C},Nov {C},Dec {C},<repeat to Number
of temperature depths>
3,.5„„20.69,22.30,22.69,22.26,19.95,17.43,15.09,13.43,12.99,13.86,15.84,18.29,2„„19.18,20.71,
21.41,21.40,20.16,18.43,16.58,15.03,14.25,14.45,15.59,17.28,4„„18.18,19.38,20.10,20.30,19.82,
18.80,17.56,16.35,15.56,15.39,15.89,16.89

2.10.5 Holiday/Daylight Saving Header/Data (CSV)

If these data are entered, the weather converter will process them. Default weather processing
contains no holidays or daylight saving period. Of course, these can also be specified in your input
data file for EnergyPlus and do not need to be embedded in the weather file.
Leap Year Observed?,Daylight Saving Start Date,Daylight Saving End Date,Number of
Holidays,Holiday Name,Holiday Date,<repeat for # Holidays>
No,0,0,0

2.10.6 Comment 1 Header/Data (CSV)

Some original data files fill the comment 1 header and some do not. Typically, it will display at
least a “station” number and potentially more information.
Comment Line #1
“IWEC- WMO#947670 - South-west Pacific – Original Source Data (c) 2001 American Society
of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Inc., Atlanta, GA, USA.
[Link] All rights reserved as noted in the License Agreement and Additional Conditions.
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES: The data is provided ‘as is’ without warranty of any kind,
either expressed or implied. The entire risk as to the quality and performance of the data is with
you. In no event will ASHRAE or its contractors be liable to you for any damages, including without
limitation any lost profits, lost savings, or other incidental or consequential damages arising out of
the use or inability to use this data.”

2.10.7 Comment 2 Header/Data (CSV)

Comment Line #2
– Ground temps produced with a standard soil diffusivity of 2.3225760E-03 {m**2/day}

2.10.8 Data Period Header/Data (CSV)

Number of Data Periods [DP],Number of Intervals per Hour,DP Name/Description,DP Start Day
of Week,DP Start Day, DP End Day,<repeat to # Data Periods>
1,1,Data,Sunday, 1/ 1,12/31
2.11. MISSING WEATHER FILE DATA 77

2.10.9 Data Records (CSV)

The field “names” for each item are shown. First, the “short” names:
Date,HH:MM,Datasource,DryBulb {C},DewPoint {C},RelHum {%},Atmos Pressure
{Pa}, ExtHorzRad {Wh/m2},ExtDirRad {Wh/m2},HorzIRSky {Wh/m2},GloHorzRad
{Wh/m2}, DirNormRad {Wh/m2},DifHorzRad {Wh/m2},GloHorzIllum {lux}, DirNormIllum
{lux},DifHorzIllum {lux},ZenLum {Cd/m2},WindDir {deg},WindSpd {m/s}, TotSkyCvr
{.1},OpaqSkyCvr {.1},Visibility {km},Ceiling Hgt {m},PresWeathObs, PresWeathCodes,Precip
Wtr {mm},Aerosol Opt Depth {.001},SnowDepth {cm},Days Last Snow,Albedo {.01}, Rain
{mm},Rain Quantity {hr}
Then, the longer names:
Date,HH:MM,Datasource,Dry Bulb Temperature {C},Dew Point Temperature {C},Relative
Humidity {%},Atmospheric Pressure {Pa},Extraterrestrial Horizontal Radiation {Wh/m2},Extraterrestrial
Direct Normal Radiation {Wh/m2},Horizontal Infrared Radiation Intensity from Sky {Wh/m2},Global
Horizontal Radiation {Wh/m2},Direct Normal Radiation {Wh/m2},Diffuse Horizontal Radiation
{Wh/m2},Global Horizontal Illuminance {lux},Direct Normal Illuminance {lux},Diffuse Horizontal
Illuminance {lux},Zenith Luminance {Cd/m2},Wind Direction {deg},Wind Speed {m/s},Total
Sky Cover {.1},Opaque Sky Cover {.1},Visibility {km},Ceiling Height {m},Present Weather
Observation,Present Weather Codes,Precipitable Water {mm},Aerosol Optical Depth {.001},Snow
Depth {cm},Days Since Last Snow,Albedo {.01},Liquid Precipitation Depth {mm},Liquid
Precipitation Quantity {hr}
As noted previously, these headers and data are in the identical order to the items in the EPW
records. Then the data is shown:
1983/1/1,01:00,C9C9C9C9*0?9?9?9?9?9?9?9*0C8C8C8C8*0*0E8*0*0,26.2,19.2,65,101100,0,
1415,412,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,180,6.5,9,7,23.3,77777,9,’999999999,0,0.2300,0,88
The Date and Time fields need a bit of description. The Date field (e.g. 1983/1/1) uses your
standard system date for formatting. In the EPW file, these are three separate fields (year, month,
and day in this example). The time field combines the hours and minutes into one field (hh:mm).
This makes it easier for graphing with spreadsheet programs but a bit harder if you use the CSV
format as input.
Each data item field obeys the same “missing” and other content rules as shown above in the
EnergyPlus Weather File (EPW) Data Dictionary.
The figure above shows how the EnergyPlus EPW CSV file (initial header records) looks when
opened in a spreadsheet. Each header record is shown in bold with data following the headers..
The above figure shows how the data periods header record and the individual data records
look when opened in a spread sheet. Again, the headers are shown in bold. Note that there are
two header records for the data records - one with short names - one with longer more descriptive
names.

2.11 Missing Weather File Data

The following data contains “missing” descriptors; a new concept not introduced previously in our
IDD conventions. In this case, it will be processed as though those values are “missing” in the
weather conversions. This may not always be desirable though the weather processor will fill in
“missing” value with something “appropriate”. Eventually, these missing values will be available
through the weather processor. Until then, the following are used for initial missing conditions.
78 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

Figure 2.11: EnergyPlus EPW CSV file (spreadsheet view)

2.11. MISSING WEATHER FILE DATA 79

Figure 2.12: EnergyPlus EPW CSV Data Records (spreadsheet view)

When a valid value is encountered from weather data, however, it will become the new “missing”
replacement value:

Table 2.17: Missing weather replacement values

Data item Supplied Value Units

Dry Bulb Temperature 6 C
Dew Point Temperature 3 C
Relative Humidity 50 %
Atmospheric Pressure Standard** Barometric Pressure Pa
(altitude based)
Wind Speed 2.5 m/s
Wind Direction 180 Deg
Total Sky Cover 5 (tenths)
Opaque Sky Cover 5 (tenths)
Visibility 777.7 Km
Ceiling Height 77777 m
Precipitable Water 0 Mm
Aerosol Optical Depth 0 Broadband turbidity
Snow Depth 0 Cm
Days Since Last Snow 88 Days
80 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

Table 2.17: Missing weather replacement values

Data item Supplied Value Units

Radiation Values 0.0 Wh/m2
(Direct/Diffuse)
Illuminance Values 0.0 lux (or CD/m2)

**Standard Barometric pressure based on location elevation is taken from ASHRAE 2001
Handbook of Fundamentals, pages 6.1 & 6.2.

2.12 Source Weather Data Formats

Source weather data for building energy simulation programs can be broken into two major classes:
historical data and typical weather years. Historical data is just “real” data: usually measured (but
sometimes modeled) data from a particular location for a given period of record. Typical years are
ersatz years assembled to match the long term data from a particular location using a particular
statistical measure. Typical data may also be “real” data but may not be a contiguous year - the
data may be comprised of months from multiple years.
The primary source for historical weather data is the U.S. National Climatic Data Center
(NCDC) in Asheville, NC: [Link] NCDC can provide hourly historical data
for thousands of locations around the world. This data may not always be complete; data items or
periods of record may be missing.

2.12.1 Data Set vs. Data Format

In this document as well in many others, you will read about a certain “data set” and you will also
read about data in a “certain” format - e.g., the TMY2 data set and the TMY2 data format. Simply
stated, a data set refers to a set of data files developed around a set of procedures for selection and
usually with a specific purpose for use. A data format is merely the identification of data elements
in a data file. In the TMY2 example, the TMY2 data set was developed as described below and
the format of the data is usually called a TMY2 format.
Any data could be put into a TMY2 format, but it wouldn’t necessarily be selected using the
same procedures as the TMY2 data set.

2.12.2 SAMSON Data Set/Format

A highly reliable source of historical data for U.S. locations is the Solar and Meteorological
Surface Observational Network (SAMSON) data set assembled by the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, CO: [Link] The SAMSON data set contains a 30
year (1961 to 1990) period of record for 239 locations and are available from the NCDC.
SAMSON also describes a file format. Though no data from the SAMSON data set are available
for download in EPW format, the weather conversion utility can read and process this file format.
2.12. SOURCE WEATHER DATA FORMATS 81

2.12.3 TMY2 Data Set/Format

The TMY2 are data sets of hourly values of solar radiation and meteorological elements for a 1-
year period. Their intended use is for computer simulations of solar energy conversion systems and
building systems to facilitate performance comparisons of different system types, configurations,
and locations in the United States and its territories. Because they represent typical rather than
extreme conditions, they are not suited for designing systems to meet the worst-case conditions
occurring at a location. The data are available from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory
for download or on CD.
TMY3 files have somewhat replaced TMY2 files but all TMY2 files are available for download
from the website.

2.12.4 Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment (SWERA) Format

The Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment (SWERA) project, funded by the United Nations
Environment Program, is developing high quality information on solar and wind energy resources
in 14 developing countries. Currently typical year hourly data are available for 156 locations in
Belize, Brazil, China, Cuba, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Maldives,
Nicaragua, and Sri Lanka. The data are available from the SWERA project web site. http:
//[Link]/;
The SWERA format is very similar to the TMY2 format except: WMO stations are used (6
character) in the header and 4 digit years have been adopted in the data lines.

2.12.5 WYEC2 Data Set/Format

Culminating in the early 1980s, ASHRAE published their “Weather Year for Energy Calculations”
(WYEC) hourly weather files for 51 US and Canadian locations. These files were intended to
support the then growing interest in computer simulation of energy use in buildings. In the late
1980s, a major revision was initiated - this included the addition of 26 Typical Meteorological Year
(TMY) hourly weather files to the original WYEC data set and a number of improvements.
The work of revising and improving the WYEC data base was performed by at the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) as part of the Solar Radiation Resource Assessment Program
(SRRAP), during the period 1989 through 1993. Richard Perez, at the State University of New
York at Albany – Atmospheric Sciences Research Center provided a substantial contribution to this
work. The resulting set of 77 revised and corrected hourly weather files are referred to as WYEC
Version 2 or “WYEC2” data set.
The WYEC2 format is used as the format for several other data sets. The WYEC2 data set,
however, was not made available for download though, of course, those files can be read if desired
with the EnergyPlus Weather Converter utility.

2.12.6 Canadian Weather for Energy Calculations (CWEC)

Produced by Numerical Logics in collaboration with Environment Canada and the National
Research Council of Canada, the CWEC were derived using a methodology similar to the TMY2
and TMY. CWEC hourly files represent weather conditions that result in approximately average
heating and cooling loads in buildings. The National Energy Code of Canada requires the use
of a CWEC file representative of a location when the performance path and customized design
82 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

calculations are chosen as the means of building energy consumption compliance. The CWEC
follow the ASHRAE WYEC2 format and were derived from the Canadian Energy and Engineering
Data Sets (CWEEDS) of hourly weather information for Canada from the 1953-1995 period of
record.
The 80 CWEC files contain hourly weather observations representing an artificial one-year period
specifically designed for building energy calculations. All 80 locations in the CWEC data set are
available for download in EnergyPlus weather format.

2.12.7 International Weather for Energy Calculations (IWEC)

The IWEC are the result of ASHRAE Research Project 1015 conducted by Numerical Logics and
Bodycote Materials Testing Canada for ASHRAE Technical Committee 4.2 Weather Information.
The IWEC data files are ‘typical’ weather files suitable for use with building energy simulation
programs for 227 locations outside the USA and Canada.
The files are derived from up to 18 years of DATSAV3 hourly weather data originally archived
at the U S National Climatic Data Center. The weather data is supplemented by solar radiation
estimated on an hourly basis from earth-sun geometry and hourly weather elements, particularly
cloud amount information. The IWEC CD-ROM is available from ASHRAE.
The Department of Energy has licensed the IWEC data from ASHRAE. Our license with
ASHRAE allows us to: “Distribute versions of the individual IWEC files in converted format
suitable for EnergyPlus (EPW). Make the EnergyPlus versions of the IWEC files available to users
at no cost via this EnergyPlus web site.” All 227 locations in the IWEC data set are available for
download in EnergyPlus weather format.
The IWEC source data is © 2001 American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-
Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Inc., Atlanta, GA, USA. [Link] All rights
reserved as noted in the License Agreement and Additional Conditions.
IWEC also describes a data format, very similar to the TMY2 data format.

2.12.8 Typical Meteorological Year (TMY)

Data for 230 locations in the USA plus four locations in Cuba, Marshall Islands, Palau, and Puerto
Rico, derived from a 1948-1980 period of record. Many of the locations in the TMY data set were
subsequently updated by the TMY2.
Similar to the TMY2, the TMY are data sets of hourly values of solar radiation and
meteorological elements for a 1-year period. Their intended use is for computer simulations of solar
energy conversion systems and building systems to facilitate performance comparisons of different
system types, configurations, and locations in the United States and its territories. Because they
represent typical rather than extreme conditions, they are not suited for designing systems to meet
the worst-case conditions occurring at a location. The data are available for purchase from the
National Climatic Data Center.
All TMY locations are available for download in EnergyPlus weather format.
TMY also describes a data format.
2.12. SOURCE WEATHER DATA FORMATS 83

2.12.9 California Climate Zones 2 (CTZ2)

Updated weather data for 16 California climate zones for use to demonstrate compliance with Title
24 with approved building energy simulation programs. All 16 CTZ2 weather files are available for
download in EnergyPlus weather format. The original source data is available from the California
Energy Commission. These source data files are described using the WYEC2 format.

2.12.10 Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment (SWERA)

The Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment (SWERA) project, funded by the United Nations
Environment Program, is developing high quality information on solar and wind energy resources
in 13 developing countries. Currently typical year hourly data are available for 48 locations in
Belize, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Maldives, Nicaragua, and Sri Lanka. The data
are available from the SWERA project web site. SWERA plans to release new data for Brazil,
Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, and Nepal over the coming few months. These source data files are
described using the SWERA format.

2.12.11 Spanish Weather for Energy Calculations (SWEC)

Originally developed for use with Calener, a new program for building energy labelling in Spain,
these weather files cover all 52 Spanish provincial capitals. Calener was developed by the Grupo
de Termotecnia of the Escuela Superior de Ingeneiros in Seville for the Spanish Government. The
weather files were synthetically generated using Climed (Portuguese software developed by Ricardo
Aguiar) from mean monthly data coming from the Spanish Meteorological National Institute. These
weather files were converted from the DOE-2 binary to EnergyPlus format and include constant
wind speeds of 6.7 m/s.
For more information on these weather files, contact: Profesor Luis Pérez-Lombard
(lpl@[Link]) Escuela Superior de Ingenieros

2.12.12 Italian Climatic data collection “Gianni De Giorgio” (IGDG)

Developed for use in simulating renewable energy technologies, this set of 66 weather files is based
on a 1951-1970 period of record. The data were created by Professor Livio Mazzarella, Politecnico
di Milano, and is named in honor of Gianni de Giorgio.

2.12.13 Chinese Typical Year Weather (CTYW)

Developed for use in simulating building heating and air conditioning loads and energy use, and
for calculating renewable energy utilization, this set of 57 weather files is based on a 1982-1997
period of record with data obtained from the U. S. National Climatic Data Center. The data were
created by Prof. ZHANG Qingyuan of Tsukuba University Japan, in collaboration with Joe Huang
of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The original typical year weather files are contained in:
Zhang Qingyuan and Joe Huang. 2004. Chinese Typical Year Weather Data for Architectural Use
(in Chinese). ISBN 7-111-14810-X. Beijing: China Machine Press. Available from: China Machine
Press; No. 22 Baiwanzhuang Dajie; Beijing, CHINA 100037.
The CTYW files are no longer available for download from the web site.
84 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

2.12.14 INETI Synthetic data for Portugal

Two weather files for Portugal developed by Ricardo Aguiar of Instituto Nacional de Engenharia,
Tecnologia e Inovação (INETI). Synthetic data set based on spatially interpolation of public climatic
data published by Instituto de Meteorologia 1951-80 combined with INETI owned data and other
freely available data sources. INETI has granted DOE permission to distribute versions of the
individual INETI files in converted format suitable for EnergyPlus (EPW) and make those files
available to users at no cost via this EnergyPlus web site.
The INETI synthetic data are © 2005 Instituto Nacional de Engenharia, Tecnologia e Inovação,
Lisboa, Portugal. [Link]

2.12.15 ISHRAE India Weather Data Files (ISHRAE)

Developed for use in simulating building heating and air conditioning loads and energy use, and for
calculating renewable energy utilization, this set of 58 weather files was developed by the Indian
Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE). The source data are
Copyright 2005 ISHRAE. ISHRAE has made these data available to DOE under license for use at
no cost to the EnergyPlus user community.

2.12.16 City University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Data Set

CityUHK-45007 – WMO#450070 Typical year file Hong Kong originally in IWEC format
spreadsheet jointly developed by Dr TT Chow and ALS Chan of the City University of Hong
Kong supported by a CERG grant from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region of China. Solar radiation measured from observatory station at 22.32N
114.17’E 65m above mean sea level.

2.12.17 Chinese Standard Weather Data (CSWD)

Developed for use in simulating building heating and air conditioning loads and energy use, and
for calculating renewable energy utilization, this set of 270 typical hourly data weather files. These
data were developed by Dr. Jiang Yi, Department of Building Science and Technology at Tsinghua
University and China Meteorological Bureau. The source data include annual design data, typical
year data, and extreme years for maximum enthalpy, and maximum and minimum temperature
and solar radiation.
China Meteorological Bureau, Climate Information Center, Climate Data Office and Tsinghua
University, Department of Building Science and Technology. 2005. China Standard Weather
Data for Analyzing Building Thermal Conditions, April 2005. Beijing: China Building Industry
Publishing House, ISBN 7-112-07273-3 (13228). [Link]

2.12.18 Kuwait Weather Data from Kuwait Institute for Scientific

Research (KISR)
Two weather files for Kuwait based on measured meteorological data for Kuwait International
Airport and KISR’s coastal weather station. Provided by KISR in spreadsheet format.
2.12. SOURCE WEATHER DATA FORMATS 85

2.12.19 Egyptian Weather for Energy Calculations (EWEC)

Developed for standards development and energy simulation by Joe Huang from data provided by
National Climatic Data Center for periods of record from 12 to 21 years, all ending in 2003. Joe
Huang and Associates, Moraga, California, USA.

2.12.20 Israel weather data (MSI)

Weather data for Israel locations developed by Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel, from data provided by the Israel
Meteorological Service.

2.12.21 Representative Meteorological Year (RMY) Australia Climatic

Data
RMY Australia Representative Meteorological Year Climate Files Developed for the Australia
Greenhouse Office for use in complying with Building Code of Australia. These data are licensed
through ACADS BSG Ltd for use by EnergyPlus users. For use in any other formats, users must
contact ACADS BSG Ltd for licensing information.
The RMY data are © 2006 Commonwealth of Australia, Department of the Environment and
Water Resources, Australia Greenhouse Office, Canberra, ACT, Australia. [Link]/buildings/c
(URL has since been removed, so replaced with a link on The Internet Archive from 2007.) All
intellectual property rights reserved.

2.12.22 Iranian Typical Meteorological Year (ITMY)

Typical year weather files have been created for Tehran from weather data for 1992 through
2003 published by the Islamic Republic of Iran Meteorological Organization (IRIMO) for Tehran
Mehrabad. Developed for standards development and energy simulation by Joe Huang, White Box
Technologies.

2.12.23 New Zealand National Institute of Water & Atmospheric

Research Ltd (NIWA)
The New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) has developed a Home
Energy Rating Scheme (HERS) for New Zealand households based on software simulation of energy
loss and demand. The software requires hourly data to represent the different climates zones around
New Zealand, especially for larger population centres. These climate data consist of hourly records
for an artificial year created from twelve representative months.
Liley, J Ben, Hisako Shiona, James Sturman, David S Wratt. 2007. Typical Meteorological
Years for the New Zealand Home Energy Rating Scheme. Prepared for the Energy Efficiency and
Conservation Authority. NIWA Client Report: LAU2007- 02-JBL. NIWA, Omakau, New Zealand.
86 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

2.12.24 Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE)

The CIBSE, in association with the (UK) Met Office has produced ‘Test Reference Years’ and
‘Design Summer Years’ for 14 UK locations for use with building energy simulation software. The
data sets are available in various formats, including EnergyPlus/ESP-r. These data are NOT
available on the EnergyPlus web site. For further details, see:
[Link]/[Link]?go = [Link]&PubID = 332&S1 = y&L1 = 0&L2 = 0

2.12.25 Meteonorm Data

Meteonorm software can be used when there is no measured data near the location for the simulation.
Meteonorm extrapolates hourly data from statistical data for a location. Where statistical data
aren’t available, Meteonorm interpolates from other nearby sites. Generally a statistical approach
is a last resort – weather files generated from statistics will not demonstrate the normal hour-to-hour
and day-to-day variability seen in measured data. Meteonorm version 6 will directly write EPW
files.

2.12.26 Other Formats

The data sets and formats described above are some of the newest formats available for use with
building simulation programs. Source data comes in various formats. Typically the files are ASCII,
but the data items, units, item location, and record length vary from format to format. NCDC can
provide historical data in a variety of formats: TD-3280, TD-3510, TD-9950 (DATSAV2), TD-9956
(DATSAV3) and TD-1440 (CD144). The EnergyPlus weather processor cannot process any of the
types directly.
Table 2.18: Summary of Downloadable Weather Data by Type

Source WMO Region

North and Central America

USA Canada Central Africa Asia South Southwest Europe Total
America America Pacific
ETMY 11 11
IGDG 66 66
IMGW 61 61
INETI 2 2
ISHRAE 58 58
ITMY 1 1
IWEC 5 12 49 19 20 122 227
KISR 2 2
Los 1 1
Alamos
TMY2
MSI 4 4
NIWA 16 16
RMY 80 80
SWEC 2 50 52
SWERA 37 33 66 20 156
TMY 229 1 4 234
TMY2 235 1 1 237
TMY3 1011 7 2 1020
Totals 1476 0 51 58 176 39 123 305
2.13. DATA SOURCES/UNCERTAINTY 87

One other format worth mentioning is TRY. TRY is “test reference year” data that did not
include solar radiation data. “Test Reference Year” is a term that usually denotes selection of a
specific year of “real” data based on some statistical procedure. The original TRY data (TD-9706)
was based on an ASHRAE procedure to select the data from a “period of record”. “The principle
of the selection is to eliminate years in the period of record containing months with extremely high
or low mean temperatures until only one year remains.” The weather conversion utility cannot
process data in “TRY” format. However, many organizations develop data for reference year data
(e.g. European TRY, Moisture Reference Data).

2.12.27 Custom Format

Using a “definitions” file (see Description of “Def” input file), the weather converter can process
a wide range of data formats. In the table above, both the GDG and CTYW weather data was
processed by a custom format approach.

2.12.28 Solar Data

Source weather data files may or may not contain solar data. All of the files that can be processed by
the EnergyPlus Weather conversion utility contain solar data. The weather processor will transfer
this data to the EPW weather file and the EnergyPlus simulation program will use it.
Historical weather data files in CD144 format do not contain solar data nor is such data generally
available for a specific location and time period. In this case, ersatz solar data must be generated
from cloud cover and other data using sky models and regression formulas. Currently, neither the
Weather Conversion utility nor the EnergyPlus program synthesizes this data. However, the weather
conversion utility can use any two of the commonly recorded data (i.e. two of Global Horizontal
Radiation, Horizontal Diffuse Radiation and Direct Normal (or Direct Horizontal) Radiation to
calculate the EnergyPlus primary solar data of Direct Normal and Horizontal Diffuse Radiation
values).

2.13 Data Sources/Uncertainty

More recent weather data source files have introduced the concept of data sources and uncertainty
flags for many of the fields. The EnergyPlus weather format faithfully reproduces these fields as
appropriate for the input source data types. By and large, most of the data sources and uncertainties
have used the TMY2 established fields and values (See following table). As noted earlier, to enhance
readability and reduce obfuscation, the EnergyPlus format for the data source and uncertainty flags
collates them into one large field. Each data element still has its data source and uncertainty: it is
positionally embodied depending on its place in the EPW data record.

Table 2.19: Key to Data Source and Uncertainty Flags

Data Flag Flag Values

Dry Bulb Temperature Data Source A-F
Dry Bulb Temperature Data Uncertainty 0-9
88 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

Table 2.19: Key to Data Source and Uncertainty Flags

Data Flag Flag Values

Dew Point Temperature Data Source A-F
Dew Point Temperature Data Uncertainty 0-9
Relative Humidity Data Source A-F
Relative Humidity Data Uncertainty 0-9
Atmospheric Station Pressure Data Source A-F
Atmospheric Station Pressure Data Uncertainty 0-9
Horizontal Infrared Radiation Data Source A-H, ?
Horizontal Infrared Radiation Data Uncertainty 0-9
Global Horizontal Radiation Data Source A-H, ?
Global Horizontal Radiation Data Uncertainty 0-9
Direct Normal Radiation Data Source A-H, ?
Direct Normal Radiation Data Uncertainty 0-9
Diffuse Horizontal Radiation Data Source A-H, ?
Diffuse Horizontal Radiation Data Uncertainty 0-9
Global Horizontal Illuminance Data Source I, ?
Global Horizontal Illuminance Data Uncertainty 0-9
Direct Normal Illuminance Data Source I, ?
Direct Normal Illuminance Data Uncertainty 0-9
Diffuse Horizontal Illuminance Data Source I, ?
Diffuse Horizontal Illuminance Data Uncertainty 0-9
Zenith Luminance Data Source I, ?
Zenith Luminance Data Uncertainty 0-9
Wind Direction Data Source A-F
Wind Direction Data Uncertainty 0-9
Wind Speed Data Source A-F
Wind Speed Data Uncertainty 0-9
Total Sky Cover Data Source A-F
Total Sky Cover Data Uncertainty 0-9
Opaque Sky Cover Data Source A-F
Opaque Sky Cover Data Uncertainty 0-9
Visibility Data Source A-F, ?
Visibility Data Uncertainty 0-9
Ceiling Height Data Source A-F, ?
Ceiling Height Data Uncertainty 0-9
Precipitable Water Data Source A-F
2.13. DATA SOURCES/UNCERTAINTY 89

Table 2.19: Key to Data Source and Uncertainty Flags

Data Flag Flag Values

Precipitable Water Data Uncertainty 0-9
Broadband Aerosol Optical Depth Data Source A-F
Broadband Aerosol Optical Depth Data Uncertainty 0-9
Snow Depth Data Source A-F, ?
Snow Cover Data Uncertainty 0-9
Days Since Last Snowfall Data Source A-F, ?
Days Since Last Snowfall Data Uncertainty 0-9

The definition of the solar radiation source flags and solar radiation uncertainty flags are shown
in the following two tables:

Table 2.20: Solar Radiation and Illuminance Data Source

Flag Codes

Flag Code Definition

A Post-1976 measured solar radiation data as received from NCDC
or other sources
B Same as ”A” except the global horizontal data underwent a
calibration correction
C Pre-1976 measured global horizontal data (direct and diffuse
were not measured before 1976), adjusted from solar to local
time, usually with a calibration correction
D Data derived from the other two elements of solar radiation using
the relationship, global = diffuse + direct × cosine (zenith)
E Modeled solar radiation data using inputs of observed sky cover
(cloud amount) and aerosol optical depths derived from direct
normal data collected at the same location
F Modeled solar radiation data using interpolated sky cover and
aerosol optical depths derived from direct normal data collected
at the same location
G Modeled solar radiation data using observed sky cover and
aerosol optical depths estimated from geographical relationships
H Modeled solar radiation data using interpolated sky cover and
estimated aerosol optical depths
I Modeled illuminance or luminance data derived from measured
or modeled solar radiation data
90 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

Table 2.20: Solar Radiation and Illuminance Data Source

Flag Codes

Flag Code Definition

? Source does not fit any of the above categories. Used for
nighttime values and missing data

Table 2.21: Solar Radiation and Illuminance Data

Uncertainty Flag Codes

Flag Uncertainty Range (%)

1 Not used
2 2-4
3 4-6
4 6-9
5 9 - 13
6 13 - 18
7 18 - 25
8 25 - 35
9 35 - 50
0 Not applicable

Finally, the Meteorological data source and uncertainty flag/codes are shown in the following
two tables:

Table 2.22: Meteorological Data Source Flag Codes

Flag Definition
A Data as received from NCDC, converted to SI units
B Linearly interpolated
C Non-linearly interpolated to fill data gaps from 6 to 47 hours in
length
D Not used
E Modeled or estimated, except: precipitable water, calculated
from radiosonde data; dew point temperature calculated from
dry bulb temperature and relative humidity; and relative
humidity calculated from dry bulb temperature and dew point
temperature
2.14. ADVANCED USE - ACCESSING WEATHER CONVERSION CAPABILITIES 91

Table 2.22: Meteorological Data Source Flag Codes

Flag Definition
F Precipitable water, calculated from surface vapor pressure;
aerosol optical depth, estimated from geographic correlation
? Source does not fit any of the above. Used mostly for missing
data

Table 2.23: Meteorological Uncertainty Flag Codes

Flag Definition
1- 6 Not used
7 Uncertainty consistent with NWS practices and the instrument
or observation used to obtain the data
8 Greater uncertainty than 7 because values were interpolated or
estimated
9 Greater uncertainty than 8 or unknown.
0 Not definable.

2.14 Advanced use - accessing weather conversion capabilities

2.14.1 Interface to the [Link]
To provide information for outside developers/interfaces that might want to use the basic weather
processing utility from within their interface, the [Link] was developed. It is actually used
by the weather converter utility. In addition to the basic interface calls, six important files are also
used by this library. These are placed in the WeatherConverter folder during install of EnergyPlus.

2.14.2 Files used by [Link]

Each of the files is in a general comma-delimited format. Thus, they can be easily viewed by
importing into a spreadsheet program such as ExcelTM . The files are used to support information
lacking in the source data files and/or supply additional information used during the conversion
process. In each case (with one exception), there will be a single or set of “header” records describing
each column of the file and then the data values of the file will follow on subsequent records. Each
of the files is described briefly in the next few sections.

[Link] [Link]
This file does not have a header record, but it consists of 3 columns. It is used for data files that
might have 2-character abbreviations for US States or Canadian provinces and provides a translation
92 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

to the full name and 3-character country code. Likewise, it can use the full name of these items to
obtain the 2-character abbreviation or 3-character country code.

[Link] [Link]
In many older data sets, the station identifier for the weather data uses the WBAN (Weather
Bureau Army-Navy) designation system. This has largely been superseded by the WMO (World
Meteorological Organization) designation for station collection site identifiers. This file provides a
translation between the two identifier systems. In addition, this file contains latitude, longitude,
time zone and elevation information for the sites.

[Link] Cal Climate Zone Lat Long [Link]

Note that this file has spaces in the name. The California c limate zone data source files do not
have standard station identifiers. Rather they use a climate zone designator from 1-16. This file is
used to obtain the latitude, longitude, time zone and elevation data for these climate zones. The
WYEC2 “File Source Code” (field 2, column 6 of each data record) is used to determine that the
file is a California compliance type file.

[Link] ASHRAE_2009_Yearly_DesignConditions.csv
The three files for design conditions have roughly the same format. These are the values from the
ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals, 2009, Chapter 14, Appendix. The WMO station identifier is
used to determine the design condition values that apply to a source data file and, thus, are included
in the DESIGN CONDITION header record on the EPW file produced as part of the conversion.
This information is also included in the statistical report file (STAT) produced from the weather
converter utility. In addition, these are used to supply the information for the design day object
(DDY) file creation.

2.14.3 Public calls to [Link]

Several points of the library are made available for use with external programs. In each case the
parameters passed will be described along with the Visual BasicTM (VB6) code that is used to
declare them as well as Fortran 90 style “Interface” statements to the same calls. The library is
placed in the same folder with the weather converter utility - you may need to copy it to your
program’s folder if you choose to add external calls from your program to it.

[Link] SetupPWInternalDataPath
This call designates the “path” to the files listed above. This is the location where the
ProcessWeather call will expect to find the files. Having this incorrectly specified is not fatal, but
will probably cause confusion.
VB declaration statement:
Private Declare Sub SetupPWInternalDataPath Lib “EPlusWth” (ByVal strPath As String,
ByVal InPathLen As Long)
And a call from a VB program:
Call SetupPWInternalDataPath (AppPath , Len(AppPath))
2.14. ADVANCED USE - ACCESSING WEATHER CONVERSION CAPABILITIES 93

Likewise for Fortran 90/95:

INTERFACE
SUBROUTINE SetupPWInternalDataPath (Path)
CHARACTER (len = \*), INTENT(IN) :: Path ! Path where data files reside
END SUBROUTINE
END INTERFACE

And then calling it from Fortran:

Character (len = 255) DataPath
CALL SetupPWInternalDataPath (trim(DataPath))

[Link] SetFixOutOfRangeData
As shown earlier (file menu option in the weather converter utility), there is an option to “fix” out
of range data or not. By default, this is turned off (does not fix data). Again a character convention
(“yes” for fixing; “no” for not fixing) is used. Case of the actual string is ignored.
VB Declaration statement:
Private Declare Sub SetFixOutOfRangeData Lib “EPlusWth” (ByVal strValue As String, ByVal
strValueLen As Long)
And calling it from VB:
Global FixOutOfRangeData As String
FixOutOfRangeData = "Yes"
Call SetFixOutOfRangeData (FixOutOfRangeData , Len( FixOutOfRangeData))

For Fortran 90/95:

INTERFACE
SUBROUTINE SetFixOutOfRangeData (YesNo)
CHARACTER (len = \*),INTENT(IN) :: YesNo ! 'yes ' to set fixing option ;
! 'no ' to not
END SUBROUTINE
END INTERFACE

And then calling it:

CALL SetFixOutOfRangeData ('no')

[Link] SetDefaultChgLimit
This call sets the value for the DB trigger shown earlier. Both values passed in are strings and are
specific to the dialog shown earlier:

Table 2.24: Trigger Limit Call Values

Trigger Limit Result Ignore Calc Result

Trigger
0 use only calculated trigger 0 Uses Calculated Trigger
1 use 5°C 1 Ignores calculated trigger
2 use 10°C
3 use 15°C
94 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

You can also choose to ignore the calculated trigger entirely. If you do not “ignore” the calculated
trigger, then the trigger is the minimum of the calculated and your trigger limit selection.
VB Declaration Statement:
Private Declare Sub SetDefaultChgLimit Lib "EPlusWth" (ByVal strValue As String , ByVal strValueLen As
Long , ByVal strValue As String , ByVal strValueLen As Long)

And a call from VB:

Call SetDefaultChgLimit (TriggerLimit , Len(TriggerLimit), IgnoreCalcTrigger , Len(IgnoreCalcTrigger ))

[Link] ProcessWeather
The “meat” of the processing is done by this routine. It gets passed the input file name (source
data), the input file type, output file name, and output file type. As an output it can provide a
notice that the processing was successful or not.
VB Declaration Statement:
Private Declare Sub ProcessWeather Lib "EPlusWth" (ByVal strInType As String , ByVal InTypeLen As Long ,
ByVal strOutType As String , ByVal OutTypeLen As Long , ByVal strInFileName As String , ByVal
InFileNameLen As Long , ByVal strOutFileName As String , ByVal OutFileNameLen As Long , ErrorFlag As
Boolean , Optional ByVal strOutFileURL As String , Optional ByVal OutFileURLlen As Long)

Calling it from VB:

Call ProcessWeather(InputFileDataType , Len( InputFileDataType),
OutputFileDataType , Len( OutputFileDataType),
InputFileName , Len(InputFileName),
OutputFileName , Len(OutputFileName),
ErrorFlag)

Valid values for the Input File Data Type are shown in the following table:

Table 2.25: Valid Input File Types for “ProcessWeather”

call

Input File Type Source Data file Format Type

TMY2 or TM2 TMY2 data file
IWEC or IWC IWEC data file
SAMSON or DAT SAMSON data file
WYEC2 or WY2 WYEC2 data file
FMT or TXT DOE-2 Formatted data file
CLM or ESP-r ESP-r formatted data file
BLAST or ASC BLAST ASCII formatted data file
EPW EnergyPlus EPW file
CSV EnergyPlus CSV file
TMY TMY data files
WEA Eco-Tect WEA files
SWERA or SWE SWERA data files
< any > Custom - must have ”def” file
2.15. REFERENCES 95

Valid values for the Output File Type(s) are shown in the following table:

Table 2.26: Valid Output File Types for the

“ProcessWeather” call

Output File Type File(s) produced

EPW EPW and RPT files
CSV CSV and RPT files
BOTH EPW, CSV and RPT files
RPT RPT file

For Input and Output file names, the complete paths should be included.
ErrorFlag will be returned as “true” if an error occurs during processing or “false” if the process
is successful.
Fortran 90/95 Declaration:
INTERFACE
SUBROUTINE ProcessWeather(InType ,OutType ,InFileName ,OutFileName ,ErrFlag)
CHARACTER (len = \*), INTENT(IN) :: InType ! InputFile Type
CHARACTER (len = \*), INTENT(IN) :: OutType ! OutputFile Type
CHARACTER (len = \*), INTENT(IN) :: InFileName ! InputFile Name (Full path)
CHARACTER (len = \*), INTENT(IN) :: OutFileName ! OutputFileName (Full path)
LOGICAL (Byte2), INTENT(OUT) :: ErrFlag ! If errors are found ,
! set to true and put
! description put in file.
END SUBROUTINE
END INTERFACE

And calling it from Fortran:

call processweather(trim(intype),trim(outtype), &
trim(infilename),trim(outfilename),errflag)

Note that the file where error messages will be placed is the RPT file. If the value of the output
file path is incorrect, you may need to search for this file by using the RPT extension.

2.15 References
ASHRAE. 1985. Weather Year for Energy Calculations. Atlanta: American Society of Heating,
Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc.
ASHRAE. 1997. WYEC2 Weather Year for Energy Calculations 2, Toolkit and Data, Atlanta:
ASHRAE.
ASHRAE. 2001. International Weather for Energy Calculations (IWEC Weather Files) Users
Manual and CD-ROM, Atlanta: ASHRAE
ASHRAE. 2004. ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 90.2-2004, “Energy-Efficient Design of Low-Rise
Residential Buildings,” September 2004. Atlanta: American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and
Air-conditioning Engineers.
ASHRAE. 2004. ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2004, “Energy-Efficient Design of
Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential,” September 2004. Atlanta: American Society of Heating,
Refrigerating, and Air-conditioning Engineers.
96 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

ASHRAE, 2009. Handbook of Fundamentals, Atlanta: American Society of Heating,

Refrigerating, and Air-conditioning Engineers.
Briggs, Robert S., Robert G. Lucas, and Z. Todd Taylor. 2002. “Climate Classification for
Building Energy Codes and Standards: Part 1 - Development Process” in ASHRAE Transactions
2002, 109, Pt 1. Atlanta: ASHRAE.
Briggs, Robert S., Robert G. Lucas, and Z. Todd Taylor. 2002. “Climate Classification for
Building Energy Codes and Standards: Part 2 - Zone Definitions, Maps and Comparisons” in
ASHRAE Transactions, 109, Pt 1. Atlanta: ASHRAE.
Buhl, W.F. 1998. DOE-2 Weather Processor, DOE2.1E Documentation Update, Berkeley:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
COMIS Weather Program, [Link]
China Meteorological Bureau, Climate Information Center, Climate Data Office and Tsinghua
University, Department of Building Science and Technology. 2005. China Standard Weather
Data for Analyzing Building Thermal Conditions, April 2005. Beijing: China Building Industry
Publishing House, ISBN 7-112-07273-3 (13228). [Link]
Commission of the European Community. 1985. Test Reference Years, Weather data sets for
computer simulations of solar energy systems and energy consumption in buildings, CEC, DG XII.
Brussels, Belgium: Commission of the European Community.
Crawley, Drury B., Linda K. Lawrie, Curtis O. Pedersen, Richard J. Liesen, Daniel E. Fisher,
Richard K. Strand, Russell D. Taylor, Frederick C. Winkelmann, W.F. Buhl, A. Ender Erdem, and
Y. Joe Huang. 1999. “EnergyPlus, A New-Generation Building Energy Simulation Program,” in
Proceedings of Building Simulation ’99, Kyoto, Japan. IBPSA.
Crawley, Drury B. 1998. “Which Weather Data Should You Use for Energy Simulations of
Commercial Buildings?,” ASHRAE Transactions, pp. 498-515, Vol. 104, Pt. 2. Atlanta: ASHRAE.
[Link]
Crawley, Drury B., Jon Hand, and Linda K. Lawrie, 1999. “Improving the Weather Information
Available to Simulation Programs”, in Proceedings of Building Simulation ’99, Kyoto, Japan.
September 1999. IBPSA.
Energy Simulation Research Unit. 1999. [Link]
Janak, M. 1997. “Coupling Building Energy and Lighting Simulation,” in Proceedings of Building
Simulation 97, September 1997, Volume II pp 313-319, Prague, Czech Republic, IBPSA.
Köppen, W. 1931. Grundriss der Klimakunde. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter & Co.
Kusuda, T., “Earth Temperatures Beneath Five Different Surfaces”, Institute for Applied
Technology, NBS Report 10-373, 1971, NBS, Washington DC 20234.
Kusuda, T., Least Squares Technique for the Analysis of Periodic Temperature of the Earth’s
Surface Region, NBS Journal of Research, Vol. 71C, Jan-Mar. 1967, pp 43-50.
National Instruments Corporation. 1999. LabVIEW User Manual. Austin, Texas: National
Instruments Corporation.
McDonald, Iain, and Paul Strachan. 1998. “Practical Application of Uncertainty Analysis”
in Proceedings of EPIC 98: Second International Conference on Energy Performance and Indoor
Climate in Buildings, Lyon, France, 19-21 November 1998.
National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). 1976. Test Reference Year (TRY), Tape Reference
Manual, TD-9706, September 1976. Asheville, North Carolina: National Climatic Data Center,
U.S. Department of Commerce.
NCDC. 1981. Typical Meteorological Year User’s Manual, TD-9734, Hourly Solar Radiation –
Surface Meteorological Observations, May 1981. Asheville, North Carolina: National Climatic Data
2.16. WEB RESOURCES 97

Center, U.S. Department of Commerce.

NCDC. 1981. Meteorological Observations, May 1981. Asheville, North Carolina: National
Climatic Data Center, U.S. Department of Commerce.
NCDC. 1993. Solar and Meteorological Surface Observation Network, 1961-1990, Version 1.0,
September 1993. Asheville, North Carolina: National Climatic Data Center, U.S. Department of
Commerce.
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). 1995. User’s Manual for TMY2s (Typical
Meteorological Years), NREL/SP-463-7668, and TMY2s, Typical Meteorological Years Derived
from the 1961-1990 National Solar Radiation Data Base, June 1995, CD-ROM. Golden, Colorado:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
[Link]
Numerical Logics. 1999. Canadian Weather for Energy Calculations, Users Manual and CD-
ROM. Downsview, Ontario: Environment Canada.
Oliver, John E. 1991. “The History, Status and Future of Climatic Classification,” in Physical
Geography 1991, Vol 12, No. 3, pp. 231-251.
Perez R, Ineichen P, Maxwell E, Seals R and Zelenka. A 1992. Dynamic Global-to-Direct
Irradiance Conversion Models. ASHRAE Transactions-Research Series,354-369.
Perez R, Ineichen P, Seals R, Michalsky J and Stewart R. 1990. Modeling [Link]
and irradiance components from direct and global irradiance. Solar.Energy44, 271-289.
University of Illinois. 1998. BLAST User’s Guide. Building Systems Laboratory, University
of Illinois. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois, Department of Industrial and Mechanical
Engineering.
Ward. G. 1996. Radiance. Berkeley: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Winkelmann, F.C., W.F. Buhl, B. Birdsall, A. E. Erdem, and K. Ellington. 1994. DOE-
2.1E Supplement, DE-940-11218. Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley, California. Springfield,
Virginia: NTIS.
Zhang, Q. Y., Y. J. Huang. 2002. “Development of Typical Year Weather Files for Chinese
Locations”, in ASHRAE Transactions, Volume 108, Part 2.

2.16 Web Resources

EnergyPlus, up-to-date information on the current status of EnergyPlus and working with the team,
and documentation such as input data structure, output data structure, and licensing opportunities
is available at ([Link] Additional weather files may be posted here as well
([Link]
Building Energy Tools Directory, a directory of information on 340+ energy tools from around
the world is available at ([Link]
Energy Systems Research Unit, University of Strathclyde, authors of ESP-r, up-to-date
information on ESP-r and other energy systems research and software development is available at
([Link]
Description of the SWERA project. ([Link]
Resource_Assessment_(SWERA)).
Athenium Analytics ([Link]) - Site specific weather files in EnergyPlus format
based on the latest 30 years of hourly data are now available from the private sector company
Athenium Analytics (formerly Weather Analytics) for any official weather station or over 600,000
98 CHAPTER 2. WEATHER CONVERTER PROGRAM

35-km grid tiles across the globe. These files are built by integrating hourly weather station
observations and the new NOAA reanalysis data sets. Both Typical Meteorological Year (TMY)
files and individual, Actual Meteorological Year (AMY) files are available as well as files constructed
from the previous 12 months.
Meteonorm ([Link]) - Files for specific locations can be purchased in EnergyPlus
format from Meteonorm company. Meteonorm extrapolates hourly data from statistical data for a
location. Where statistical data aren’t available, Meteonorm interpolates from other nearby sites.
Generally a statistical approach is a last resort–weather files generated from statistics will not
demonstrate the normal hour-to-hour and day-to-day variability seen in measured data.
Chapter 3

Ground Heat Transfer in EnergyPlus

3.1 Caution
For ground-contact surfaces in EnergyPlus, it is important to specify appropriate ground
temperatures. Do not use the “undisturbed” ground temperatures from the weather data. These
values are too extreme for the soil under a conditioned building. For best results, use the Slab
or Basement program described in this section to calculate custom monthly average ground
temperatures. This is especially important for residential applications and very small buildings. If
one of these ground temperature preprocessors is not used, for typical commercial buildings in the
USA, a reasonable default value is 2C less than the average indoor space temperature.

3.2 Introduction
There are two difficulties behind linking ground heat transfer calculations to EnergyPlus. One is
the fact that the conduction calculations in EnergyPlus (and in DOE-2 and BLAST previously)
are one-dimensional and the ground heat transfer calculations are two or three-dimensional. This
causes severe modeling problems irrespective of the methods being used for the ground heat transfer
calculation. The other difficulty is the markedly different time scales involved in the processes.
Basically, the zone model is on an hour scale and the ground heat transfer is on a monthly time scale.
The basic heat balance based zone model of EnergyPlus has to be considered as the foundation for
building energy simulation at the present time and for some time in the future. Thus, it is necessary
to be able to relate ground heat transfer calculations to that model.
The heat balance zone model considers a single room or thermal zone in a building and performs
a heat balance on it. A fundamental modeling assumption is that the faces of the enclosure are
isothermal planes. A ground heat transfer calculation usually considers an entire building and the
earth that surrounds it, resulting in non-isothermal face planes where there is ground contact. While
it is not impossible to imagine multi-zone, whole building models that include the surrounding earth
and non-isothermal building surfaces, such models will not be practical for some time in the future,
and their usefulness even then is not clear.
The EnergyPlus development team addressed the problem and decided that the most reasonable
first step would be to partially decouple the ground heat transfer calculation from the thermal
zone calculation. The most important parameter for the zone calculation is the outside face
temperature of the building surface that is in contact with the ground. Thus this becomes a

99
100 CHAPTER 3. GROUND HEAT TRANSFER IN ENERGYPLUS

reasonable “separation plane” for the two calculations. It was further decided that the current
usage of monthly average ground temperature was reasonable for this separation plane temperature
as well, since the time scales of the building heat transfer processes are so much shorter than those
of the ground heat transfer processes.
Using the separation plane premise, the 3D ground heat transfer programs for slabs developed
by Bahnfleth (1989, 1990) were modified by Clements (2004) to produce outside face temperatures.
EnergyPlus permits separate monthly average inside temperatures as input. The program produces
outside face temperatures for the core area and the perimeter area of the slab. It is described in
the section “Use of the Ground Temperatures with Slabs” below.
A 3D basement program also is included with EnergyPlus. This is described below in Using
Ground Temperatures with Basements. It uses the same principle as the slab procedure; it
determines the outside face (surface) temperature of the walls and floor of a basement in contact
with the ground.
It should be noted that either for slabs or basements the ground heat transfer is usually small
unless the building is very small or has some special characteristics.
Multiple Ground Temperatures shows how the OtherSideCoefficients object of EnergyPlus can
be used to supply multiple ground temperatures.

3.3 Use of the Ground Temperatures with Slabs

The Slab program produces temperature profiles for the outside surface at the core and at the
perimeter of the slab. It also produces the average based on the perimeter and core areas used in
the calculation. This allows the user to apply the Slab temperatures one of two ways in EnergyPlus:
Option 1 - Core and Perimeter Temperatures: The EnergyPlus OtherSideCoefficients object can
be used to provide two sets of twelve monthly average ground temperature values. In this way, both
the perimeter and the core values from the Slab program can be used in the succeeding EnergyPlus
run. This method assumes that the floor slab will be described using at least two different heat
transfer surfaces. The use of OtherSideCoefficients to provide additional ground contact surfaces is
described in detail in the “Multiple Ground Temperatures” section below.
Option 2 - Average Temperatures: Use the monthly average temperatures produced by the
Slab program in the EnergyPlus GroundTemperatures object. This will provide an average ground
temperature at the outside face of any heat transfer surface whose OutsideFaceEnvironment field
is set to “ground”.
EnergyPlus accepts twelve separate monthly average inside temperatures. In addition, it is
possible to add an hourly sinusoidal variation of the inside temperature with a 24 hour period sine
function. This was included to show the effect of something such as night setback on the face
temperature. Generally, the effect is quite small.
First the results for a monthly specified constant average inside temperature. The location is
Minneapolis, and the slab is insulated.
Monthly Slab Outside Face Temperatures , C
Perimeter Area: 304.00 Core Area: 1296.00
Month Average Perimeter Core Inside
1 17.67 16.11 18.03 18.0
2 17.45 15.92 17.81 18.0
3 17.43 16.07 17.74 18.0
4 19.00 17.82 19.27 20.0
5 19.24 18.23 19.48 20.0
6 19.31 18.42 19.52 20.0
3.3. USE OF THE GROUND TEMPERATURES WITH SLABS 101

7 20.92 20.14 21.11 22.0

8 21.17 20.44 21.35 22.0
9 21.22 20.45 21.40 22.0
10 21.21 20.26 21.44 22.0
11 19.62 18.54 19.88 20.0
12 19.35 17.99 19.67 20.0

The resulting heat flux is shown below. The inside heat transfer coefficient and slab thermal
properties are specified in the input file. For this example the total thermal resistance from the
inside air to the slab bottom surface was 0.27 (m2 C)/W. This value is controlled by the user with
the inside heat transfer coefficient and slab thermal properties values in the slab program input file.

Month Average Perimeter Core Inside Perimeter Average

Heat Flux Heat Flux
W/m W/m
1 17.67 16.11 18.03 18 7.00 1.22
2 17.45 15.92 17.81 18 7.70 2.04
3 17.43 16.07 17.74 18 7.15 2.11
4 19 17.82 19.27 20 8.07 3.70
5 19.24 18.23 19.48 20 6.56 2.81
6 19.31 18.42 19.52 20 5.85 2.56
7 20.92 20.14 21.11 22 6.89 4.00
8 21.17 20.44 21.35 22 5.78 3.07
9 21.22 20.45 21.4 22 5.74 2.89
10 21.21 20.26 21.44 22 6.44 2.93
11 19.62 18.54 19.88 20 5.41 1.41
12 19.35 17.99 19.67 20 7.44 2.41

Then for the same conditions, the results with a 2 degree C amplitude 24-hour sine wave
variation. Notice that the inside temperatures are the same since they are monthly averages and the
daily variation oscillates about the mean. The core and perimeter slab temperatures are affected
slightly.
Monthly Slab Outside Face Temperatures , C
Perimeter Area: 304.00 Core Area: 1296.00
Month Average Perimeter Core Inside
1 17.51 16.03 17.86 18.0
2 17.29 15.85 17.63 18.0
3 17.27 16.00 17.57 18.0
4 18.87 17.77 19.13 20.0
5 19.11 18.16 19.34 20.0
6 19.17 18.34 19.37 20.0
7 20.81 20.07 20.98 22.0
8 21.05 20.36 21.21 22.0
9 21.09 20.38 21.26 22.0
10 21.08 20.19 21.29 22.0
11 19.47 18.45 19.71 20.0
12 19.20 17.92 19.51 20.0

An example of a 24-hour inside temperature profile for this case is shown below. The sine wave
amplitude was 2 C.
102 CHAPTER 3. GROUND HEAT TRANSFER IN ENERGYPLUS

Day Hour Perim Out Ts Core Out Ts Inside Temp

1 1 17.30827 19.15832 18.51749
1 2 17.29503 19.15274 18.99974
1 3 17.30236 19.16732 19.41389
1 4 17.32258 19.19376 19.73175
1 5 17.34834 19.22526 19.93166
1 6 17.37288 19.25529 20.00000
1 7 17.39023 19.27798 19.93212
1 8 17.39544 19.28838 19.73265
1 9 17.38485 19.28117 19.41517
1 10 17.35602 19.24733 19.00130
1 11 17.30590 19.18686 18.51924
1 12 17.23507 19.10210 18.00180
1 13 17.14650 18.99703 17.48425
1 14 17.04291 18.87713 17.00183
1 15 16.92873 18.74895 16.58738
1 16 16.81076 18.61963 16.26915
1 17 16.69609 18.49656 16.06881
1 18 16.59243 18.38671 16.00000
1 19 16.50669 18.29626 16.06741
1 20 16.44276 18.23010 16.26645
1 21 16.40369 18.19161 16.58356
1 22 16.38873 18.18218 16.99714
1 23 16.39435 18.19834 17.47902
1 24 16.41942 18.23298 17.99639

A plot of the daily profiles is shown below. Note that the inside temperature change of 4 C
produces only a small change in the slab lower face temperature.

Figure 3.1: Daily Temperature Profiles (Slab)

The resulting heat fluxes are shown below. They can be compared with the fluxes shown
above for the constant inside temperature run. The changes resulting from a fairly large 4 C daily
temperature variation are probably not significant.
3.4. SLAB CONFIGURATION DRAWING 103

Month Average Perimeter Core Inside Perimeter Average

Heat Flux Heat Flux
W/m W/m
1 17.51 16.03 17.86 18 7.30 1.81
2 17.29 15.85 17.63 18 7.96 2.63
3 17.27 16 17.57 18 7.41 2.70
4 18.87 17.77 19.13 20 8.26 4.19
5 19.11 18.16 19.34 20 6.81 3.30
6 19.17 18.34 19.37 20 6.15 3.07
7 20.81 20.07 20.98 22 7.15 4.41
8 21.05 20.36 21.21 22 6.07 3.52
9 21.09 20.38 21.26 22 6.00 3.37
10 21.08 20.19 21.29 22 6.70 3.41
11 19.47 18.45 19.71 20 5.74 1.96
12 19.2 17.92 19.51 20 7.70 2.96

3.4 Slab configuration Drawing

The slab configuration used in the slab model is a “slab in grade” model. That is, the slab top
surface is assumed level with the outside earth surface. If a “slab on grade” configuration, having
the bottom surface of the slab level with the outside earth surface is desired, the best approximation
is to use the horizontal insulation configuration. The edge of the slab will have a small thermal
resistance due to the two dimensional path through the earth, but the effect is small. In any case,
uninsulated slab edges are certainly not recommended in cold climates.

3.5 Running the Slab Program

EP-Launch can be used to run the Slab program using two different methods.
If the Slab objects (see Description of the Objects in the E+[Link]) are located in
the standard EnergyPlus IDF input file than the Single Input File and Group of Input File tabs
of EP-Launch can be used and the Slab preprocessor will be called automatically during the
simulation process. In this case the Slab objects should all appear with the object name starting
with “GroundHeatTransfer:Slab:” This option also requires a GroundHeatTransfer:Control
object in the EnergyPlus idf file (see Input Output Reference).
If the Slab objects are located in a separate file, they should be run using the Slab option on
the Utilities tab in EP-Launch. See the EP-Launch section in this document for more information
on how to use EP-Launch with the Slab program.
You can also run the slab program as a console application. To execute it, we have provided
the batch file:
RunSlab
Steps for running the program
104 CHAPTER 3. GROUND HEAT TRANSFER IN ENERGYPLUS

Figure 3.2: Slab-in-grade illustration

1) Open a DOS command prompt window (Start > Programs > Accessories > Command
Prompt)

2) Change to the directory where EnergyPlus is installed (modify the commands below if you
did not install EnergyPlus in the default install path):

C:
CD \<rootfolder></span>

3) Change to the specific folder for the console application:

CD PreProcess\GrndTempCalc

4) Run the program (for example use the example included with the install):

RunSlab SlabExample USA_IL_Chicago-OHare_TMY2

In the following section, some description of modifying the batch file and details on files that
the slab program uses are given.

3.6 Technical Details on Files for Ground Heat Transfer

with Slabs
The slab program used to calculate the results is included with the EnergyPlus distribution. It
requires an input file named [Link] in input data file format. The needed corresponding idd file
is [Link]. An EnergyPlus weather file for the location is also needed. A batch file, RunSlab,
is placed in the same folder with the program and sample files. To use it (Command mode or DOS
mode), one may modify several important lines:
3.7. SLAB PROGRAM OUTPUT FILES 105

:Instructions:
: Complete the following path and program names.
: path names must have a following \\ or errors will happen
set program\_path =
set program\_name = [Link]
set input\_path =
set output\_path =
set weather\_path = C:\\ EnergyPlus \\ WeatherData \\

and then in command mode issue the run command:

RunSlab myinput Chicago

Where you would have [Link] in “input_path” and Chicago would be the name of the
.epw file in the “weather_path”.
You should set up the command mode so that it does not automatically close the window at
the end of program termination if you want to see the commands as they run and know for sure
that no errors occurred.

3.7 Slab Program Output Files

The following output files are created by the Slab program and saved in the output file path specified
in the [Link] file:
*_slab.ger - Error file. Input errors are reported here.
*_slab.out - Summary of inputs, location data, and grid coordinates
*_slab.gtp - Monthly ground temperatures and EnergyPlus idf objects

3.7.1 EnergyPlus idf Objects from Slab Program

If the objects are placed in the normal EnergyPlus input IDF file using the “GroundHeatTransfer:Slab:”
prefix, then the values resulting from the Slab preprocessor will be automatically included in the
simulation at run time. The surfaces can reference these values using Outside Boundary Conditions
of:

• GroundSlabPreprocessorAverage

• GroundSlabPreprocessorCore

• GroundSlabPreprocessorPerimeter

The objects that support this include:

• BuildingSurface:Detailed

• Wall:Detailed

• RoofCeiling:Detailed

• Floor:Detailed
106 CHAPTER 3. GROUND HEAT TRANSFER IN ENERGYPLUS

The slab program is capable of supplying the EnergyPlus idf objects needed to use the slab
program outputs directly by copying the objects into the EnergyPlus idf file. The file containing
these objects has the extension gtp, and an example is shown below. It contains the output
temperatures and heat fluxes, and in addition it contains an OtherSideCoefficient object example as
mentioned above, and three compact schedule objects that can be used to describe the average, core
and perimeter temperatures directly in EnergyPlus. The Name in the compact schedule corresponds
to the GroundTemperatureScheduleName in the OtherSideCoefficient object.
======================================
==========
CHECK CONVERGENCE MESSAGE AT END OF THIS FILE!
======================================
==========
Monthly Slab Outside Face Temperatures , C and Heat Fluxes(loss), W/(m^2)
Perimeter Area: 304.00 Core Area: 1296.00
Month TAverage TPerimeter TCore TInside AverageFlux PerimeterFlux CoreFlux
1 17.74 16.41 18.05 18.00 0.88 5.39 -0.17
2 17.49 16.15 17.81 18.00 1.73 6.29 0.66
3 17.45 16.23 17.74 18.00 1.86 6.02 0.88
4 18.96 17.86 19.22 20.00 3.51 7.24 2.64
5 19.22 18.22 19.45 20.00 2.66 6.04 1.86
6 19.28 18.38 19.49 20.00 2.44 5.48 1.73
7 20.83 19.98 21.03 22.00 3.96 6.87 3.28
8 21.12 20.39 21.29 22.00 2.98 5.47 2.40
9 21.18 20.46 21.35 22.00 2.76 5.22 2.19
10 21.17 20.23 21.39 22.00 2.82 6.02 2.08
11 19.64 18.63 19.88 20.00 1.22 4.63 0.42
12 19.36 18.14 19.65 20.00 2.16 6.30 1.19

! OTHER SIDE COEFFICIENT OBJECT EXAMPLE FOR IDF FILE

SurfaceProperty:OtherSideCoefficients ,
ExampleOSC , !- OtherSideCoeff Name \*\*\* CHANGE THIS !\*\*\*
0, !- Combined convective/radiative film coefficient
1, !- N2 ,User selected Constant Temperature {C}
1, !- Coefficient modifying the user selected constant temperature
0, !- Coefficient modifying the external dry bulb temperature
0, !- Coefficient modifying the ground temperature
0, !- Coefficient modifying the wind speed term (s/m)
0, !- Coefficient modifying the zone air temperature
! part of the equation
GroundTempCompactSchedName ; !- Name of Schedule for values of const
! temperature. Schedule values replace N2.
! \*\*\* REPLACE WITH CORRECT NAME \*\*\*

Schedule:Compact ,
MonthlyAveSurfaceTemp , !Name
Temperature , !- ScheduleType
Through: 1/31,
For:AllDays ,
Until :24:00 ,
17.74 ,
Through: 2/28,
For:AllDays ,
Until :24:00 ,
17.49 ,
Through: 3/31,
For:AllDays ,
Until :24:00 ,
17.45 ,
Through: 4/30,
For:AllDays ,
Until :24:00 ,
18.96 ,
3.8. DESCRIPTION OF THE OBJECTS IN THE E+[Link] 107

Through: 5/31,
For:AllDays ,
Until :24:00 ,
19.22 ,
Through: 6/30,
For:AllDays ,
Until :24:00 ,
19.28 ,
Through: 7/31,
For:AllDays ,
Until :24:00 ,
20.83 ,
Through: 8/31,
For:AllDays ,
Until :24:00 ,
21.12 ,
Through: 9/30,
For:AllDays ,
Until :24:00 ,
21.18 ,
Through: 10/31 ,
For:AllDays ,
Until :24:00 ,
21.17 ,
Through: 11/30 ,
For:AllDays ,
Until :24:00 ,
19.64 ,
Through: 12/31 ,
For:AllDays ,
Until :24:00 ,
19.36 ;

- compact schedules for MonthlyPerimeterTemp and MonthlyCoreTemp are included.

Convergence has been gained.

3.8 Description of the Objects in the E+[Link]

These objects also appear in the main Energy+.IDD file with the prefix “GroundHeatTransfer:Slab:”

3.8.1 Materials or GroundHeatTransfer:Slab:Materials Object

The materials object gives an overall description of the ground heat transfer model.

[Link] Field: NMAT: Number of Materials

This field specifies the number of different materials that will be used in the model. Typically only
a ground material and a slab material are used.

[Link] Field: Albedo: Surface Albedo: NoSnow

[Link] Field: Albedo: Surface Albedo: Snow
Two fields specify the albedo value of the surface: first for no snow coverage days; second for days
with snow coverage. The albedo is the solar reflectivity of the surface, and can vary from 0.05 for
blacktop to 0.95 for fresh snow. Typical values for North America reported by Bahnfleth range
from 0.16 to 0.4.
108 CHAPTER 3. GROUND HEAT TRANSFER IN ENERGYPLUS

[Link] Field EPSLW: Surface Emissivity: NoSnow

[Link] Field EPSLW: Surface Emissivity: Snow
This field specifies the long wavelength (thermal) emissivity of the ground surface. It is primarily
important for nighttime radiation to the sky, and a value of 0.95 for both snow and no snow is
reasonable.

[Link] Field: Z0 Surface Roughness: NoSnow

[Link] Field: Z0 Surface Roughness: Snow
These two fields specify a surface roughness that is used in the determination of the convection heat
transfer coefficient between the ground surface and the air. This roughness is based on boundary
layer considerations, and specifies the height at which an experimentally measured velocity profile
goes to zero. The units are centimeters, not meters. Typical values are 0.75 cm for no snow, and
0.05 cm for snow.

[Link] Field: HIN: Indoor Hconv: Downward Flow

[Link] Field: HIN: Indoor Hconv: Upward Flow
These fields specify the combined convective and radiative heat transfer coefficient between the slab
top inside surface and the room air for the cases where heat is flowing downward, and upward. The
program toggles between the two if the direction of the heat flux changes. Typical values can be
found in the ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals, but should be about 6 W/(m2 -K) for downward
heat flow and 9 W/(m2 -K) for upward heat flow.
The Materials object in the IDD is shown below.

Materials ,
N1 , \field NMAT: Number of materials
\note typical 2
N2 , \field ALBEDO: Surface Albedo: No Snow
\note typical value = 0-1
N3 , \field ALBEDO: Surface Albedo: Snow
\note typical value = 0-1
N4 , \field EPSLW: Surface Emissivity: No Snow
\note typical value = 0.9
N5 , \field EPSLW: Surface Emissivity: Snow
\note typical value = 0.9
N6 , \field Z0: Surface Roughness: No Snow
\note typical value = 0-10 cm
N7 , \field Z0: Surface Roughness: Snow
\note typical value = 0-10
N8 , \field HIN: Indoor HConv: Downward Flow
\note typical value = 4-10
\units W/m2 -K
N9; \field HIN: Indoor HConv: Upward
\note typical value = 4-10
\units W/m2 -K

3.8.2 MatlProps or GroundHeatTransfer:Slab:MatlProps Object

This object contains the material properties that describe the materials used in the model. The
fields are quite self explanatory and consist of the following:
3.8. DESCRIPTION OF THE OBJECTS IN THE E+[Link] 109

[Link] Field: RHO: Slab Material Density

[Link] Field: RHO: Soil Density
These two fields specify the density of the slab material and the soil in SI units of kg/m3

[Link] Field: CP: Slab CP

[Link] Field: CP: Soil CP
These two fields specify the specific heat of the slab and soil in SI units of J/(kg-K).

[Link] Field: TCON: Slab K

[Link] Field: TCON: Soil K
These two fields specify the thermal conductivity of the slab and soil in W/(m2 -K)
The IDD object is shown below:
MatlProps ,
N1 , \field RHO: Slab Material density
\note typical value = 2300.0
\units kg/m3
N2 , \field RHO: Soil Density
\note typical value = 1200.0
\units kg/m3
N3 , \field CP: Slab CP
\note typical value = 650.0
\units J/kg -K
N4 , \field CP: Soil CP
\note typical value = 1200.0
\units J/kg -K
N5 , \field TCON: Slab k
\note typical value = .9
\units W/m2 -K
N6; \field TCON: Soil k
\note typical value = 1.0
\units W/m2 -K

3.8.3 BoundConds or GroundHeatTransfer:Slab:BoundConds Object

This object supplies some of the boundary conditions used in the simulation.

[Link] Field: EVTR: Is surface evapotranspiration modeled

This field specifies whether or not to use the evapotransporation model. Evapotransportation
comprises all of the processes at the ground surface the involve exchanges of latent heat. The
inclusion of evapotransporation in the calculation has the greatest effect in warm dry climates,
primarily on the ground surface temperature. This field can be used to turn the evapotransporation
off and on to check sensitivity to it.

[Link] Field: FIXBC: is the lower boundary at a fixed temperature

This field permits using a fixed temperature at the lower surface of the model instead of a zero heat
flux condition. This change normally has a very small effect on the results. If the flag is set to use
a specified temperature, the program calculates an undisturbed temperature profile and used the
110 CHAPTER 3. GROUND HEAT TRANSFER IN ENERGYPLUS

value at the model depth. The model depth is set by the program using the domain size from the
EquivAutoGrid object below.

[Link] Field: TDEEPin

The fixed lower level temperature as described in the FIXBC field.

[Link] Field: USPHflag: Is the ground surface h specified by the user?

This field flags the use of a user specified heat transfer coefficient on the ground surface. This
condition is used primarily for testing. For normal runs (USPHflag is FALSE), the program
calculates the heat transfer coefficient using the weather conditions.

[Link] Field: USERH: User specified ground surface heat transfer coeff
This field supplies the value of the heat transfer coefficient if USPHflag is TRUE. W/(m2 -K)
The BoundConds object is shown below:
BoundConds ,
A1 , \field EVTR: Is surface evapotranspiration modeled
\type choice
\key TRUE
\key FALSE
A2 , \field FIXBC: is the lower boundary at a fixed temperature
\type choice
\key TRUE
\key FALSE
\note FALSE selects the zero flux lower boundary condition
N1 , \field TDEEPin ,
\note User input lower boundary temperature if FIXBC is TRUE
\units C
\note Blank for FIXBC FALSE or
\note to use the calculated 1-D deep ground temperature.
A3 , \field USRHflag: Is the ground surface h specified by the user?
\type choice
\key TRUE
\key FALSE
N2; \field USERH: User specified ground surface heat transfer coeff
\units W/(m2 -K)
\note Used only if USRHflag is TRUE

3.8.4 BldgProps or GroundHeatTransfer:Slab:BldgProps Object

This object provides information about the building and its operating conditions.

[Link] Field: IYRS Number of years to iterate

This field specifies the number of years to iterate. This means that the simulation comes to an
either an annual steady periodic condition by converging to a tolerance (see ConvTol field) or it
runs for this number of years. A ten year maximum is usually sufficient. It is important to note that
the ground heat transfer behavior will change during the first several years of operating a ground
contact structure. It takes several years to change from the undisturbed profile to the disturbed
profile under a building.
3.8. DESCRIPTION OF THE OBJECTS IN THE E+[Link] 111

[Link] Field: Shape Slab shape

Use only the value 0 here. Only a rectangular shape is implemented.

[Link] Field: HBLDG: Building Height

This field supplies the building height. This is used to calculate the building shadowing on the
ground. Height is in meters.

[Link] Field: TIN1 - TIN12 <month> Indoor Average temperature set point
The next twelve fields specify the average indoor building set point temperatures for each month
of the year. These fields are useful for simulating a building that is not temperature controlled for
some of the year. In such a case, the average indoor set point temperatures can be obtained by first
running the model in EnergyPlus with an insulated floor boundary condition, and then using the
resulting monthly average zone temperatures in these fields.

[Link] Field: TINAmp: Daily Indoor sine wave variation amplitude

This field permits imposing a daily sinusoidal variation in the indoor setpoint temperature to
simulate the effect of a setback profile. The value specified will be the amplitude of the sine wave.

[Link] Field: ConvTol: Convergence Tolerance

This final field specifies the convergence tolerance used to control the iteration. When the
temperature change of all nodes is less than the convergence value, iteration ceases.
The entire BldgProps Object is shown below.
BldgProps ,
N1 , \field IYRS: Number of years to iterate
\note typical value = 10
N2 , \field Shape: Slab shape
\note only value = 0
N3 , \field HBLDG: Building height
\note typical value = 0-20
\units m
N4 , \field TIN1: January Indoor Average temperature set point
\note typical value = 22
\units C
N5 , \field TIN2: February Indoor Average temperature set point
\note typical value = 22
\units C
N6 , \field TIN3: March Indoor Average temperature set point
\note typical value = 22
\units C
N7 , \field TIN4: April Indoor Average temperature set point
\note typical value = 22
\units C
N8 , \field TIN5: May Indoor Average temperature set point
\note typical value = 22
\units C
N9 , \field TIN6: June Indoor Average temperature set point
\note typical value = 22
\units C
N10 , \field TIN7: July Indoor Average temperature set point
\note typical value = 22
\units C
N11 , \field TIN8: August Indoor Average temperature set point
\note typical value = 22
112 CHAPTER 3. GROUND HEAT TRANSFER IN ENERGYPLUS

\units C
N12 , \field TIN9: September Indoor Average temperature set point
\note typical value = 22
\units C
N13 , \field TIN10: October Indoor Average temperature set point
\note typical value = 22
\units C
N14 , \field TIN11: NovemberIndoor Average temperature set point
\note typical value = 22
\units C
N15 , \field TIN12: December Indoor Average temperature set point
\note typical value = 22
\units C
N16 , \field TINAmp: Daily Indoor sine wave variation amplitude
\note typical value: 0
\units C
N17; \field ConvTol: Convergence Tolerance
\note typical value = 0.1

3.8.5 Insulation or GroundHeatTransfer:Slab:Insulation Object

This object supplies the information about insulation used around the slab. There are two possible
configurations: under the slab or vertical insulation around the slab.

[Link] Field RINS: R value of under slab insulation

This field provides the thermal resistance value of the under slab insulation. It should be zero if
the vertical insulation configuration is selected. Units are m2 K/W.

[Link] Field DINS: Width of strip of under slab insulation

This specifies the width of the perimeter strip of insulation under the slab in meters. Again a zero
value should be used for the vertical insulation configuration. Units are m.

[Link] Field RVINS: R value of vertical insulation

This field specifies the thermal resistance of the vertical insulation. It should be zero if the under
slab insulation configuration is in effect. Units are m2 K/W.

[Link] Field ZVINS: Depth of vertical insulation

This field specifies the depth of the vertical insulation into the ground in meters. Note that it starts
at the slab upper surface and extends into the ground. Only .2 .4 .6 .8 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 or 3.0 m
should be used. Units are m.

[Link] Field IVINS: Flag: Is there vertical insulation?

This final field specifies that vertical the vertical insulation configuration is being used. The value
of 1 specifies yes and 0 specifies no.
The Insulation object is shown below.
Insulation ,
N1 , \field RINS: R value of under slab insulation
\note typical value = 0-2.0
\units m2 -K/W
3.8. DESCRIPTION OF THE OBJECTS IN THE E+[Link] 113

N2 , \field DINS: Width of strip of under slab insulation

\note typical value = 0-2.0
\units m
N3 , \field RVINS: R value of vertical insulation
\note typical value = 0-3.0
\units m2 -K/W
N4 , \field ZVINS: Depth of vertical insulation
\note only use values = .2 .4 .6 .8 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0
\units m
N5; \field IVINS: Flag: Is there vertical insulation
\note values: 1 = yes 0 = no

3.8.6 EquivalentSlab or GroundHeatTransfer:Slab:EquivalentSlab

Object
This object provides the basic information for running a model that uses the area over perimeter
ratio of the slab to determine the size of an equivalent rectangular slab.

[Link] Field APRatio: The area to perimeter ratio for this slab
This field specifies the area over perimeter ratio of the slab in meters.

[Link] Field SLABDEPTH: Thickness of slab on grade

This field specifies the thickness of the slab in meters. Note that the slab top surface is level with
the ground surface, so this is the depth into the ground. The slab depth has a significant effect on
the temperature calculation, and it is also important for the auto-grid process. The finite difference
grids are set in such a way that they use the slab thickness to determine the vertical grid spacing.
Because of this, autogridding will fail if the slab thickness is specified larger than 0.25 meters. The
program also is set up so that the slab is a single finite difference cell in the vertical direction. Thus,
if the slab thickness is set too large, the accuracy of the calculation may be suspect. The results
with three different slab thicknesses are shown below.
All other inputs for the runs were the same. It is clear that the slab thickness has a significant
effect because of the horizontal component of conduction in both directions in the slab.

[Link] Field CLEARANCE: Distance from edge of slab to domain edge

This field specifies the distance from the slab to the edge of the area that will be modeled with the
grid system. It is the basic size dimension that is used to set the horizontal extent of the domain.
The units are meters, and 15 meters is a reasonable value.

[Link] Field ZCLEARANCE: Distance from bottom of slab to domain bottom

This field specifies the vertical distance from the slab to the bottom edge of the area that will be
modeled with the grid system. It is the basic size dimension that is used to set vertical extent of
the domain. The units are meters, and 15 meters is a reasonable value.
The object is shown below.
EquivalentSlab ,
\memo Using an equivalent slab allows non -rectangular shapes to be modeled accurately
N1 , \field APRatio: The area to perimeter ratio for this slab
\units m
114 CHAPTER 3. GROUND HEAT TRANSFER IN ENERGYPLUS

N2 , \field SLABDEPTH: Thickness of slab on grade

\note typical value = 0.1
\units m
N3 , \field CLEARANCE: Distance from edge of slab to domain edge
\note typical value = 15.0
\units m
N4; \field ZCLEARANCE: Distance from bottom of slab to domain bottom
\note typical value = 15.0
\units m

Figure 3.3: Graph of Slab Outside Temperature vs Slab Thickness

The EquivSlab object and the EquivAutoGrid Objects that follow have been
replaced by the EquivalentSlab object above. They are included in the idd so that old
idf files can still be read.

3.8.7 EquivSlab Object - Obsolete

This object provides the basic information for running a model that uses the area over perimeter
ratio of the slab to determine the size of an equivalent rectangular slab.

[Link] Field APRatio: The area to perimeter ratio for this slab
This field specifies the area over perimeter ratio of the slab in meters.

[Link] Field: EquivSizing

This field value should be TRUE. This means that the program will determine the dimensions of
the equivalent slab that satisfactorily models the A/P ratio.
The object is shown below.
3.8. DESCRIPTION OF THE OBJECTS IN THE E+[Link] 115

EquivSlab ,
\memo Using an equivalent slab allows non -rectangular shapes to be modeled accurately
\memo The simulation default should be EquivSizing = True
N1 , \field APRatio: The area to perimeter ratio for this slab
\units m
A1; \field EquivSizing:
\note Flag: Will the dimensions of an equivalent slab
\note be calculated (TRUE) or will the dimensions be input directly? (FALSE)
\note It is recommended that EnergyPlus users use TRUE.

3.8.8 EquivAutoGrid Object - Obsolete

This object provides the information needed by the program to automatically generate the
calculation grid when the slab is described as an equivalent slab. It is necessary for EnergyPlus
users because equivalent slab is the appropriate option.

[Link] Field SLABDEPTH: Thickness of slab on grade

This field specifies the thickness of the slab in meters. Note that the slab top surface is level with
the ground surface, so this is the depth into the ground. The slab depth has a significant effect on
the temperature calculation, and it is also important for the auto-grid process. The finite difference
grids are set in such a way that they use the slab thickness to determine the vertical grid spacing.
Because of this, autogridding will fail if the slab thickness is specified larger than 0.25 meters. The
program also is set up so that the slab is a single finite difference cell in the vertical direction. Thus,
if the slab thickness is set too large, the accuracy of the calculation may be suspect. The results
with three different slab thicknesses are shown below.
All other inputs for the runs were the same. It is clear that the slab thickness has a significant
effect because of the horizontal component of conduction in both directions in the slab.

[Link] Field CLEARANCE: Distance from edge of slab to domain edge

This field specifies the distance from the slab to the edge of the area that will be modeled with the
grid system. It is the basic size dimension that is used to set both the horizontal and vertical extent
of the domain. The units are meters, and 15 meters is a reasonable value.
The EquivAutoGrid object is shown below.
EquivAutoGrid , \memo EquivAutoGrid only necessary when EquivSizing is true
\memo EnergyPlus users normally use this option.
N1 , \field SLABDEPTH: Thickness of slab on grade
\note typical value = 0.1
\units m
N2; \field CLEARANCE: Distance from edge of slab to domain edge
\note typical value = 15.0
\units m

3.8.9 Additional Objects

There are five additional objects in the IDD that can be used under very special situations by
researchers who want to generate special calculation grids. They are normally not useful to
EnergyPlus users. They will be shown as IDD sections only. They do not need to be in the
IDF.
116 CHAPTER 3. GROUND HEAT TRANSFER IN ENERGYPLUS

AutoGrid , \memo AutoGrid only necessary when EquivSizing is false

\memo Not normally needed by EnergyPlus users.
N1 , \field SLABX: X dimension of the building slab
\note typical values = 0 -60.0
\units m
N2 , \field SLABY: Y dimension of the building slab
\note typical values = 0 -60.0
\units m
N3 , \field SLABDEPTH: Thickness of slab on grade
\note typical value = .1
\units m
N4; \field CLEARANCE: Distance from edge of slab to domain edge
\note typical value = 15.0
\units m

ManualGrid , \memo Manual Grid only necessary using manual gridding (not recommended)
\memo Used only in special cases.
N1 , \field NX: Number of cells in the X direction
\note typical values = 15
N2 , \field NY: Number of cells in the Y direction
\note typical values = 15
N3 , \field NZ: Number of cells in the Z direction
\note typical values = 15
N4 , \field IBOX: X direction cell indicator of slab edge
\note typical values = 1-10
N5; \field JBOX: Y direction cell indicator of slab edge
\note typical values = 1-10

XFACE , \memo This is only needed when using manual gridding (not recommended)
\memo XFACE: X Direction cell face coordinates: m
N1 , N2 , N3 , N4 , N5 , N6 , N7 , N8 , N9 , N10 , N11 , N12 , N13 , N14 ,
N15 , N16 , N17 , N18 , N19 , N20 , N21 , N22 , N23 , N24 , N25 , N26 , N27 , N28 , N29 ,
N30 , N31 , N32 , N33 , N34 , N35 , N36 , N37 , N38 , N39 , N40;

YFACE , \memo This is only needed when using manual gridding (not recommended)
\memo YFACE: Y Direction cell face coordinates: m,
N1 , N2 , N3 , N4 , N5 , N6 , N7 , N8 , N9 , N10 , N11 , N12 , N13 , N14 ,
N15 , N16 , N17 , N18 , N19 , N20 , N21 , N22 , N23 , N24 , N25 , N26 , N27 , N28 , N29 ,
N30 , N31 , N32 , N33 , N34 , N35 , N36 , N37 , N38 , N39 , N40;

ZFACE , \memo This is only needed when usuing manual gridding (not recommended)
\memo ZFACE: Z Direction cell face coordinates: m
N1 , N2 , N3 , N4 , N5 , N6 , N7 , N8 , N9 , N10 , N11 , N12 , N13 , N14 ,
N15 , N16 , N17 , N18 , N19 , N20 , N21 , N22 , N23 , N24 , N25;

3.8.10 Sample IDF File - Slab Program

A sample IDF file is shown below.

!-Generator IDFEditor 1.12

!-NOTE: All comments with '!-' are ignored by the IDFEditor and are generated automatically.
!- Use '!' comments if they need to be retained when using the IDFEditor.

!- = = = = = = = = = = = ALL OBJECTS IN CLASS: MATERIALS = = = = = = = = = = =

Materials ,
2, !- NMAT: Number of materials
0.158 , !- ALBEDO: Surface Albedo: No Snow
0.379 , !- ALBEDO: Surface Albedo: Snow
0.9, !- EPSLW: Surface Emissivity: No Snow
0.9, !- EPSLW: Surface Emissivity: Snow
0.75, !- Z0: Surface Roughness: No Snow
0.03, !- Z0: Surface Roughness: Snow
6.13, !- HIN: Indoor HConv: Downward Flow {W/m2 -K}
3.9. USING GROUND TEMPERATURES WITH BASEMENTS 117

9.26; !- HIN: Indoor HConv: Upward {W/m2 -K}

!- = = = = = = = = = = = ALL OBJECTS IN CLASS: MATLPROPS = = = = = = = = = = =

MatlProps ,
2300, !- RHO: Slab Material density {kg/m3}
1200, !- RHO: Soil Density {kg/m3}
653, !- CP: Slab CP {J/kg -K}
1200, !- CP: Soil CP {J/kg -K}
0.93, !- TCON: Slab k {W/m-K}
1; !- TCON: Soil k {W/m-K}

!- = = = = = = = = = = = ALL OBJECTS IN CLASS: BOUNDCONDS = = = = = = = = = = =

BoundConds ,
TRUE , !- EVTR: Is surface evapotranspiration modeled
TRUE , !- FIXBC: is the lower boundary at a fixed temperature
FALSE; !- OLDTG: is there an old ground temperature file

!- = = = = = = = = = = = ALL OBJECTS IN CLASS: BLDGPROPS = = = = = = = = = = =

BldgProps ,
10, !- IYRS: Number of years to iterate
0, !- Shape: Slab shape
4, !- HBLDG: Building height {m}
18, !- TIN1: January Indoor Average temperature set point {C}
18, !- TIN2: February Indoor Average temperature set point {C}
18, !- TIN3: March Indoor Average temperature set point {C}
20, !- TIN4: April Indoor Average temperature set point {C}
20, !- TIN5: May Indoor Average temperature set point {C}
20, !- TIN6: June Indoor Average temperature set point {C}
22, !- TIN7: July Indoor Average temperature set point {C}
22, !- TIN8: August Indoor Average temperature set point {C}
22, !- TIN9: September Indoor Average temperature set point {C}
22, !- TIN10: October Indoor Average temperature set point {C}
20, !- TIN11: NovemberIndoor Average temperature set point {C}
20, !- TIN12: December Indoor Average temperature set point {C}
0, !- TINAmp: Daily sine wave variation amplitude {C}
0.10; !- ConvTol: Convergence Tolerance

!- = = = = = = = = = = = ALL OBJECTS IN CLASS: INSULATION = = = = = = = = = = =

Insulation ,
0., !- RINS: R value of under slab insulation {m2 -K/W}
0., !- DINS: Width of strip of under slab insulation {m}
2.0, !- RVINS: R value of vertical insulation {m2 -K/W}
2.0, !- ZVINS: Depth of vertical insulation {m}
1; !- IVINS: Flag: Is there vertical insulation

!- = = = = = = = = = = = ALL OBJECTS IN CLASS: EQUIVSLAB = = = = = = = = = = =

EquivalentSlab ,
10, !- APRatio: The area to perimeter ratio for this slab {m}
0.1, !- SLABDEPTH: Thickness of slab on grade {m}
15, !- CLEARANCE: Distance from edge of slab to domain edge {m}
10; !-ZCLEARANCE: Distance from bottom of slab to domain bottom

3.9 Using Ground Temperatures with Basements

The basement routine is used to calculate the face (surface) temperatures on the outside of the
basement wall or the floor slab. This is the plane between the outside insulation and the basement
wall. The insulation thermal resistance can range from zero (no insulation) to any reasonable value.
The units are K/(W/m2 ). The program will simulate two conditions: full insulation from grade to
the footing or half insulation that extends halfway down from grade to footing. The temperature
118 CHAPTER 3. GROUND HEAT TRANSFER IN ENERGYPLUS

on this plane is used with the OtherSideCoefficients object in EnergyPlus to supply the outside face
temperature of the walls or slab.

Figure 3.4: Basement Configuration

The output from the program is a csv file, named [Link], as shown below.
Column B gives the basement zone temperature. This can vary month by month as will be
explained later. Column C is the monthly average wall outside face temperature, as shown in
the diagram above. Column D is the corresponding average monthly average inside wall face
temperature. Columns E and F contain the same information for the basement floor slab. Columns
G-J contain the same information for the upper half and the lower half of the basement walls.
Columns K through N contain the monthly average heat flux for the floor, the walls, the upper
half of the walls and the lower half of the walls. The flux is reported in units of W/m2 .
The program also produces an output file named [Link]. This file contains the
necessary idf objects to make it easy to include the wall outside surface temperatures in an
3.10. RUNNING THE BASEMENT PROGRAM 119

Figure 3.5: Output from Basement program

EnergyPlus input file. Idf objects for all of the temperatures in the output file shown above
are included. These objects are explained in detail in the section Using the Interface Surface
Temperature Results in EnergyPlus.

3.10 Running the Basement Program

EP-Launch can be used to run the Basement program.
If the Basement Objects (see The Basement idd below) are located in the standard
EnergyPlus IDF input file than the Single Input File and Group of Input File tabs of EP-
Launch can be used and the Basement preprocessor will be called automatically during
the simulation process. In this case the Basement objects should all appear with the
object name starting with “GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:” This option also requires
a GroundHeatTransfer:Control object in the EnergyPlus idf file (see Input Output Reference).
If the Basement objects are located in a separate file, they should be run using the Basement
option on the Utilities tab in EP-Launch. See the EP-Launch section in this document for more
information on how to use EP-Launch with the Basement program.
You can also run the Basement program as a console application. To execute it, we have provided
the batch file:
RunBasement
Steps for running the program

1) Open a DOS command prompt window (Start -> Programs -> Accessories -> Command
Prompt)

2) Change to the directory where EnergyPlus is installed (modify the commands below if you
did not install EnergyPlus in the default install path):

C:
CD \<rootfolder></span>

3) Change to the specific folder for the console application:

CD PreProcess\GrndTempCalc
120 CHAPTER 3. GROUND HEAT TRANSFER IN ENERGYPLUS

4) Run the program (for example use the example included with the install):

RunBasement BasementExample USA_IL_Chicago-OHare_TMY2

In the following section, some description of modifying the batch file and details on files that
the basement program uses are given.

3.11 Technical Details on Files for Ground Heat Transfer

with Basements
The basement program used to calculate the results is included with the EnergyPlus distribution.
It requires an input file named [Link] in input data file format. The needed
corresponding idd file is [Link]. An EnergyPlus weather file for the location is also
needed. A batch file, RunBasement, is placed in the same folder with the program and sample
files. To use it (Command mode or DOS mode), one may modify several important lines:
:Instructions:
: Complete the following path and program names.
: path names must have a following \\ or errors will happen
set program\_path =
set program\_name = [Link]
set input\_path =
set output\_path =
set weather\_path = C:\\ EnergyPlus \\ WeatherData \\

and then in command mode issue the run command:

RunBasement myinput Chicago

Where you would have [Link] in “input_path” and Chicago would be the name of the
.epw file in the “weather_path”.
You should set up the command mode so that it does not automatically close the window at
the end of program termination if you want to see the commands as they run and know for sure
that no errors occurred.

3.12 Basement Program Output Files

The following output files are created by the Basement program and saved in the output file path
specified in the [Link] file:
*.audit - Audit file. Input errors are reported here as well as other information about the
progress of the program..
*.out - Summary of inputs, location data, and grid coordinates
*.csv - Monthly temperatures and fluxes for each surface.
*.idf - the [Link] file - ready to be included in an EnergyPlus input file (idf)

3.13 The Basement idd

The basement idd objects and fields are shown below. These objects also appear in the main
Energy+.IDD file with the prefix “GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:”
3.13. THE BASEMENT IDD 121

! Basement foundation heat transfer module Input Data Dictionary file

! Created: August 18, 2000
! Written by: Edward Clements
! Modified for EnergyPlus Auxiliary Application by C. O. Pedersen 10/04
! Description format: FORTRAN var.: description , units , typ. values

SimParameters ,
N1 ,\ field F: Multiplier for the ADI solution:
\note 0<F<1.0,
\note typically 0.1 (0.5 for high k soil]
N2; \field IYRS: Maximum number of yearly iterations:
\note typically 15 -30]

MatlProps ,
N1 , \field NMAT: Number of materials in this domain
\maximum 6
N2 , \field Density for Foundation Wall
\note typical value 2243
\units kg/m3
N3 , \field density for Floor Slab
\note typical value 2243
\units kg/m3
N4 , \field density for Ceiling
\note typical value 311
\units kg/m3
N5 , \field density for Soil
\note typical value 1500
\units kg/m3
N6 , \field density for Gravel
\note typical value 2000
\units kg/m3
N7 , \field density for Wood
\note typical value 449
\units kg/m3
N8 , \field Specific heat for foundation wall
\note typical value 880
\units J/kg -K
N9 , \field Specific heat for floor slab
\note typical value 880
\units J/kg -K
N10 , \field Specific heat for ceiling
\note typical value 1530
\units J/kg -K
N11 , \field Specific heat for soil
\note typical value 840
\units J/kg -K
N12 , \field Specific heat for gravel
\note typical value 720
\units J/kg -K
N13 , \field Specific heat for wood
\note typical value 1530
\units J/kg -K
N14 , \field Thermal conductivity for foundation wall
\note typical value 1.4
\units W/m-K
N15 , \field Thermal conductivity for floor slab
\note typical value 1.4
\units W/m-K
N16 , \field Thermal conductivity for ceiling
\note typical value 0.09
\units W/m-K
N17 , \field thermal conductivity for soil
\note typical value 1.1
\units W/m-K
N18 , \field thermal conductivity for gravel
\note typical value 1.9
\units W/m-K
N19; \field thermal conductivity for wood
\note typical value 0.12
122 CHAPTER 3. GROUND HEAT TRANSFER IN ENERGYPLUS

\units W/m-K

Insulation ,
N1 , \field REXT: R Value of any exterior insulation , K/(W/m2)]
\units m2 -K/W
A1; \field INSFULL: Flag: Is the wall fully insulated?
\note True for full insulation
\note False for insulation half way down side wall from grade line

SurfaceProps ,
N1 , \field ALBEDO: Surface albedo for No snow conditions
\note typical value 0.16
N2 , \field ALBEDO: Surface albedo for snow conditions
\note typical value 0.40
N3 , \field EPSLN: Surface emissivity No Snow
\note typical value 0.94
N4 , \field EPSLN: Surface emissivity with Snow
\note typical value 0.86
N5 , \field VEGHT: Surface roughness No snow conditions ,cm
\note typical value 6.0
\units cm
N6 , \field VEGHT: Surface roughness Snow conditions , cm , ]
\note typical value 0.25
\units cm
A1; \field PET: Flag , Potential evapotranspiration on? T/F]
\note Typically , PET is True

BldgData ,
N1 , \field DWALL: Wall thickness ,
\note typical value .2]
\units m
N2 , \field DSLAB: Floor slab thickness ,
\units m
\maximum 0.25
N3 , \field DGRAVXY: Width of gravel pit beside basement wall
\units m
N4 , \field DGRAVZN: Gravel depth extending above the floor slab
\units m
N5; \field DGRAVZP: Gravel depth below the floor slab ,
\units m
\note typical value 0.1

Interior ,
A1 , \field COND: Flag: Is the basement conditioned?
\note TRUE or FALSE
\note for EnergyPlus this should be TRUE
N1 , \field HIN: Downward convection only heat transfer coefficient
\units W/m2 -K
N2 , \field HIN: Upward convection only heat transfer coefficient
\units W/m2 -K
N3 , \field HIN: Horizontal convection only heat transfer coefficient
\units W/m2 -K
N4 , \field HIN: Downward combined (convection and radiation) heat transfer coefficient
\units W/m2 -K
N5 , \field HIN: Upward combined (convection and radiation) heat transfer coefficient
\units W/m2 -K
N6; \field HIN: Horizontal combined (convection and radiation) heat transfer coefficient
\units W/m2 -K

ComBldg ,
\memo ComBldg contains the monthly average temperatures (C) and possibility of daily variation amplitude
N1 , \field January average temperature
\units C
N2 , \field February average temperature
\units C
N3 , \field March average temperature
3.13. THE BASEMENT IDD 123

\units C
N4 , \field April average temperature
\units C
N5 , \field May average temperature
\units C
N6 , \field June average temperature
\units C
N7 , \field July average temperature
\units C
N8 , \field August average temperature
\units C
N9 , \field September average temperature
\units C
N10 , \field October average temperature
\units C
N11 , \field November average temperature
\units C
N12 , \field December average temperature
\units C
N13; \field Daily variation sine wave amplitude
\units C
\note (Normally zero , just for checking)

EquivSlab , ! Supplies the EquivSizing Flag

! Using an equivalent slab allows non -rectangular shapes to be
! modeled accurately.
! The simulation default should be EquivSizing = True
N1 , \field APRatio: The area to perimeter ratio for this slab
\ units m
A1; \field EquivSizing: Flag
\note Will the dimensions of an equivalent slab be calculated (TRUE)
\note or will the dimensions be input directly? (FALSE)]
\note Only advanced special simulations should use FALSE.

EquivAutoGrid ,
\memo EquivAutoGrid necessary when EquivSizing = TRUE , TRUE is is the normal case.
N1 , \field CLEARANCE: Distance from outside of wall to edge of 3-D ground domain
\units m
\note typical value 15m
N2 , \field SlabDepth: Thickness of the floor slab
\units m
\note typical value 0.1m
N3; \field BaseDepth: Depth of the basement wall below grade
\units m

!
! ******** The following input objects are required only for special cases.
!

AutoGrid , ! NOTE: AutoGrid only necessary when EquivSizing is false

! If the modelled building is not a rectangle or square , Equivalent
! sizing MUST be used to get accurate results
N1 , \field CLEARANCE: Distance from outside of wall to edge , 15m]
N2 , \field SLABX: X dimension of the building slab , 0 -60.0 m]
N3 , \field SLABY: Y dimension of the building slab , 0 -60.0 m]
N4 , \field ConcAGHeight: Height of the fndn wall above grade , m]
N5 , \field SlabDepth: Thickness of the floor slab , m, 0.1]
N6; \field BaseDepth: Depth of the basement wall below grade , m]

ManualGrid , ! NOTE: Manual Grid only necessary using manual gridding

! (not recommended)
N1 , \field NX: Number of cells in the X direction: 20]
N2 , \field NY: Number of cells in the Y direction: 20]
N3 , \field NZAG: Number of cells in the Z direction
! above grade: 4 Always]
N4 , \field NZBG: Number of cells in Z dir. below grade: 10 -35]
124 CHAPTER 3. GROUND HEAT TRANSFER IN ENERGYPLUS

N5 , \field IBASE: X direction cell indicator of slab edge: 5-20]

N6 , \field JBASE: Y direction cell indicator of slab edge: 5-20]
N7; \field KBASE: Z direction cell indicator
! of the top of the floor slab: 5-20]

XFACE , ! NOTE: This is only needed when using manual gridding

! (not recommended)
! [XFACE: X Direction cell face coordinates: m]
N1 , N2 , N3 , N4 , N5 , N6 , N7 , N8 , N9 , N10 , N11 , N12 , N13 , N14 ,
N15 , N16 , N17 , N18 , N19 , N20 , N21 , N22 , N23 , N24 , N25 , N26 ,
N27 , N28 , N29 , N30 , N31 , N32 , N33 , N34 , N35 , N36 , N37 , N38 ,
N39 , N40 , N41 , N42 , N43 , N44;

YFACE , !NOTE: This is only needed when using manual gridding

! (not recommended)
! [YFACE: Y Direction cell face coordinates: m],
N1 , N2 , N3 , N4 , N5 , N6 , N7 , N8 , N9 , N10 , N11 , N12 , N13 , N14 ,
N15 , N16 , N17 , N18 , N19 , N20 , N21 , N22 , N23 , N24 , N25 , N26 ,
N27 , N28 , N29 , N30 , N31 , N32 , N33 , N34 , N35 , N36 , N37 , N38 ,
N39 , N40 , N41 , N42 , N43 , N44;

ZFACE , !NOTE: This is only needed when using manual gridding

! (not recommended)
! [ZFACE: Z Direction cell face coordinates: m]
N1 , N2 , N3 , N4 , N5 , N6 , N7 , N8 , N9 , N10 , N11 , N12 , N13 , N14 ,
N15 , N16 , N17 , N18 , N19 , N20 , N21 , N22 , N23 , N24 , N25 , N26 ,
N27 , N28 , N29 , N30 , N31 , N32 , N33 , N34 , N35 , N36 , N37 , N38 ,
N39 , N40;

3.14 Description of the Objects in the [Link]

These objects also appear in the main Energy+.IDD file with the prefix “GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:”

3.14.1 SimParameters or GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:SimParameters

Object
[Link] Field: F: Multiplier for the ADI solution:
This field specifies an alternating direction iteration scheme multiplier. It should normally be set
to 0.1. It can be increased if the soil conductivity is high.

[Link] Field: IYRS: Maximum number of yearly iterations:

This specifies the maximum number of years the simulation will be allowed to run. If convergence
is reached, the simulation will not run this long. It can be used to stop simulation before quasi
steady convergence state is reached.

3.14.2 MatlProps or GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:MatlProps Object

[Link] Field: NMAT: Number of materials in this domain
This field specifies the number of materials whose properties are going to be specified. The order of
the materials is not adjustable so six materials need to be specified. For the EnergyPlus basement
application, only the foundation wall, floor slab, soil, and gravel are used.
3.14. DESCRIPTION OF THE OBJECTS IN THE [Link] 125

[Link] Field: Density for Foundation Wall

This field is the density (kg/m3) of the foundation wall. Typical value is 2243.

[Link] Field: Density for Floor Slab

This field is the density (kg/m3) of the floor slab. Typical value is 2243.

[Link] Field: Density for Ceiling

This field is the density (kg/m3) of the ceiling. Typical value is 311.

[Link] Field: Density for Soil

This field is the density (kg/m3) of soil. Typical value is 1500.

[Link] Field: Density for Gravel

This field is the density (kg/m3) of gravel. Typical value is 2000.

[Link] Field: Density for Wood

This field is the density (kg/m3) of wood. Typical value is 449.

[Link] Field: Specific Heat for Foundation Wall

This field is the specific heat (J/kg-K) of the foundation wall. Typical value is 880.

[Link] Field: Specific Heat for Floor Slab

This field is the specific heat (J/kg-K) of the floor slab. Typical value is 880.

[Link] Field: Specific Heat for Ceiling

This field is the specific heat (J/kg-K) of the ceiling. Typical value is 1530.

[Link] Field: Specific Heat for Soil

This field is the specific heat (J/kg-K) of soil. Typical value is 840.

[Link] Field: Specific Heat for Gravel

This field is the specific heat (J/kg-K) of gravel. Typical value is 720.

[Link] Field: Specific Heat for Wood

This field is the specific heat (J/kg-K) of wood. Typical value is 1530.
126 CHAPTER 3. GROUND HEAT TRANSFER IN ENERGYPLUS

[Link] Field: Thermal Conductivity for Foundation Wall

This field is the thermal conductivity (W/m-K) of the foundation wall. Typical value is 1.4.

[Link] Field: Thermal Conductivity for Floor Slab

This field is the thermal conductivity (W/m-K) of the floor slab. Typical value is 1.4.

[Link] Field: Thermal Conductivity for Ceiling

This field is the thermal conductivity (W/m-K) of the ceiling. Typical value is 0.09.

[Link] Field: Thermal Conductivity for Soil

This field is the thermal conductivity (W/m-K) of soil. Typical value is 1.1.

[Link] Field: Thermal Conductivity for Gravel

This field is the thermal conductivity (W/m-K) of gravel. Typical value is 1.9.

[Link] Field: Thermal Conductivity for Wood

This field is the thermal conductivity (W/m-K) of wood. Typical value is 0.12.

3.14.3 Insulation or GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:Insulation Object

This object describes the insulation.

[Link] Field: REXT: R Value of any exterior insulation

This field is the R value (m2-K/W) of any exterior insulation.

[Link] Field: INSFULL: Flag: Is the wall fully insulated?

This field uses “true” for fully insulated walls and “false” for insulation half way down the side wall
from the grade line.

3.14.4 SurfaceProps or GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:SurfaceProps

Object
The first six fields in this object specify the parameters used in the surface heat transfer boundary
condition determination. They are specified for no snow and snow covered conditions.

[Link] Field: ALBEDO: Surface albedo for No snow conditions

This field specifies the surface solar albedo for no snow conditions. Solar albedo is more commonly
available than the solar absorptivity. The total solar energy absorbed by a horizontal surface is
(1-albedo)*(Total solar). Typical value for this field is 0.16.
3.14. DESCRIPTION OF THE OBJECTS IN THE [Link] 127

[Link] Field: ALBEDO: Surface albedo for snow conditions

This field specifies the surface solar albedo for snow covered conditions. Solar albedo is more
commonly available than the solar absorptivity. The total solar energy absorbed by a horizontal
surface is (1-albedo)*(Total solar). Typical value for this field is 0.40.

[Link] Field: EPSLN: Surface emissivity No Snow

This field specifies the long wavelength or thermal radiation emissivity for the ground surface under
no snow conditions. Typical value is 0.94.

[Link] Field: EPSLN: Surface emissivity with Snow

This field specifies the long wavelength or thermal radiation emissivity for the ground surface under
snow covered conditions. Typical value is 0.86.

[Link] Field: VEGHT: Surface roughness No snow conditions

This field specifies the surface roughness or vegetation height (cm) that is used in determining the
convective heat transfer coefficient on the surface under no snow conditions. Typical value is 6.0.

[Link] Field: VEGHT: Surface roughness snow conditions

This field specifies the surface roughness or vegetation height (cm) that is used in determining the
convective heat transfer coefficient on the surface under snow covered conditions. Typical value is
0.25.

[Link] Field: PET: Flag, Potential evapotranspiration on?

This field is a flag that invokes the evapotranspiration calculation at the surface. This covers all
forms of latent heat transfer from the surface. It normally should be included. The user enters
“true” for “yes” and “false” for no.

3.14.5 BldgData or GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:BldgData Object

This object specifies the major configuration parameters for the basement. The 3-D grid used in
the simulation has the capability of including a gravel “fill” around the basement. Thus several
dimensions must be specified. All units are in meters.

[Link] Field: DWALL: Wall thickness

This field specifies the basement wall thickness (m). Typical value is 0.2.

[Link] Field: DSLAB: Floor Slab thickness

This field specifies the thickness of the floor slab (m). Typical value is 0.25.
128 CHAPTER 3. GROUND HEAT TRANSFER IN ENERGYPLUS

[Link] Field: DGRAVXY: Width of gravel pit beside basement wall

This field specifies the width of the gravel “fill” bed beside the basement wall (m).

[Link] Field: DGRAVZN: Gravel depth extending above the floor slab
This field specifies the depth of the gravel fill above the floor slab (m).

[Link] Field: DGRAVZP: Gravel depth below the floor slab

This field specifies the depth of the gravel fill below the floor slab (m).

3.14.6 Interior or GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:Interior Object

This object provides the information needed to simulate the boundary conditions inside the
basement.

[Link] Field: COND: Flag: Is the basement conditioned?

This flag indicates that the basement temperature is controlled. For EnergyPlus runs, this should
be TRUE.

[Link] Field: HIN: Downward convection only heat transfer coefficient

This field specifies the convection only heat transfer coefficient for floors (downward heat flux -
W/m2-K).

[Link] Field: HIN: Upward convection only heat transfer coefficient

This field specifies the convection only heat transfer coefficient for floors (upward heat flux - W/m2-
K).

[Link] Field: HIN: Horizontal convection only heat transfer coefficient

This field specifies the convection only heat transfer coefficient for walls (horizontal heat flux -
W/m2-K).

[Link] Field: HIN: Downward combined (convection and radiation) heat transfer
coefficient
This field specifies the combined thermal radiation and convection heat transfer coefficient for floors
(downward heat flux - W/m2-K).

[Link] Field: HIN: Upward combined (convection and radiation) heat transfer
coefficient
This field specifies the combined thermal radiation and convection heat transfer coefficient for floors
(upward heat flux - W/m2-K).
3.14. DESCRIPTION OF THE OBJECTS IN THE [Link] 129

[Link] Field: HIN: Horizontal combined (convection and radiation) heat transfer
coefficient
This field specifies the combined thermal radiation and convection heat transfer coefficient for walls
(horizontal heat flux - W/m2-K).

3.14.7 ComBldg or GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:ComBldg Object

This object specifies the 12 monthly average basement temperatures (air temperature). The last
field allows a daily sine wave variation to be placed on the inside temperature. During testing, it
was found that entering values for the daily sine wave amplitude had very little effect on the results.

[Link] Field: January average temperature

This field is the average air temperature (C) for the basement for January.

[Link] Field: February average temperature

This field is the average air temperature (C) for the basement for February.

[Link] Field: March average temperature

This field is the average air temperature (C) for the basement for March.

[Link] Field: April average temperature

This field is the average air temperature (C) for the basement for April.

[Link] Field: May average temperature

This field is the average air temperature (C) for the basement for May.

[Link] Field: June average temperature

This field is the average air temperature (C) for the basement for June.

[Link] Field: July average temperature

This field is the average air temperature (C) for the basement for July.

[Link] Field: August average temperature

This field is the average air temperature (C) for the basement for August.

[Link] Field: September average temperature

This field is the average air temperature (C) for the basement for September.
130 CHAPTER 3. GROUND HEAT TRANSFER IN ENERGYPLUS

[Link] Field: October average temperature

This field is the average air temperature (C) for the basement for October.

[Link] Field: November average temperature

This field is the average air temperature (C) for the basement for November.

[Link] Field: December average temperature

This field is the average air temperature (C) for the basement for December.

[Link] Field: Daily variation sine wave amplitude

This field is the amplitude (variation) for a daily sine wave variation to be placed on the inside
temperature. This has been shown to have little effect on results so zero can be used safely.

3.14.8 EquivSlab or GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:EquivSlab Object

This object provides the information needed to do the simulation as an equivalent square geometry
by utilizing the area to perimeter ratio. This procedure was shown to be accurate by Cogil (1998).

[Link] Field: APRatio: The area to perimeter ratio for this slab

This field specifies the Area to Perimeter (A/P) ratio for the slab.

[Link] Field: EquivSizing: Flag

This field should always be TRUE unless the user wants to specifically look at the differences
between the long wall and the short wall on a rectangular configuration.

3.14.9 EquivAutoGrid or GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:EquivAutoGrid

Object
This is a necessary object when the EquivSizing Flag in the EquivSlab object is TRUE. This object
provides the information needed to set up the three dimensional conduction grid surrounding the
basement.

[Link] Field: CLEARANCE: Distance from outside of wall to edge of 3-D ground
domain

This field specifies the distance to the outside of the field from the basement wall. It has been
determined that 15 meters is quite satisfactory.
3.14. DESCRIPTION OF THE OBJECTS IN THE [Link] 131

[Link] Field: SlabDepth: Thickness of the floor slab

This field specifies the thickness of the slab in meters. Note that the slab top surface is level with
the ground surface, so this is the depth into the ground. The slab depth has a significant effect on
the temperature calculation, and it is also important for the auto-grid process. The finite difference
grids are set in such a way that they use the slab thickness to determine the vertical grid spacing.
Because of this, autogridding will fail if the slab thickness is specified larger than 0.25 meters. The
program also is set up so that the slab is a single finite difference cell in the vertical direction. Thus,
if the slab thickness is set too large, the accuracy of the calculation may be suspect. Typical value
is 0.1.

[Link] Field: BaseDepth: Depth of the basement wall below grade

This field specifies the depth of the basement wall below grade level (m). This is the height of the
wall above the footing.
Field N2 specifies the height of the basement wall above the grade level. This should be zero
for EnergyPlus runs since if an above grade segment is to be simulated, it should be done with
EnergyPlus not with the basement program.
Field N3 specifies the floor slab thickness.
Field N4 specifies the depth of the basement wall below grade level. This is the height of the
wall above the footing.

3.14.10 Sample idf File - Basement

! Minneapolis Test Cases

SimParameters ,
0.1, ! [F: Multiplier for the ADI solution: 0<F<1.0,
! typically 0.1 (0.5 for high k
1; ! [IYRS: Maximum number of iterations: typically 25-30

MatlProps ,
6, ! [NMAT: Number of materials in this domain , UP TO 6]
2242.6 , 2242.6 , 311.66 , 1500.0 , 2000.0 , 448.5 ,! [RHO (1-6): Matl density
!( Fndn wall , Floor Slab , Ceiling ,Soil , Gravel , Wood), kg/m3 , ]
880.0 , 880.0 , 1513.0 , 840.0 , 720.0 , 1630.0 ,! [CP(1-6): Specific Heat: J/kg -K,
1.402 , 1.402 , 0.093 , 0.5, 1.9, 0.119; ! [TCON (1-6): Conductivity: W/m-K

Insulation ,
5.0, ! [REXT: R Value of any exterior insulation , K/(W/m2)]
TRUE; ! [INSFULL: Flag: Is the wall fully insulated? TRUE/FALSE]

SurfaceProps ,
.16, .40, ! [ALBEDO: Surface albedo array , .16 .40]
.94, .86, ! [EPSLN: Surface emissivity No Snow/ Snow .94 .86]
6.0, 0.25, ! [VEGHT: Surface roughness NS/S, cm , 6.0, 0.25]
TRUE ;! [PET: Flag , Potential evapotranspiration on? T/F]
! Typically , PET is True

BldgData ,
.2, ! [DWALL: Wall thickness , m, .2]
.1, ! [DSLAB: Floor slab thickness , m, 0.1]
.3, ! [DGRAVXY: Width of gravel pit beside footing , m, 0.3]
.2, ! [DGRAVZN: Gravel depth above the floor slab , m, 0.2]
.1;! [DGRAVZP: Gravel depth below the floor slab , m, 0.1]

Interior ,
TRUE , ! [COND: Flag: Is the basement conditioned? TRUE/FALSE]
132 CHAPTER 3. GROUND HEAT TRANSFER IN ENERGYPLUS

! [HIN: Indoor convective heat transfer coefficients , W/m2 -K

! Convection Only: 1)Q Downward 2)Q Upward 3)Q Horizontal
! Conv and Radiation: 4)Q Downward 5)Q Upward 6)Q Horizontal]
0.92, !Q Downward Convection Only
4.04 ,!Q Upward Convection Only
3.08 ,!Q HorizontalConvection Only
6.13, !Q Downward Conv and Radiation
9.26, !Q Upward Conv and Radiation
8.29;!Q Horizontal Conv and Radiation

EquivSlab ,
15.0, ! [APRatio: The area to perimeter ratio for this slab: m]
TRUE ;! [EquivSizing: Flag: Will the dimensions of an equivalent
! slab be calculated (TRUE) or will the dimensions be
! input directly? (FALSE)]
! Only advanced special simulations should use FALSE.

EquivAutoGrid , ! NOTE: EquivAutoGrid necessary when EquivSizing = TRUE

! This is the normal case.
! If the modelled building is not a rectangle or square , Equivalent
! sizing MUST be used to get accurate results
15, ! [CLEARANCE: Distance from outside of wall to edge , 15m]
.1, ! [SlabDepth: Thickness of the floor slab , m, 0.1]
2.4; ! [BaseDepth: Depth of the basement wall below grade , m]

ComBldg , ! Commercial building

20., ! Jan Ave basement temp
20., ! Feb Ave basement temp
20., ! Mar Ave basement temp
20., ! Apr Ave basement temp
20., ! May Ave basement temp
20., ! Jun Ave basement temp
20., ! Jul Ave basement temp
20., ! Aug Ave basement temp
20., ! Sep Ave basement temp
20., ! Oct Ave basement temp
20., ! Nov Ave basement temp
20., ! Dec Ave basement temp
0.0; ! Daily variation Sine Wave amplitude

3.14.11 Additional Objects

There are five additional objects in the IDD that can be used under very special situations by
researchers who want to generate special calculation grids. They are normally not useful to
EnergyPlus users. They will be shown as IDD sections only. They do not need to be in the
IDF.
AutoGrid ,
\memo AutoGrid only necessary when EquivSizing is false
\memo If the modelled building is not a rectangle or square , Equivalent
\memo sizing MUST be used to get accurate results
N1 , \field CLEARANCE: Distance from outside of wall to edge , 15m]
N2 , \field SLABX: X dimension of the building slab , 0 -60.0 m]
N3 , \field SLABY: Y dimension of the building slab , 0 -60.0 m]
N4 , \field ConcAGHeight: Height of the fndn wall above grade , m]
N5 , \field SlabDepth: Thickness of the floor slab , m, 0.1]
N6; \field BaseDepth: Depth of the basement wall below grade , m]

ManualGrid ,
\memo Manual Grid only necessary using manual gridding (not recommended)
N1 , \field NX: Number of cells in the X direction: 20]
N2 , \field NY: Number of cells in the Y direction: 20]
N3 , \field NZAG: Number of cells in the Z direction. above grade: 4 Always]
N4 , \field NZBG: Number of cells in Z direction. below grade: 10 -35]
N5 , \field IBASE: X direction cell indicator of slab edge: 5-20]
3.15. USING THE INTERFACE SURFACE TEMPERATURE RESULTS IN ENERGYPLUS133

N6 , \field JBASE: Y direction cell indicator of slab edge: 5-20]

N7; \field KBASE: Z direction cell indicator of the top of the floor slab: 5-20]

XFACE ,
\memo This is only needed when using manual gridding (not recommended)
\memo XFACE: X Direction cell face coordinates: m
N1 , N2 , N3 , N4 , N5 , N6 , N7 , N8 , N9 , N10 , N11 , N12 , N13 , N14 ,
N15 , N16 , N17 , N18 , N19 , N20 , N21 , N22 , N23 , N24 , N25 , N26 ,
N27 , N28 , N29 , N30 , N31 , N32 , N33 , N34 , N35 , N36 , N37 , N38 ,
N39 , N40 , N41 , N42 , N43 , N44;

YFACE ,
\memo This is only needed when using manual gridding (not recommended)
\memo YFACE: Y Direction cell face coordinates: m
N1 , N2 , N3 , N4 , N5 , N6 , N7 , N8 , N9 , N10 , N11 , N12 , N13 , N14 ,
N15 , N16 , N17 , N18 , N19 , N20 , N21 , N22 , N23 , N24 , N25 , N26 ,
N27 , N28 , N29 , N30 , N31 , N32 , N33 , N34 , N35 , N36 , N37 , N38 ,
N39 , N40 , N41 , N42 , N43 , N44;

ZFACE ,
\memo This is only needed when using manual gridding (not recommended)
\memo ZFACE: Z Direction cell face coordinates: m
N1 , N2 , N3 , N4 , N5 , N6 , N7 , N8 , N9 , N10 , N11 , N12 , N13 , N14 ,
N15 , N16 , N17 , N18 , N19 , N20 , N21 , N22 , N23 , N24 , N25 , N26 ,
N27 , N28 , N29 , N30 , N31 , N32 , N33 , N34 , N35 , N36 , N37 , N38 ,
N39 , N40;

3.15 Using the Interface Surface Temperature Results in

EnergyPlus
If the objects are placed in the normal EnergyPlus input IDF file using the “GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:”
prefix, then the values resulting from the Basement preprocessor will be automatically included
in the simulation at run time. The surfaces can reference these values using Outside Boundary
Conditions of:

• GroundBasementPreprocessorAverageWall

• GroundBasementPreprocessorAverageFloor

• GroundBasementPreprocessorUpperWall

• GroundBasementPreprocessorLowerWall

The objects that support this include:

• BuildingSurface:Detailed

• Wall:Detailed

• RoofCeiling:Detailed

• Floor:Detailed
134 CHAPTER 3. GROUND HEAT TRANSFER IN ENERGYPLUS

The monthly results from the basement program are used with the SurfaceProperty:OtherSideCoefficients
object in EnergyPlus. The idd corresponding to that object is shown below. The two applicable
fields are N2 and A2. N2 should have the value 1.0. It will be modified by a schedule that is
named in A2, and that temperature will be used on the outside of the surface specified as having
the OtherSideCoeffcients named in A1.

SurfaceProperty:OtherSideCoefficients ,
\memo This object sets the other side conditions for a surface in a variety of ways.
\min -fields 8
A1 , \field Name
\required -field
\reference OSCNames
\reference OutFaceEnvNames
N1 , \field Combined Convective/Radiative Film Coefficient
\required -field
\type real
\note if >0, this field becomes the exterior convective/radiative film coefficient
\note and the other fields are used to calculate the outdoor air temperature
\note then exterior surface temperature based on outdoor air and specified coefficient
\note if < = 0, then remaining fields calculate the outside surface temperature
\note following fields are used in the equation:
\note SurfTemp = N7*TempZone + N4*OutdoorDry -bulb + N2*N3 + GroundTemp*N5 + WindSpeed*N6*OutdoorDry -
bulb
N2 , \field Constant Temperature
\units C
\type real
\default 0
\note This parameter will be overwritten by the values from the Constant Temperature Schedule Name (
below) if one is present
N3 , \field Constant Temperature Coefficient
\note This coefficient is used even with a Schedule. It should normally be 1.0 in that case
\default 1
N4 , \field External Dry -Bulb Temperature Coefficient
\type real
\default 0
N5 , \field Ground Temperature Coefficient
\type real
\default 0
N6 , \field Wind Speed Coefficient
\type real
\default 0
N7 , \field Zone Air Temperature Coefficient
\type real
\default 0
A2; \field Constant Temperature Schedule Name
\note Name of schedule for values of constant temperature.
\note Schedule values replace any value specified in the field Constant Temperature.
\type object -list
\object -list ScheduleNames

A sample idf for this object is shown below.

SurfaceProperty:OtherSideCoefficients , OSCCoef:Zn005:Wall003 , !- OSC Name

! Example input for second ground temperature
0.0000000E+00, !- OSC SurfFilmCoef
0.000000 , !- OSC Temp
1.000000 , !- OSC Temp Coef
0.000000 , !- OSC dry -bulb
0.000000 , !- OSC GrndTemp
0.000000 , !- OSC WindSpdCoeff
0.000000 , !- OSC ZoneAirTemp
GroundTempSched; ! Name of schedule defining additional ground temperature.

The OSC object can be repeated for as many outside temperatures as needed. A more detailed
explanation of how to use this object is contained in the next section, and an example object is
3.15. USING THE INTERFACE SURFACE TEMPERATURE RESULTS IN ENERGYPLUS135

output by the program in the file [Link].

3.15.1 Multiple Ground Temperatures

These three objects show how the OtherSideCoefficients object can be used to provide extra ground
temperatures for surfaces exposed to different ground temperatures.
Here is the surface description. Note that the OutsideFaceEnvironment is specified as
OtherSideCoeff.

BuildingSurface:Detailed ,
OSCTest:South Wall , !- User Supplied Surface Name
Wall , !- Surface Type
Exterior , !- Construction Name of the Surface
OSCTest , !- Zone
OtherSideCoefficients , !- Outside Boundary Condition
ExampleOSC , !- Outside Boundary Condition Object
NoSun , !- Sun Exposure
NoWind , !- Wind Exposure
0.5, !- View Factor to Ground
4, !- Number of Vertices
0,0,0, !- Vertex 1 X,Y,Z-coordinates {m}
6.096,0,0, !- Vertex 2 X,Y,Z-coordinates {m}
6.096 ,0 ,4.572 , !- Vertex 3 X,Y,Z-coordinates {m}
0 ,0 ,4.572; !- Vertex 4 X,Y,Z-coordinates {m}

The OtherSideCoefficients object has to supply the basic form of the environment. Note that
the name corresponds to thee name in the Surface object. This object also supplies the name of a
schedule that will provide the monthly ground temperature values.

SurfaceProperty:OtherSideCoefficients ,
ExampleOSC , !- OtherSideCoeff Name
0, !- Combined convective/radiative film coefficient
1, !- User selected Constant Temperature {C}
1, !- Coefficient modifying the user selected constant temperature
0, !- Coefficient modifying the external dry bulb temperature
0, !- Coefficient modifying the ground temperature
0, !- Coefficient modifying the wind speed term (s/m)
0, !- Coefficient modifying the zone air temperature part of the equation
GroundTempCompactSched ; !- Schedule Name for values of "const" temperature. Schedule values replace N2
.

The schedule named in the last field of the OtherSideCoefficients object must be supplied. In
compact schedule format it would appear as shown below. Again, objects for each of the surface
temperatures are produced by the program and output in the file [Link].

Schedule:Compact ,
GroundTempCompactSched , !- Name
Temperature , !- ScheduleType
Through: 1/31, !- Complex Field \#1
For:AllDays , !- Complex Field \#2
Until: 24:00 , !- Complex Field \#3
16, !- Complex Field \#4
Through: 2/28, !- Complex Field \#5
For:AllDays , !- Complex Field \#6
Until: 24:00 , !- Complex Field \#7
17, !- Complex Field \#8
Through: 3/31, !- Complex Field \#9
For:AllDays , !- Complex Field \#10
Until: 24:00 , !- Complex Field \#11
18, !- Complex Field \#12
Through: 4/30, !- Complex Field \#13
136 CHAPTER 3. GROUND HEAT TRANSFER IN ENERGYPLUS

For:AllDays , !- Complex Field \#14

Until: 24:00 , !- Complex Field \#15
19, !- Complex Field \#16
Through: 5/31, !- Complex Field \#17
For:AllDays , !- Complex Field \#18
Until: 24:00 , !- Complex Field \#19
20, !- Complex Field \#20
Through: 6/30, !- Complex Field \#21
For:AllDays , !- Complex Field \#22
Until: 24:00 , !- Complex Field \#23
20, !- Complex Field \#24
Through: 7/31, !- Complex Field \#25
For:AllDays , !- Complex Field \#26
Until: 24:00 , !- Complex Field \#27
20, !- Complex Field \#28
Through: 8/31, !- Complex Field \#29
For:AllDays , !- Complex Field \#30
Until: 24:00 , !- Complex Field \#31
19, !- Complex Field \#32
Through: 9/30, !- Complex Field \#33
For:AllDays , !- Complex Field \#34
Until: 24:00 , !- Complex Field \#35
18, !- Complex Field \#36
Through: 10/31 , !- Complex Field \#37
For:AllDays , !- Complex Field \#38
Until: 24:00 , !- Complex Field \#39
17, !- Complex Field \#40
Through: 11/30 , !- Complex Field \#41
For:AllDays , !- Complex Field \#42
Until: 24:00 , !- Complex Field \#43
16, !- Complex Field \#44
Through: 12/31 , !- Complex Field \#45
For:AllDays , !- Complex Field \#46
Until: 24:00 , !- Complex Field \#47
16; !- Complex Field \#48

3.16 References
Bahnfleth, W.P. 1989. Three Dimensional Modeling of Heat Transfer from Slab Floors,
Ph.D. dissertation, also published as USACERL TM E-89/11, University of Illinois.
Bahnfleth, W.P. and C.O. Pedersen. 1990. A Three Dimensional Numerical Study of Slab-on-
Grade Heat Transfer. ASHRAE Transactions Pt. 2, 96:61-72.
Clements, Edward. 2004. Three Dimensional Foundation Heat Transfer Modules for Whole-
Building Energy Analysis, MS Thesis, Pennsylvania State University.
Cogil, Cynthia A. 1998. Modeling of Basement Heat Transfer and Parametric Study of Basement
Insulation for Low Energy Housing. MS Thesis of Architectural Engineering, Pennsylvania State
University.
Chapter 4

View Factor Calculation Program

EnergyPlus has the capability of accepting user defined view factors for special research situations.
This option is not recommended for general use because the normal approximate view factor
determination within EnergyPlus accounts for such practical things as thermal mass (furniture),
and realistic exchange limits. However, when a user desires to supply view factors, this auxiliary
program can be used to calculate them for a variety of configurations. The program is named
View3D, and was developed at NIST (1). This document will describe how to use the program.

4.1 Associated Files

Three files come with the auxiliary view factor package. They are:

• [Link]

• [Link]

• [Link]

The first is the executable program that calculates the view factors. The second is an excel
interface that will set up the input files and execute [Link]. The third file is the documentation
file from NIST that contains some explanation of the program.

4.2 Using the View Factor Interface program

The interface program has two main sheets. One, named ZoneSheet, uses surface areas, tilts and
facing directions to develop the input for View3D. The other one, named VerticesZoneSheet, uses
the surface vertices to develop the input for View3D. The sheets are shown in Figure 4.1 and
Figure 4.2.
Either sheet can be used to generate an input file for the View3D program. An example of that
file is shown below.
T Test case from Excel interface
C encl = 1 list = 2 eps = 0.0001 maxu = 8 maxo = 8 mino = 0 emit = 0
F 3
V 1 50 0 0
V 2 0 0 0
V 3 0 0 8

137
138 CHAPTER 4. VIEW FACTOR CALCULATION PROGRAM

Figure 4.1: View Factor Interface ZoneSheet

Figure 4.2: View Factor Interface VerticesZoneSheet

4.2. USING THE VIEW FACTOR INTERFACE PROGRAM 139

V 4 50 0 8
S 1 1 2 3 4 0 0 .999 SouthWall
! = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
V 5 50 60 0
V 6 50.00025 0 0
V 7 50.00026 0 8
V 8 50.00001 60 8
S 2 5 6 7 8 0 0 .999 EastWall
! = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
V 9 0 60 0
V 10 50 60.00014 0
V 11 50 60.00015 8
V 12 0 60.00001 8
S 3 9 10 11 12 0 0 .999 NorthWall
! = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
V 13 0 0 0
V 14 0 60 0
V 15 0 60 8
V 16 0 0 8
S 4 13 14 15 16 0 0 .999 WestWall
! = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
V 17 0 0 0
V 18 50 1.377901E-04 0
V 19 49.99984 60.00014 0
V 20 -1.653482E-04 60 0
S 5 17 18 19 20 0 0 .999 Floor
! = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
V 21 0 60 8
V 22 50 60.00014 8
V 23 50.00016 1.373291E-04 8.000166
V 24 1.653482E-04 0 8.000166
S 6 21 22 23 24 0 0 .999 Roof
! = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
End Of Data

Notice the title from row 6 on the interface appears at the top of the input file, and the control
line information in rows 7 and 8 appear below the title line in a line with the character C at the
left end. The explanation of the control parameters from the program document states:
(C c) The control line includes the following parameters (in order): name = value
eps = 1.0e-4
integration convergence criterion for both adaptive integration and view obstruction. This is
not an exact measure of the accuracy of the computed view factors, but smaller values will usually
lead to more precise values. The convergence criteria should not be less than about 1.0e-6 because
many of the intermediate calculations are accurate only to single (32-bit) precision.
maxU = 8
maximum recursions used in computing the unobstructed view factors.
maxO = 8
maximum recursions used in computing the obstructed view factors. Limiting the maximum
number of recursions limits the total execution time of the program but may prevent reaching the
specified convergence.
minO = 0
minimum recursions: used in computing the obstructed view factors. This can help in cases
where an obstruction occurs very near the view between the edges of two surfaces. The normal
adaptive integration may miss the obstruction. Increasing this value from its normal value of 0 to
1 or 2 may catch the obstruction. This is probably not necessary except when very accurate view
factors are desired. It can add considerably to execution time.
row = 0
selected row for computing view factors (0 = all rows)
140 CHAPTER 4. VIEW FACTOR CALCULATION PROGRAM

col = 0
selected column for computing view factors (0 = all columns)
encl = 0
1 indicates that the surfaces form an enclosure; 0 indicates that they do not. This data is used
to adjust the view factors of an enclosure to guarantee conservation of energy.
emit = 0
1 indicates that diffuse reflectance effects will be included in the computed view factors; 0
indicates they will not, i.e., surfaces will be considered ‘black’.
out = 0
view factor output file format - 1 = …gence criterion for the numerical integration used to
compute view factors between surfaces that have view obstructing surfaces between them.
list = 0
computational summary written to the [Link] file; 0 gives minimal information; 1 gives
slightly more; 2 prints all the view factors; 3 causes dumping of some intermediate values.
The values of the parameters shown on the interface sheets are reasonable defaults, and they
should need to be adjusted only rarely.
In the upper right corner of either sheet is a button that causes two files to be generated and
View3D to be executed. The two files generated are the input file that uses the name from cell D13
with the extension vs3, and a file with the same name and an extension dxf. VoloView can be used
with this file to generate a wire frame drawing of the zone being analyzed.
Two paths are needed for executing the program. The directory path where the vs3 and dxf
files will be placed is specified in cell D11. This directory can be selected using the Browse button
in cell B11. The path to the [Link] program is specified by cell D15. This directory can be
selected with the Browse button in cell B15.
If you are using the ZoneSheet, the zone surfaces are described in the region from row 17 to row
27. Each column supplies the details for one surface. Additional surface columns can be added by
copying and pasting a desired starting column to the right of column H. If either the surface height
or base surface length is zero, the gross area cell will be zero and column is ignored. The facing
direction of the surface is the direction an inward normal to the surface would point. So, the south
wall of a zone faces north or 0 degrees. Note that this is different from EnergyPlus where the facing
direction of a surface is based on the outward normal. The facing direction becomes just slightly
more difficult with horizontal surfaces like floors and ceilings. The key to determining their facing
direction is to visualize them being rotated slightly into the zone around their base surface axis. In
the example, both ceiling and floor are chosen to face south. The tilt of a surface is relative to a
horizontal upward facing (in the conventional sense) surface such as a floor. A ceiling or flat roof it
tilted 180 degrees. Vertical surfaces have a tilt of 90 degrees.
The remaining information needed to describe the surfaces is the coordinates of the lower left
hand corner of the surface when viewed from inside the zone. This is where the visualization of a
slight rotation of the floor and roof becomes helpful. Consider the roof surface on the sheet. Its
base side lies along the east west axis since it faces south. With a slight inward rotation, it is clear
that the lower left hand corner is the northwest corner of the roof. This corner has coordinates of
0, 60, and 8.
If the VerticesZoneSheet is being used, the description of the surfaces consists only of the vertices.
For this program, the vertices are specified in a counter clockwise rotation order if looking at the
surface from the inside, and in a clockwise rotation order if looking from the outside.
4.2. USING THE VIEW FACTOR INTERFACE PROGRAM 141

The vs3 file produced is shown previously and the dxf file generates the wire frame drawing
shown in Figure 4.3.

Figure 4.3: DXF Format of Example Zone

The input file and the output files produced by View3D are read into the interface spreadsheet,
and appear on new worksheets.
Figure 4.4 shows the lower corner of the interface sheet with the additional sheet tabs.

Figure 4.4: Files brought into the Interface Workbook

The results file is named with the name in cell D13 with an extension of out. This file is shown
below.
View3D 3.2 0 1 0 6
400 480 400 480 3000 3000
0.000000 0.078244 0.029324 0.078217 0.407109 0.407106
0.065204 0.000000 0.065204 0.044282 0.412652 0.412659
0.029324 0.078245 0.000000 0.078217 0.407110 0.407105
0.065181 0.044282 0.065181 0.000000 0.412679 0.412677
0.054281 0.066024 0.054281 0.066029 0.000000 0.759385
0.054281 0.066025 0.054281 0.066028 0.759385 0.000000
0.999 0.999 0.999 0.999 0.999 0.999
142 CHAPTER 4. VIEW FACTOR CALCULATION PROGRAM

Excel macro capabilities are used by the interface to convert the text to columns and add the
surface names and other headings. The modified results are placed on the Results worksheet as
shown in Figure 4.5.

Figure 4.5: View Factors with Surface Names Inserted

The results file information is used to generate a UserViewFactor object for EnergyPlus. This
object is located in the first column of a new worksheet named UserVFObject. This column can
simply be copied and inserted into the EnergyPlus idf file.
If the results sheet does not appear, or the program terminates, the sheet named View3Dlog
or the output file by the same name should be consulted. It contains a complete history of the
execution. Any problem with the input file or the calculations should show up there.
The extra sheets generated by the VBA macros will be deleted if the program is called with
the run button while they are present. The user will be queried to make sure the sheets should be
deleted. During the succeeding run, new sheets will be created.

4.3 Additional Information

The interface and this document do not describe all of the features of the View3D program.
Additional information can be found in the NIST document [Link] that accompanies the
distribution. For example, if an obstruction wall is desired, it can be placed using the interface, but
then the “C” at the left end of the row describing that surface in the input file should be changed
to “O”. The program can then be rerun with the new input file. If [Link] is double clicked, it
will ask for the names of the input file and the output file.
An additional point should be emphasized. The program will not calculate view factors for walls
containing windows. That is all surfaces must be convex. Therefore, a wall containing a subsurface
must be described as four sections surrounding the subsurface. They can be combined using the
“comb” column as described in the View3D document. However, this in not necessary if the user is
willing to work with a few additional surfaces.
Chapter 5

Using Older Version Input Files -

Transition

The transition program(s) are console programs that assist users in converting input files from prior
release versions to the current (or interim). Sometimes many changes are made to the input file
syntax; sometimes very few but the Transition program(s) can do the fastest job of making the
conversions. An ObjectStatus spreadsheet is also included for those who want the details of each
object’s change.

5.1 IDF Version Updater

The transition programs have been written as console applications similar to EnergyPlus. However,
that may not be the easiest for users who want to transition several versions or several files at one
time. Thus the IDF Version Updater GUI application was created.
The IDF Version Updater lives in the folder with the multiple transition programs – see
Figure 5.1. Note that this application is also available from the EP-Launch Utilities tab (utility:
IDFVersionUpdater). If you need to convert files from older than V6.0, the transition program set
will need to be downloaded before use. Once “IDF Version Updater” is selected from the Utilities
pulldown list, click on the “Run IDF Version Updater” box and the single window shown below
appears:
Using the program is quite simple. As the window indicates, you press “Choose File to Update”
to select a file or list of files (see IDF Version Converter / Transition File Lists) to convert. If
doing multiple transitions using a transition file list you also press the “Choose File to Update,
a browse window will appear at the bottom of which is a pulldown list for the”Files of Type“.
Select the”Text File With List of EnergyPlus Files (*.lst)” (see the section IDF Version Converter
/ Transition File Lists for format of this .lst file) option. Once a file is found, its version is checked
and appears as the “Current Version”. By default, the latest “New Version” will be selected by the
program - you can override this by choosing a different file version as the end version. The “Update
File” button will then be able to be selected and the conversion will be done. The audit from the
multiple transitions will be able to be viewed once the process is complete. If you are doing multiple
transitions (e.g., from V2.2 to V6), you can select the check box “Create Intermediate Files” and
after each transition, a file for the resultant version will be created and labeled <filename>)_Vx.idf
(where x is an abbreviated version number).

143
144 CHAPTER 5. USING OLDER VERSION INPUT FILES - TRANSITION

Figure 5.1: Transition GUI screen

The converted file becomes the new <file>.idf and the original file is saved in the original folder
as <file>_original.idf. To delete the original file instead of saving it, check the “Delete Original
Files” checkbox.

Table 5.1: IDF Version Updater Output Files and

Descriptions.

Transition Output File Name Description

< filename > _Transition.audit This is the contents of what you would see on
the screen if you sat and watched the transition
process during a console run. If you convert
multiple versions, all the messages are shown in
this file.
< filename > .idf Converted results to the latest version or version
selected.
< filename > _Vxxx.idf If you don’t select ”create intermediate versions”,
this will only be the original version. Otherwise
will have each version.

5.2 Transition Console Program Details

For those who are interested, this is the detailed description of the Transition console applications
including the current one. There are methods to use the program set from the command line; those
details are not included in this document but available from EnergyPlus Support group.
[Link] is the transition program that converts files from version “A-
B-C” to “D-E-F”, and is distributed in the “D-E-F” installer package. It uses several important
files that are included in the “EnergyPlus” installation folder, in the PreProcess/IDFVersionUpdator
subdirectory.
5.3. IDF VERSION CONVERTER / TRANSITION FILE LISTS 145

Table 5.2: Transition files for current release

File Name Description

TransitionVA-B-C-to-VD-E- The executable program
[Link]
VA-B-C-Energy+.idd Base, starting, version Energy+.idd file
VD-E-F-Energy+.idd Target, new idd file; Identical to Energy+.idd when
distributed
Report Variables A-B-C to D- Report variable name changes
[Link]

Another file “[Link]” is not used directly by the program but contains the
“rules” for translating objects from version A-B-C release to the D-E-F release. The ObjectStatus
file can also be viewed - it will show if deleted objects are automatically transitioned to the new
input file versions.
There are several methods to executing the transition program - these methods give you the
most flexibility in changing files from one version to the next. The easiest transition is through
the EP-Launch program which can detect if the input file about to be run is of the same version
as the IDD or not and suggest transitioning. You can also manually transition from the file menu
in EP-Launch. (To have this feature, you must also have the files from the preceding table in the
same folder as EP-Launch - which is usually the folder that also has the [Link] program).
There are two command line methods to execute the transition version (from the Command
Prompt). One is to simply use the file name you want transitioned (including .rvi or .mvi file
names) or you can use a file name with a .lst extension and simply enter file names to be done
in a text file. When you execute the transition program in this fashion, you will get the “typical”
program defaults of a “full” transition, field names will be shown at each field with units, and any
blank fields will be left blank rather than filled in with the current defaults.

5.3 IDF Version Converter / Transition File Lists

Both the console program and the IDF-Version Updater (see) can use a text file of file names to
perform the transitions. The file is a very simple list of file names:
FileName1
FileName2

But you must include the path name in the file if it is not in the same folder as the transition
set of programs:
C:\ Myfiles\[Link]
C:\My Working Files\[Link]
D:\ OtherFiles\[Link]
Etc

Note that the files need not be in the same folder. And, if you use the IDF Version Updater
app, they need not all be the same version! If you use the straight batch files form the CMD line,
all files in this list must be the same starting version and you will need to select that version when
you run the batch file. List files have the implicit transition options seen in the following section.
146 CHAPTER 5. USING OLDER VERSION INPUT FILES - TRANSITION

5.4 Converting imf files

The transition/conversion programs can “automatically” transition imf (ep-macro) files. One note
of caution: if your macro file contains #if statements in the form:

PEOPLE ,
ZONE ONE , !- Zone Name
**\#\# if \#[ DoSizing [] EQSU Y]**
\#[ FAREA [] / OCCDENPEAK []], !- Number of People
**\#\# else **
\#[ FAREA [] / OCCDENAVG []], !- Number of People
**\#\# endif **
OCCSCHED [], !- Number of People SCHEDULE Name (real --fraction)
0.5000000 , !- Fraction Radiant
Activity Sch; !- Activity level SCHEDULE Name (units W/person , real)

They should look like this:

**\#\# if \#[ DoSizing [] EQSU Y]**

PEOPLE ,
ZONE ONE , !- Zone Name
\#[ FAREA [] / OCCDENPEAK []], !- Number of People
OCCSCHED [], !- Number of People SCHEDULE Name (real --fraction)
0.5000000 , !- Fraction Radiant
Activity Sch; !- Activity level SCHEDULE Name (units W/person , real)
**\#\# else **
PEOPLE ,
ZONE ONE , !- Zone Name
\#[ FAREA [] / OCCDENAVG []], !- Number of People
OCCSCHED [], !- Number of People SCHEDULE Name (real --fraction)
0.5000000 , !- Fraction Radiant
Activity Sch; !- Activity level SCHEDULE Name (units W/person , real)
**\#\# endif **
Chapter 6

EPDrawGUI

The EPDrawGUI program is a simple utility that can be used to generate a dxf file from an input file
without running EnergyPlus. It is a simple cross platform application is stored in the Preprocess
subfolder of the EnergyPlus folder upon installation. A companion DLL ([Link]) is also
needed in the same folder. And its library folders are required in a subfolder (EPDrawGUI Libs).
Help is offered on the Main Tab and on the Options Tab when you place the mouse, without
clicking, over the buttons, check boxes, and option boxes. In addition, the program copyright
information is displayed when the mouse is over the Version number text in the lower left corner.

6.1 Main Tab

The Main Tab, shown in Figure 6.1, contains the “Create DXF from IDF” button which is the
button to use to create a DXF file from an IDF file, the main function of the EPDrawGUI program.
This is the primary button that you will need to use. When pressed, you select an IDF file that
you want to use as the basis for a drawing. If the “Show DXF File After Created” check box is
check, when the “Create DXF from IDF” button is pressed, the drawing will be viewed immediately
after the DXF file is created. Normally, the viewer for DXF files is automatically found but if the
program cannot find a drawing viewer program, you can select one manually on the Options Tab.

6.2 Option Tab

The Option Tab, shown in Figure 6.2, contains an additional option to control some complex
drawings as well as ways to select the DXF file viewer and view DXF files.
The “View DXF File” button is used to select a previously created DXF file and view it with
the DXF file viewer. The DXF viewer is usually found automatically but if this function does not
work, you may want to select the DXF file viewer manually using the Select DXF Viewer button.
The “Select DXF Viewer” button allows you to manually select the program used to display
DXF files. Normally, it is not necessary to use this function since the DXF file viewer program is
automatically detected but if the wrong file viewer is automatically detected or no file viewer is
detected, this button can be used to select the viewer program.
For IDF files that contain surfaces with more than four sides, the options under “Polygons with
5+ Sides” can affect the way the drawing is shown. Polygons with >4 sides do not display with

147
148 CHAPTER 6. EPDRAWGUI

Figure 6.1: EPDrawGUI Main Screen

6.2. OPTION TAB 149

Figure 6.2: EPDrawGUI Options Tab

150 CHAPTER 6. EPDRAWGUI

the DXF 3DFACE command used for surfaces of 3 and 4 sides which subsequently will display very
nicely as a “solid” in many DXF viewers.
Thus there are four options which the user may choose to display >4 sided polygons.

• Attempt Triangulation

This option attempts simple triangulation for the polygon (>4 sides) surfaces. This triangulation
will show in the wireframe views but will appear as a solid face in 3D views. This triangulation is
only for drawing purposes and does not affect the simulations in any way. The triangle algorithm
is not perfect and warnings do result when the software cannot triangulate a surface. If unable to
triangulate simply, a warning error is generated to the .EPDerr file.

• Thick Polyline

With this option, the >4 sided polygon appears as a thicker line in all views of the building
model. This option creates a ‘thick’ line at the border of the polygon (>4 sides) surfaces. It will
look like a hole in the drawing with a thicker edge. This thick border shows in wireframe as well as
3D views and can be confusing, due to overlap with other surfaces.

• Regular Polyline

With this option, the >4 sided polygon appears as a wire frame line in all views of the building
model. This option creates a ‘regular’ polyline for all polygon (>4 sides) surfaces. It will look like
a hole in the drawing. Also, it will look the same in both wireframe and 3D views.

• Wireframe

This option creates a wireframe drawing (all lines) for all surfaces. All surfaces will appear as
lines in both wireframe and 3D views.
Note that the EPDrawGUI program only processes building and shading surfaces. It does not
process daylighting reference points though the similar option in the EnergyPlus program (Report,
Surfaces, DXF;) does show the daylighting reference points (but not illuminance map points) in the
DXF view.
Chapter 7

Input Macros

7.1 Introduction
The Input Macros feature increases the flexibility of the EnergyPlus input files. This feature is
intended for advanced users who are already familiar with EnergyPlus IDF files and need to prepare
input manually. The basic capabilities are:

• Incorporating external files containing pieces of IDF into the main EnergyPlus input stream.

• Selectively accepting or skipping portions of the input.

• Defining a block of input with parameters and later referencing this block.

• Performing arithmetic and logical operations on the input.

• Input macro debugging and listing control.

These capabilities are invoked in the EP-MACRO program by using macro commands. Macro
commands are preceded by ## to distinguish them from regular EnergyPlus input commands.
After execution by the EP-MACRO processor, macro commands produce regular lines of EnergyPlus
input that are shown in the resultant IDF file ([Link]) and, subsequently, in the EnergyPlus echo
print ([Link]). Following are descriptions of the macro commands associated with the above
capabilities. A detailed example of input macros is given at the end of this section; you should
review it before reading the macro command descriptions.

7.2 Running the EP-Macro program

The EP-Macro program is run automatically from the batch files (RunEPlus or EPL-Run from
EP-Launch). Skip this small section if you are using either the RunEPlus batch file or EP-Launch.
If you wish to run it by hand, it is found in the main folder of the EnergyPlus install (bin folder
in the Linux install). Note that in EP-Launch and other script files for use with EP-Macro the
convention is to name the file <filename>.imf (input macro file). If you name it <filename>.idf
(input data file), the scripts will most likely think it is a “normal” EnergyPlus input file and ignore
using EP-Macro on it - giving you a less than desireable result.

151
152 CHAPTER 7. INPUT MACROS

Table 7.1: Files used in EP-Macro program

File Name Description

[Link] Input file containing the macro commands
[Link] audit of the EPMacro run
[Link] Output file that can be run with EnergyPlus

The EP-Macro program is a Console Application, so to run by hand you would need to open
a command prompt in the Main EnergyPlus install folder. Then, you would need to copy your
input file containing the macro commands from its folder to this folder with the name “[Link]”.
The installed name of the EP-Macro program is “[Link]”. After execution, you can save the
[Link] in an appropriate folder or rename it to [Link] in order to execute EnergyPlus. You can view
the [Link] file for any errors that might have occurred during EP-Macro processing.

7.3 Incorporating External Files

##include {includefilename}
This command puts all of the lines in an external file into the EnergyPlus input stream starting
right after the command line. The name of the file that is included is the concatenation of
{prefixpathname}, entered using ##fileprefix , and {includefilename}. The lines in the external
file will be listed in the resultant IDF file. When all the lines in the external file have been read in,
input reverts back to the original input file at the line following the ##include command.
##fileprefix {prefixpathname}
specifies a pathname that will be prefixed to the filename given in an ##include command.
The ##fileprefix command allows commonly-used include files to be kept in a directory other
than the directory in which the current input file resides.
Example: on a PC, the combination
##fileprefix C:\EnergyPlus\Library
##include [Link]
will include into the EnergyPlus input stream the file whose full name is
C:\EnergyPlus\Library\[Link]
##includesilent {includefilename}
This command is identical to ##include, except that the lines in the included file will not be
listed in the EP-MACRO echo.
##nosilent
Overrides the listing suppression of ##includesilent. Used for debugging purposes only. After
##nosilent , all following ##includesilent commands are treated as ##include commands.
Example: Assume the following files contain the indicated lines:

Main input file: External file:

[Link] [Link]
line 1a line 2a
7.3. INCORPORATING EXTERNAL FILES 153

Main input file: External file:

##include [Link] line 2b
line 1b line 2c
line 1c

The end result of processing ##include [Link] will be:

line 1a (from [Link])

line 2a (from [Link])

line 2b (from [Link])

line 2c (from [Link])

line 1b (from [Link])

line 1c (from [Link])

External files can also contain ##include commands, as shown in the following example:

Main input file: First external file: Second external file:

[Link] [Link] [Link]
line 1a line 2a line 3a
##include [Link] line 2b line 3b
line 1b ##include [Link] line 3c
line 1c line 2c line 3d

The end result of processing ##include [Link] will be:

line 1a (from [Link])

line 2a (from [Link])

line 2b (from [Link])

line 3a (from [Link])

line 3b (from [Link])

line 3c (from [Link])

line 3d (from [Link])

line 2c (from [Link])

line 1b (from [Link])

154 CHAPTER 7. INPUT MACROS

line 1c (from [Link])

Note: Up to nine ##include commands can be nested. However, there should be no recursion.
This is an example of a recursion:
[Link] contains ##include [Link]
[Link] contains ##include [Link]

7.4 Selectively Accepting or Skipping Lines of Input

The ##if series of commands is used to selectively accept or skip lines of input according to the
following sequence:
“‘idf ##if {condition1} line1a line1b …
##elseif {condition2} line2a line2b …
##elseif {condition3} line3a line3b …
##else line N a line N b …
##endif
Then the lines that will be included into the EnergyPlus input stream are:

If {condition 1} is TRUE ,
line1a
line1b
...

otherwise

If {condition 2} is TRUE ,
line2a
line2b
...

otherwise

If {condition 3} is TRUE ,
line3a
line3b
...

otherwise

If {condition 1}, {condition 2}, {condition 3} are all FALSE.

line N a
line N b
...

There are six different ##if… commands:

Command
Result
##ifdef

{macro name} if macro name defined, include following lines

##ifndef

{macro name} if macro name NOT defined, include following lines

##if
7.5. DEFINING BLOCKS OF INPUT 155

{condition} if condition is TRUE, include following lines

##elseif

{condition} if condition is TRUE, and previous conditions are FALSE, include

following lines

##else if all previous conditions are FALSE, include following lines

##endif indicates the end of the if block

Notes:
{macro name} is explained in section Defining Blocks of Input, below.
{condition} is 0 or BLANK meaning FALSE, and any other character meaning TRUE.
##ifdef and ##ifndef do not have corresponding ##elseif commands, but they do have
corresponding **\#\# else ** and **\#\# endif ** commands.

7.5 Defining Blocks of Input

The ##def command allows a block of input text to be defined and given a name. The block of
text can then be inserted anywhere in the EnergyPlus input stream by simply referencing the name
of the block. (This process is called macro expansion.) The block can have parameters (also called
arguments) that can be given different values each time the block is referenced.
The syntax of the ##def command is as follows:
unique name
| zero or more arguments macro text
| | |
| | |
##def macro -name [ arg1 arg2 ,arg3 ...] text line 1
|_ | | | |_ | _| |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
zero one zero_| space(s) one
or or or or comma or
more more more more
spaces spaces spaces spaces

Example: Define a schedule macro with name “All_Const”:

**## def** All_Const[x]
** ** Fraction , WeekON , 1,1, 12 ,31;
WEEKSCHEDULE , WeekON ,
DayON ,DayON ,DayON ,
DayON ,DayON ,DayON ,
DayON ,DayON ,DayON ,
DayON ,DayON ,DayON;
DAYSCHEDULE , DayON , Fraction ,
x,x,x,x,x,x,x,x,x,x,x,x,
x,x,x,x,x,x,x,x,x,x,x,x ;
**## enddef **

Then, in the EnergyPlus input stream (file [Link]), when we write :

SCHEDULE , Constant At 0.8, All_Const [0.8]

156 CHAPTER 7. INPUT MACROS

the result (file [Link]) is equivalent to:

SCHEDULE , Constant At 0.8,
Fraction , WeekON , 1,1, 12 ,31;
WEEKSCHEDULE , WeekON ,
DayON ,DayON ,DayON ,
DayON ,DayON ,DayON ,
DayON ,DayON ,DayON ,
DayON ,DayON ,DayON;
DAYSCHEDULE , DayON , Fraction ,
0.8 ,0.8 ,0.8 ,0.8 ,0.8 ,0.8 ,0.8 ,0.8 ,0.8 ,0.8 ,0.8 ,0.8 ,
0.8 ,0.8 ,0.8 ,0.8 ,0.8 ,0.8 ,0.8 ,0.8 ,0.8 ,0.8 ,0.8 ,0.8 ;

Macro definitions may have one or more arguments; the maximum number of arguments is 32.
When a macro with arguments is referenced, its arguments must be given values. When a macro
has no arguments, the brackets are still required both for macro definition and reference.
Caution: Square brackets [ ] have been used in some versions of EnergyPlus inputs as
comment/units fields. These will be expanded if left in the IDF and sent to EPMacro.
Macro names must be unique (except see ##set1 below); i.e., when a macro name is defined
it cannot be defined again. Macro names are limited to 40 characters.
To summarize, commands you use to define macros are the following:
##def macro-name [arg1,..,argn ] macro-text
Defines a macro with the name macro-name and arguments “arg1” through “argn”. “Macro-
text” is one or more lines of text. If there are no arguments, the syntax is ##def macro-name
macro-text.
##enddef
Indicates the end of the macro definition initiated by ##def.
##def1 macro-name [arg1,..,argn ] macro-text
This is the same as ##def but there is only one line of text so that the terminating command
##enddef is not required.
##set1 macro-name macro-text
Like ##def1 but has no arguments and macro-text is evaluated before storing. “Macro-text
is evaluated” means that if macro-text contains other macros, these macros will be expanded, and
the expanded text becomes the macro-text defined by ##set1.
Example:
**\#\# def1 ** xx 123
**\#\# set1 ** yy xx[]

is equivalent to: ##set1 yy 123

##set1 can also be used to redefine macro-name.
##set1 x 0 . . .
##set1 x #eval[ x[]+1 ]
(see Arithmetic Operations for description of the #eval macro.)

7.5.1 Arithmetic Operations

The built-in macro called #eval[ ] can be used to perform arithmetic, literal, and logical operations.
It can be abbreviated to # [ ].
#eval[ X OP Y ] or #[ X OP Y ]
gives the result X OP Y. The allowed values for X, OP, and Y, and the corresponding result,
are shown in the following table.
7.5. DEFINING BLOCKS OF INPUT 157

X* OP ** Y Result
number + (plus) number number
number - (minus) number number
number * (times) number number
number / (divided by) number number
number min number number
number max number number
number mod number number
number ** (power) number number
SIN OF number (degrees) number
COS OF number (degrees) number
TAN OF number (degrees) number
SQRT OF number number
ABS OF number number
ASIN OF number number (degrees)
ACOS OF number number (degrees)
ATAN OF number number
INT OF number number
LOG10 OF number number
LOG OF number number
literal1 // (concatenate) literal2 literal
”literal1literal2”
literal1 /// (concatenate) literal2 literal ”literal1
literal2”
literal EQS (=) literal logical (true or false)
case sensitive
literal NES (̸=) literal logical (true or false)
case sensitive
literal EQSU (=) literal logical (true or false)
not case sensitive
literal NESU (̸=) literal logical (true or false)
not case sensitive
logical AND logical logical (true or false)
logical OR logical logical (true or false)
NOT logical logical (true or false)
number EQ (=) number logical (true or false)
number NE (̸=) number logical (true or false)
number GT (>) number logical (true or false)
number GE (≥) number logical (true or false)
158 CHAPTER 7. INPUT MACROS

X* OP ** Y Result
number LT (<) number logical (true or false)
number LE (≤) number logical (true or false)
Upper or lower case
is allowed for SIN,
COS, etc.
Upper or lower case
is allowed for OF,
EQS, etc.

Example
#eval[** 1 + 2 **] when expanded becomes 3.
#eval[** 1 +#eval[2 * 3] **] when expanded becomes 7.
Example
##set1 city[] Washington
DesignDay, #[ city[ ] /// SUMMER ], ! Design Day Name
gives
DesignDay , "Washington SUMMER", ! Design Day Name

The following example illustrates the use of #eval inside #if commands:
##if #[** city[ ] EQS Chicago **]
##if #[#[** city[ ] EQS Chicago ] and#[** occup[ ] NES low **]** **]**
Notes:

1. For logical values:

False = 0 or BLANK,
True = any other character

2. A literal must be enclosed inside a pair of double quotes if it contains BLANKs or reserved
characters like [ ] ( ) ,

E.g., “abc *def”

Otherwise, the quotes around the literals are optional.

3. Literal concatenation operators // and /// produce quoted literals.

E.g., # [ large /// office ] gives “large office”

4. Literals are case sensitive. For example, “Chicago”, “CHICAGO” and “chicago” are distinct.

5. EQS and NES are case sensitive string comparisons. EQSU and NESU are case insensitive
string comparisons.

6. Literals are limited to 40 characters.

7.6. MACRO DEBUGGING AND LISTING CONTROL 159

7.6 Macro Debugging and Listing Control

##list
Turn on listing; echo of input lines on the OUTPUT file is enabled. This is the default condition.
##nolist
Turn off listing; echo of input lines on the output file is disabled.
##show
Start printing expanded line on output file. After this command, if a macro expansion was done,
the expanded line is printed on the output file. In this way you can see the end result of macro
expansions, which is the input as seen by the EnergyPlus Input processor.
##noshow
Stop printing expanded line on output file. This is the default condition.
##showdetail
Start printing each macro expansion. After this command, every time a macro expansion is
done the result of the expansion is printed. This can produce lots of output.
##noshowdetail
Stop printing each macro expansion. This is the default condition.
##expandcomment
Comment fields may contain macro expansion directions. Following this command, the macros
will be expanded in comments.
For example, you might have:
##set1 Location = “Colorado Springs, CO”
! Simulation run for Location[]
If ##expandcomment preceded the set1 command, then the output would look like:
! Simulation run for Colorado Springs, CO
##noexpandcomment
This does not expand macros in comment fields. This is the default condition.
##traceback
Give full traceback when printing an error message. After this command, if there is a EP-
MACRO error, a full traceback of the macro expansions in progress is printed. This is the default
condition.
##notraceback
Don’t give full traceback when printing an error message.
##write
Start writing expanded text into file 22. This is similar to ##show except that the expanded
lines are written into file 22. Therefore, file 22 will contain only the text that will be seen by the
EnergyPlus processor. This file is used only for debugging purposes. It allows you to see what the
macro-processed input file looks like.
##nowrite
Stop writing expanded text into file 22. This is the default condition.
##symboltable
Prints table of current macro names. All of the macro names that are defined will be printed.
##clear
Clear all macro definitions. All the macro names defined up to this point will be deleted.
##reserve TEXT k NAMES l STACK m
Allocates memory.
160 CHAPTER 7. INPUT MACROS

Reserves k words of space in AA array for macro definition storage.

Reserves l positions in macro definition names table.
Reserves m words of stack space.
If used, the ##reserve command must precede all other macro commands in the EP-MACRO
input. This command should be used only if one or more of the following error messages is received:
“Need more memory for storing macro definitions”
Use “##reserve TEXT nnnnnn” command to get more memory. Current value of nnnnnn is:
___
“Macro table capacity exceeded”
Use “##reserve NAMES nnnnnn” command to get more memory. Current value of nnnnnn
is: _ _ _
“Macro stack overflow”
Use “##reserve STACK nnnnnn” command to get more memory. Current value of nnnnnn
is: _ _ _
##! <comment>
Allows you to enter comment lines inside a macro. <comment> is printed in the EP-MACRO
echo but is not acted on by the macro processor.
Example:
This example shows the use of the ##set, ##include, ##eval and ##if commands. Let
an external file called [Link] contain the following text:
** ##if #**[ city[ ] EQS CHICAGO ]
Location,Chicago IL, !- Location Name
41.880, !- Latitude
-87.63, !- Longitude
-6.0, !- Time Zone
2.; !- Elevation {m}
##elseif #[ city[ ] EQS WASHINGTON ]
Location,Washington DC, !- Location Name
38.9, !- Latitude
-77.0, !- Longitude
-5.0, !- Time Zone
15.; !- Elevation {m}
##else
** ** ERROR — City Undefined
##endif
Then the EnergyPlus input
##set1 city[ ] CHICAGO
##include [Link]
will be converted, after macro processing, to:
Location,Chicago IL, !- Location Name
41.880, !- Latitude
-87.63, !- Longitude
-6.0, !- Time Zone
2.; !- Elevation {m}
7.7. LISTING FORMAT 161

7.7 Listing Format

The format of listing from EP-MACRO gives information about the status of the input macros, as
shown in the following:
1. 1.1 * 123 * ...... EnergyPlus input line
- - - ------- ----------------------------------
| | | | echo of EnergyPlus input line
| | | |
| | | line number ( if the current line is being skipped
| | | by " ##if... " etc , this is indicated
| | | by printing "- 123 -" instead of
| | | "* 123 *" in the line number field;
| | | if the current line is part of a
| | | macro command , it is indicated by
| | | printing "# 123 #" )
| | |
| | macro expansion nesting level
| |
|"## if" nesting level
|
"## include" nesting level
Chapter 8

HVAC Diagram

8.1 Introduction
The HVAC-Diagram program is a simple utility that can be used to generate a svg file based on the
bnd file generated by EnergyPlus. It is a stored in the primary EnergyPlus\PostProcessor folder
upon installation.
It creates a series of diagrams for the layout of the HVAC system components. The SVG file
can be viewed with a number of internet browser plug-ins such as produced by Adobe that can be
downloaded at [Link]/svg. To get help within the Adobe viewer, right click anywhere on
the drawing.
Each diagram should be read from left to right, which is the direction of the flow of the fluid
through the components.
The HVAC-Diagram program is automatically called when using EP-Launch but can also be
included in other batch files. To view the drawing in EP-Launch, click on the drawing button. You
can zoom in on this drawing and with the “copy” command, paste a zoomed in portion as a bitmap
in your document.

Figure 8.1: HVAC Diagram – SVG Drawing

162
8.1. INTRODUCTION 163

Objects that are recognized by the HVAC diagram are shown in Table 8.1 (sorted by Object
Name) and Table 8.2 (sorted by color).

Table 8.1: HVAC Diagram Object Names (primary sort)

Colors

Object Name Color

AirLoopHVAC:ReturnPlenum lightgreen
AirLoopHVAC:SupplyPlenum lightgreen
AirLoopHVAC:ZoneMixer wheat
AirLoopHVAC:ZoneSplitter wheat
AirTerminal:DualDuct:ConstantVolume wheat
AirTerminal:DualDuct:VAV wheat
AirTerminal:SingleDuct:VAV:NoReheat wheat
AirTerminal:SingleDuct:VAV:Reheat wheat
Boiler:HotWater indianred
Chiller:Absorption powderblue
Chiller:CombustionTurbine powderblue
Chiller:ConstantCOP powderblue
Chiller:Electric powderblue
Chiller:EngineDriven powderblue
ChillerHeater:Absorption:DirectFired powderblue
Coil:Cooling:DX:MultiSpeed skyblue
Coil:Cooling:DX:SingleSpeed skyblue
Coil:Cooling:Water skyblue
Coil:Cooling:Water:DetailedGeometry skyblue
Coil:Cooling:WaterToAirHeatPump:EquationFit skyblue
Coil:Cooling:WaterToAirHeatPump:ParameterEstimation skyblue
Coil:Heating:DX:SingleSpeed skyblue
Coil:Heating:Electric salmon
Coil:Heating:Fuel salmon
Coil:Heating:Water salmon
Coil:Heating:WaterToAirHeatPump:EquationFit salmon
Coil:Heating:WaterToAirHeatPump:ParameterEstimation salmon
Connector:Mixer lightgreen
Connector:Splitter wheat
Controller:OutdoorAir none
Controller:WaterCoil none
CoolingTower:SingleSpeed pink
164 CHAPTER 8. HVAC DIAGRAM

Table 8.1: HVAC Diagram Object Names (primary sort)

Colors

Object Name Color

Dehumidifier:Desiccant:NoFans tan
DistrictCooling none
DistrictHeating none
EvaporativeCooler:Direct:CelDekPad aliceblue
EvaporativeCooler:Indirect:CelDekPad aliceblue
EvaporativeCooler:Indirect:ResearchSpecial aliceblue
Fan:ConstantVolume silver
Fan:OnOff silver
Fan:VariableVolume silver
Fan:ZoneExhaust silver
Generator:CombustionTurbine orange
Generator:InternalCombustionEngine orange
GroundHeatExchanger:Pond paleturquoise
GroundHeatExchanger:Surface paleturquoise
GroundHeatExchanger:System paleturquoise
GroundHeatExchanger:Slinky paleturquoise
HeatExchanger:AirToAir:FlatPlate paleturquoise
HeatExchanger:AirToAir:SensibleAndLatent paleturquoise
HeatExchanger:Hydronic paleturquoise
HeatPump:WaterToWater:EquationFit:Cooling lightslategray
HeatPump:WaterToWater:EquationFit:Heating lightslategray
HeatPump:WaterToWater:ParameterEstimation:Cooling lightslategray
HeatPump:WaterToWater:ParameterEstimation:Heating lightslategray
Humidifier:Steam:Electric lavender
LoadProfile:Plant none
OutdoorAir:Mixer lawngreen
OutdoorAir:NodeList none
Pipe:Adiabatic wheat
PlantLoopConnection wheat
Pump:ConstantSpeed springgreen
Pump:VariableSpeed springgreen
SolarCollector:FlatPlate:Water yellow
WaterHeater:Mixed orange
WaterHeater:Stratified orange
8.1. INTRODUCTION 165

Table 8.1: HVAC Diagram Object Names (primary sort)

Colors

Object Name Color

ZoneHVAC:Baseboard:Convective:Water salmon
ZoneHVAC:EnergyRecoveryVentilator:Controller none
ZoneHVAC:EquipmentConnections chartreuse
ZoneHVAC:IdealLoadsAirSystem none
ZoneHVAC:LowTemperatureRadiant:ConstantFlow orangered
ZoneHVAC:LowTemperatureRadiant:VariableFlow orangered
ZoneHVAC:UnitVentilator sandybrown

Table 8.2: HVAC Diagram Object Names and Color

(primary sort)

Object Name Color

EvaporativeCooler:Direct:CelDekPad aliceblue
EvaporativeCooler:Indirect:CelDekPad aliceblue
EvaporativeCooler:Indirect:ResearchSpecial aliceblue
ZoneHVAC:EquipmentConnections chartreuse
Boiler:HotWater indianred
Humidifier:Steam:Electric lavender
OutdoorAir:Mixer lawngreen
AirLoopHVAC:ReturnPlenum lightgreen
AirLoopHVAC:SupplyPlenum lightgreen
Connector:Mixer lightgreen
HeatPump:WaterToWater:EquationFit:Cooling lightslategray
HeatPump:WaterToWater:EquationFit:Heating lightslategray
HeatPump:WaterToWater:ParameterEstimation:Cooling lightslategray
HeatPump:WaterToWater:ParameterEstimation:Heating lightslategray
Controller:OutdoorAir none
Controller:WaterCoil none
DistrictCooling none
DistrictHeating none
LoadProfile:Plant none
OutdoorAir:NodeList none
ZoneHVAC:EnergyRecoveryVentilator:Controller none
ZoneHVAC:IdealLoadsAirSystem none
166 CHAPTER 8. HVAC DIAGRAM

Table 8.2: HVAC Diagram Object Names and Color

(primary sort)

Object Name Color

Generator:CombustionTurbine orange
Generator:InternalCombustionEngine orange
WaterHeater:Mixed orange
WaterHeater:Stratified orange
ZoneHVAC:LowTemperatureRadiant:ConstantFlow orangered
ZoneHVAC:LowTemperatureRadiant:VariableFlow orangered
GroundHeatExchanger:Pond paleturquoise
GroundHeatExchanger:Surface paleturquoise
GroundHeatExchanger:Vertical paleturquoise
HeatExchanger:AirToAir:FlatPlate paleturquoise
HeatExchanger:AirToAir:SensibleAndLatent paleturquoise
HeatExchanger:Hydronic paleturquoise
CoolingTower:SingleSpeed pink
Chiller:Absorption powderblue
Chiller:CombustionTurbine powderblue
Chiller:ConstantCOP powderblue
Chiller:Electric powderblue
Chiller:EngineDriven powderblue
ChillerHeater:Absorption:DirectFired powderblue
Coil:Heating:Electric salmon
Coil:Heating:Fuel salmon
Coil:Heating:Water salmon
Coil:Heating:WaterToAirHeatPump:EquationFit salmon
Coil:Heating:WaterToAirHeatPump:ParameterEstimation salmon
ZoneHVAC:Baseboard:Convective:Water salmon
ZoneHVAC:UnitVentilator sandybrown
Fan:ConstantVolume silver
Fan:OnOff silver
Fan:VariableVolume silver
Fan:ZoneExhaust silver
Coil:Cooling:DX:MultiSpeed skyblue
Coil:Cooling:DX:SingleSpeed skyblue
Coil:Cooling:Water skyblue
Coil:Cooling:Water:DetailedGeometry skyblue
8.1. INTRODUCTION 167

Table 8.2: HVAC Diagram Object Names and Color

(primary sort)

Object Name Color

Coil:Cooling:WaterToAirHeatPump:EquationFit skyblue
Coil:Cooling:WaterToAirHeatPump:ParameterEstimation skyblue
Coil:Heating:DX:SingleSpeed skyblue
Pump:ConstantSpeed springgreen
Pump:VariableSpeed springgreen
Dehumidifier:Desiccant:NoFans tan
AirLoopHVAC:ZoneMixer wheat
AirLoopHVAC:ZoneSplitter wheat
AirTerminal:DualDuct:ConstantVolume wheat
AirTerminal:DualDuct:VAV wheat
AirTerminal:SingleDuct:VAV:NoReheat wheat
AirTerminal:SingleDuct:VAV:Reheat wheat
Connector:Splitter wheat
Pipe:Adiabatic wheat
PlantLoopConnection wheat
SolarCollector:FlatPlate:Water yellow
Chapter 9

CoeffConv/CoeffCheck

These two programs are stored in the PreProcess folder of your EnergyPlus installation under a
folder CoeffConv.

9.1 CoeffConv
CoeffConv is a program to convert DOE-2 temperature dependent curves in Fahrenheit to
EnergyPlus curves in Centigrade. The program converts the DOE-2 coefficients of a biquadratic
curve to the equivalent EnergyPlus biquadratic curve coefficients.
EP-Launch can be used to run the CoeffConv program. CoeffConv is one of the options on the
Utilities tab in EP-Launch. See the EP-Launch section in this document for more information on
how to use EP-Launch with the CoeffConv program. When using EP-Launch to run CoeffConv the
input file must have the file extension .coi and will create an output file with the file extension .coo.
You can also run the CoeffConv program as a console application. The input file then must be
from file [Link] (status = OLD). There are 6 lines of ascii input.
For example:
VarSpeedCoolCapFt
-0.29382 ,0.0222213 ,0.00006988 ,0.0040928 , -0.00000226 , -0.00013774
55. ,75.
75. ,115.
67.0 ,95.0
5.0

• The 1st line is the user selected name of the curve.

• The 2nd line contains the 6 biquadratic curve coefficients, comma separated. These are the
Doe-2 coefficients.
• The 3rd line contains the min and max values of the 1st independent variable, comma
separated, deg F.
• The 4th line contains the min and max values of the 2nd independent variable, comma
separated, deg F.
• The 5th line contains the rated values of the 1st & 2nd independent variables, comma
separated, deg F.
• The 6th line contains the delta T for the output performance maps.

All the input lines should start in column 1.

168
9.2. COEFFCHECK 169

The above sequence can be repeated up to 100 times.

The output file is [Link] (status = NEW) (that means you need to delete any
existing [Link]).
The output file will contain the EnergyPlus idf input for the curve, as well as any error messages;
Also, the DOE-2 and EnergyPlus curve values at the rating point (where the value should be
1.0) and performance maps for the curves - both DOE-2 and EnergyPlus.
There is an example input file and an example output file installed with the program.

9.2 CoeffCheck
CoeffCheck is a program to print out a performance map given a bi-quadratic performance curve.
EP-Launch can be used to run the CoeffCheck program. CoeffCheck is one of the options on the
Utilities tab in EP-Launch. See the EP-Launch section in this document for more information on
how to use EP-Launch with the CoeffCheck program. When using EP-Launch to run CoeffCheck
the input file must have the file extension .cci and will create an output file with the file extension
.cco.
You can also run the CoeffCheck program as a console application. The input file then must be
from file [Link] (status = OLD). There are 6 lines of ascii input.
For example:
VarSpeedCoolCapFt
0.476428E+00 ,0.401147E -01 ,0.226411E -03 , -0.827136E -03 , -0.732240E -05 , -0.446278E-03
12.777778 ,23.888889
23.888889 ,46.111111
19.444444 ,35.0
2.777778

• The 1st line is the user selected name of the curve.

• The 2nd line contains the 6 biquadratic curve coefficients, comma separated.
• The 3rd line contains the min and max values of the 1st independent variable, comma
separated
• The 4th line contains the min and max values of the 2nd independent variable, comma
separated
• The 5th line contains the rated values of the 1st & 2nd independent variables, comma
separated
• The 6th line contains the delta T for the output performance map

The output file is [Link] (status = NEW).

There is an example input file and an example output file installed with the program.

9.3 Running the CoeffConv or CoeffCheck programs

EP-Launch can be used to run both the CoeffConv and CoeffCheck programs. CoeffConv and
CoeffCheck are two of the options on the Utilities tab in EP-Launch. See the EP-Launch section in
this document for more information on how to use EP-Launch with the CoeffConv and CoeffCheck
programs.
170 CHAPTER 9. COEFFCONV/COEFFCHECK

You can also run both programs as console applications and, because they are small, they are
automatically installed with EnergyPlus. You will need to open a command window using the
following steps:

1) Open a DOS command prompt window (Start -> Programs -> Accessories -> Command
Prompt)

2) Change to the directory where EnergyPlus is installed (modify the commands below if you
did not install EnergyPlus in the default install path):

C:
CD \<rootfolder></span>

3) Change to the specific folder for the coefficient conversion applications:

CD PreProcess\CoeffConv

4) Run the program:

After creating your files as shown above, enter either CoeffConv or CoeffCheck as desired. The
folder also contains a “[Link]” file which you can peruse.
Chapter 10

ExpandObjects

10.1 Introduction
The ExpandObjects program uses HVACTemplate objects in the IDF file to “expand” them into
full fledged objects for EnergyPlus. Read more details of the systems and the individual fields in
the HVACTemplate objects in the Input Output Reference document.
ExpandObjects also processes GroundHeatTransfer objects, sends an input file to the Slab and
Basement preprocessors, and replaces ground heat transfer boundary condition fields in building
surface objects. Read more details of the ground heat transfer processing in the Input Output
Reference.
Technically speaking, the ExpandObjects program is a preprocessor that is currently used with
the HVACTemplate objects. The preprocessor reads an idf file and generates an [Link]
file (usually with the extension .expidf). The original idf file contains objects that will be read
by the preprocessor and those that are ignored by the preprocessor. The objects read can be
either commented out or left as is. The objects created by the preprocessor in the [Link]
file should require no further preprocessing. The preprocessor does not read the EnergyPlus Data
Dictionary file (Energy+.IDD) and does limited validation. Most of the object values that are
created are “passed” through from input objects. This allows EnergyPlus to provide most of the
validation. If errors are found, error messages are passed to the EnergyPlus program using the
Output:Preprocessor object. These errors will be shown in the usual EnergyPlus error file. When
used with EP-Launch, the [Link] file is renamed to the original file name with the extension
expidf.

10.2 HVAC Template Objects Processed

The HVACTemplate objects that are currently read by the ExpandObjects preprocessor are:

• HVACTemplate:Thermostat

• HVACTemplate:Zone:IdealLoadsAirSystem

• HVACTemplate:Zone:FanCoil

• HVACTemplate:Zone:PTAC

171
172 CHAPTER 10. EXPANDOBJECTS

• HVACTemplate:Zone:PTHP

• HVACTemplate:Zone:Unitary

• HVACTemplate:Zone:VAV

• HVACTemplate:Zone:VAV:FanPowered

• HVACTemplate:Zone:WatertoAirHeatPump

• HVACTemplate:System:Unitary

• HVACTemplate:System:UnitaryHeatPump:AirToAir

• HVACTemplate:System:VAV

• HVACTemplate:System:PackagedVAV

• HVACTemplate:System:DedicatedOutdoorAir

• HVACTemplate:Plant:ChilledWaterLoop

• HVACTemplate:Plant:Chiller

• HVACTemplate:Plant:Chiller:ObjectReference

• HVACTemplate:Plant:Tower

• HVACTemplate:Plant:Tower:ObjectReference

• HVACTemplate:Plant:HotWaterLoop

• HVACTemplate:Plant:Boiler

• HVACTemplate:Plant:Boiler:ObjectReference

10.3 Ground Heat Transfer Objects Processed

The GroundHeatTransfer objects that are currently read by the ExpandObjects preprocessor are:

• GroundHeatTransfer:Control

• GroundHeatTransfer:Slab:Materials

• GroundHeatTransfer:Slab:MatlProps

• GroundHeatTransfer:Slab:BoundConds

• GroundHeatTransfer:Slab:BldgProps

• GroundHeatTransfer:Slab:Insulation

• GroundHeatTransfer:Slab:EquivalentSlab
10.4. BUILDING SURFACE OBJECTS PROCESSED 173

• GroundHeatTransfer:Slab:AutoGrid

• GroundHeatTransfer:Slab:ManualGrid

• GroundHeatTransfer:Slab:XFACE

• GroundHeatTransfer:Slab:YFACE

• GroundHeatTransfer:Slab:ZFACE

• GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:SimParameters

• GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:MatlProps

• GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:Insulation

• GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:SurfaceProps

• GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:BldgData

• GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:Interior

• GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:ComBldg

• GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:EquivSlab

• GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:EquivAutoGrid

• GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:AutoGrid

• GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:ManualGrid

• GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:XFACE

• GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:YFACE

• GroundHeatTransfer:Basement:ZFACEHVACTemplate:Thermostat

10.4 Building Surface Objects Processed

The building surface objects that are currently modified by the ExpandObjects preprocessor are:

• BuildingSurface:Detailed

• Wall:Detailed

• RoofCeiling:Detailed

• Floor:Detailed

• Site:GroundTemperature:BuildingSurface
Chapter 11

CSVproc

This simple post processing utility may be useful when doing parametric analyses. It takes a CSV
(comma separated values file) and performs some simple statistics. It is a very small application
with no interface. It is typically executed from the command line.

1) Open a DOS command prompt window (Start > Programs > Accessories > Command
Prompt)

2) Change to the directory where EnergyPlus is installed (modify the commands below if you
did not install EnergyPlus in the default install path):

C:
CD \<root folder></span>

3) Change to the specific folder for the coefficient conversion applications:

CD PostProcess

4) Run the program:

CSVproc <filename>
Where <filename> is the name of a CSV file, including extension. There is a simple [Link]
file in the folder. The program performs some simple statistics on each column and creates a new
file with the same name without extension and -[Link] added to the name.
The statistics performed on each column are:

• SUM

• MAX

• MIN

• AVERAGE

• COUNT

• COUNTIF > 0

174
 175

• COUNTIF > 5

• COUNTIF > 10

• COUNTIF > 15

• COUNTIF > 20

• COUNTIF > 25

• COUNTIF > 30

• COUNTIF > 35

• COUNTIF > 40

• COUNTIF > 45

• COUNTIF > 50

• COUNTIF > 55

• COUNTIF > 60

• COUNTIF > 65

• COUNTIF > 70

• COUNTIF > 75

• COUNTIF > 80

• COUNTIF > 85

• COUNTIF > 90

• COUNTIF > 95

• COUNTIF > 100

• COUNTIF = 1

• COUNTIF < 19.9

• COUNTIF > 24.0

Obviously, not all statistics are relevant for every output report variable. The average is based
on the sum divided by the number of non-blank rows. The average is not based on the length of
time for that timestep. Due to this, CSVproc is best suited for an hourly output file.
Source code is available upon request from jglazer@[Link].
Chapter 12

convertESOMTR

This simple post processing utility will convert the raw data “ESO” and “MTR” files to IP (Inch-
Pound) units before later processing into CSV files. EP-Launch has an option to automatically
convert to IP units that invokes convertESOMTR, see VIEW - Options - Miscellaneous dialog box.
The ReadVarsESO program will take these converted files and make them into normal CSV files
but will have IP units. The RunEPlus batch file does not include this option but could be edited to
perform the same functions if desired. If OutputControl:Files is used to write CSV output (variables
and meters) directly from EnergyPlus, convertESOMTR and ReadVarsESO will be skipped when
running with EP-Launch and [Link].
Technically speaking, the convertESOMTR program uses the “[Link]” file which contains
the conversion factors. It creates files “[Link]” and “[Link]” as appropriate. The batch examples
then renames the old [Link] to [Link], old [Link] to [Link] and the
ip files to the default [Link], [Link].
The [Link] file contains the conversion factors using three different commands.
conv,<si-unit>,<ip-unit>,<multiplier>,<offset>
wild,<match-string>,<si-unit>,<ip-unit>
vari,<variable-name-no-units>,<si-unit>,<ip-unit>
If a specific variable needs to be converted, the ‘vari’ line may be used to convert the units on
that specific variable only. To convert a class of variables that contains a specific string of characters
in the names of the variables, the ‘wild’ line may be used. The ‘conv’ lines are the lines that actually
create the conversion factors. If no ‘vari’ or ‘wild’ match a variable, then it is converted used the
first ‘conv’ line that matches. The default [Link] file contains some conversions for Inch-Pound
units but any set of units may be used by editing the [Link] file. Note that the [Link] file
uses the standard EnergyPlus comment character (!).
A snippet of the [Link] file:
! Power
!------------------------------
! (1 kW / 1000 W)
conv ,W,kW ,0.001 ,0
! (1 Btuh/ 0.2928751 W) * (1 kBtuh /1000 Btuh)
conv ,W,kBtuh ,3.41442E-03,0

176
Chapter 13

CalcSoilSurfTemp Program

The CalcSoilSurfTemp program calculates three important parameters for the simulation of the
earth tube:

• the annual average soil surface temperature

• the amplitude of soil surface temperature
• the phase constant of soil surface temperature

Since soil temperature is one of the most significant factors affecting the overall performance of
earth tube system, soil temperature around the earth tube should be accurately predicted.
Before the soil temperature around earth tube can be calculated during the running period of
earth tube model in EnergyPlus, the ground surface temperature straight above earth tube should
be predicted. Using CalcSoilSurfTemp program, these parameters are predicted by considering the
convective heat transfer between the air and ground, solar radiation absorption by the ground,
long-wave radiation emitted from the soil, and latent heat loss due to the moisture evaporation at
the ground surface.

13.1 Running the Program

EP-Launch can be used to run the CalcSoilSurfTemp program. CalcSoilSurfTemp is one of the
options on the Utilities tab in EP-Launch. See the EP-Launch section in this document for more
information on how to use EP-Launch with the CalcSoilSurfTemp program.
You can also run the CalcSoilSurfTemp program as a console application with a batch file
RunCalcSoilSurfTemp. The argument to the batch file is the name of the weather file to be used.
Steps to running this program follow:

1) Open a DOS command prompt window (Start > Programs > Accessories > Command
Prompt)
2) Change to the directory where EnergyPlus is installed (modify the commands below if you
did not install EnergyPlus in the default install path):

C:
CD \<root folder></span>

177
178 CHAPTER 13. CALCSOILSURFTEMP PROGRAM

3) Change to the calculate surface soil temperature folder:

CD PreProcess\CalcSoilSurfTemp

4) Run the program:

runcalcsoilsurftemp USA_IL_Chicago-OHare_TMY2
When installed, the batch file automatically points the path for weather data to the installed
weather data path. If you save your weather files in a different location, you will need to modify
the batch file or create your own with your own folder paths.
Note that the program is interactive (expects user responses) from the command line. These
inputs are described in the following section.

13.2 Program Inputs

In order to use the CalcSoilSurfTemp program, a weather data file is used. The entire year of
weather data is used to calculate parameters of the soil surface temperature.
The CalcSoilSurfTemp program is simple and requires only two input fields: soil condition and
soil surface condition. First, the user will see the four following options in the screen for the selection
of the soil condition:

1. HEAVY AND SATURATED

2. HEAVY AND DAMP

3. HEAVY AND DRY

4. LIGHT AND DRY

Among them, the user should select the number corresponding to the particular soil condition.
This determines the thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity of the surrounding soil.
After the selection of soil condition, the user should also select the number corresponding to the
condition of the ground surface above the earth tube from the eight following options:

1. BARE AND WET

2. BARE AND MOIST

3. BARE AND ARID

4. BARE AND DRY

5. COVERED AND WET

6. COVERED AND MOIST

7. COVERED AND ARID

8. COVERED AND DRY

13.3. PROGRAM OUTPUTS 179

This determines the absorption coefficient and the fraction of evaporation rate of the ground
surface.
Note that both soil condition and soil surface condition are the average of the year - not a
particular time period within the year.
From this information and an analysis of the weather data, the CalcSoilSurfTemp program
calculates the annual average soil surface temperature, the amplitude of soil surface temperature,
and the phase constant of soil surface temperature. The user must then add these parameters as
input parameter into earth tube model in EnergyPlus.

13.3 Program Outputs

As noted earlier, there are three output parameters and they are automatically saved in the
[Link] file. The basic concept and description of three output parameters are as
follows.
Annual Average Soil Surface Temperature
This is the annual average value of soil surface temperature.
Amplitude of Soil Surface Temperature
This is the difference between the maximum and minimum soil surface temperature of the whole
year divided by two.
Phase Constant of Soil Surface Temperature
This is the time elapsed from the beginning of the year at which the soil surface temperature
reaches the minimum value in the year.
These values are placed in the ZoneEarthTube object numeric fields (12, 13, 14) of similar names.
The ZoneEarthTube IDD definition with these fields highlighted is included:

ZoneEarthtube ,
\min -fields 22
\memo Earth Tube is specified as a design level which is modified by a Schedule fraction , temperature
difference and wind speed:
\memo Earthtube = Edesign * Fschedule * (A + B*|( Tzone -Todb)| + C*WindSpd + D * WindSpd **2)
A1 , \field Zone Name
\required -field
\type object -list
\object -list ZoneNames
A2 , \field Schedule Name
\required -field
\type object -list
\object -list ScheduleNames
N1 , \field Design Flow Rate
\required -field
\units m3/s
\note "Edesign" in Equation
\type real
\minimum 0
N2 , \field Minimum Zone Temperature when Cooling
\required -field
\note this is the indoor temperature below which the earth tube is shut off
\units C
\type real
\minimum -100
\maximum 100
N3 , \field Maximum Zone Temperature when Heating
\required -field
\note this is the indoor temperature above which the earth tube is shut off
\units C
\type real
180 CHAPTER 13. CALCSOILSURFTEMP PROGRAM

\minimum -100
\maximum 100
N4 , \field Delta Temperature
\required -field
\note This is the temperature difference between indoor and outdoor below which the earth tube is shut
off
\units deltaC
\type real
\minimum 0
A3 , \field Earthtube Type
\required -field
\type choice
\key Natural
\key Intake
\key Exhaust
\default Natural
N5 , \field Fan Pressure Rise
\required -field
\note pressure rise across the fan
\type real
\units Pa
\minimum 0
\default 0
N6 , \field Fan Total Efficiency
\required -field
\type real
\minimum > 0
\default 1
N7 , \field Pipe Radius
\required -field
\units m
\type real
\minimum > 0
\default 1
N8 , \field Pipe Thickness
\required -field
\units m
\type real
\minimum > 0
\default 0.2
N9 , \field Pipe Length
\required -field
\units m
\type real
\minimum > 0
\default 15
N10 , \field Pipe Thermal Conductivity
\required -field
\units W/m-K
\type real
\minimum > 0
\default 200
N11 , \field Pipe Depth Under Ground Surface
\required -field
\units m
\type real
\minimum > 0
\default 3
A4 , \field Soil Condition
\required -field
\type choice
\key HeavyAndSaturated
\key HeavyAndDamp
\key HeavyAndDry
\key LightAndDry
\default HeavyAndDamp
N12 , \field Average Soil Surface Temperature
\required -field
\units C
\type real
13.3. PROGRAM OUTPUTS 181

\default 0
N13 , \field Amplitude of Soil Surface Temperature
\required -field
\units C
\type real
\minimum 0
\default 0
N14 , \field Phase Constant of Soil Surface Temperature
\required -field
\units days
\type real
\minimum 0
\default 0
N15 , \field Constant Term Flow Coefficient
\required -field
\note "A" in Equation
\type real
\default 1
N16 , \field Temperature Term Flow Coefficient
\required -field
\note "B" in Equation
\type real
\default 0
N17 , \field Velocity Term Flow Coefficient
\required -field
\note "C" in Equation
\type real
\default 0
N18; \field Velocity Squared Term Flow Coefficient
\required -field
\note "D" in Equation
\type real
\default 0
Chapter 14

HVAC Performance Curve Fit Tool

14.1 Introduction
This auxiliary tool generates HVAC performance curves in EnergyPlus curve object format. For
each set of performance data entered, Capacity and EIR performance curves are generated, and
these curves are generated either as a function of temperature(s) or flow fraction. The Capacity
and EIR of Cooling DX Coils as a function of temperatures require only Biquadratic curve whereas
Capacity and EIR of Heating DX Coils may use Biquadratic, Cubic and Quadratic curves. The
selection of either of these curves is dependent on availability of performance data. The Capacity
and EIR as a function of flow fraction allows either Cubic or Quadratic curve type. The curve types
allowed are:
Biquadratic: CurveValue = a0 + a1 X + a2 X 2 + a3 Y + a4 Y 2 + a5 XY
Cubic: CurveValue = a0 + a1 X + a2 X 2 + a3 X 3
Quadratic: CurveValue = a0 + a1 X + a2 X 2
These performance curves as a function of temperatures are generated for a given set of input
data at a given speed. The curves as a function of flow fraction are generated at the rated
temperature conditions. The rated test condition is the AHRI standard test condition (AHRI
2003;2007; 2008). The AHRI standard test condition may vary by the equipment type. For multiple
speeds or multiple stage DX Coils, different curve sets can be generated by entering a different set
of data for each speed or stage at a time. The tool automatically populates the labels for each
data inputs variable when users select the Coil Type, Independent Variables, Curve Type, and
Units. The curve fit tool interface in Figure 2.1 shows labels selected to generate capacity and EIR
biquadratic curves as function of temperatures for DX cooling coil.
The tool can be used for Coil:Cooing:DX:SingleSpeed, Coil:Heating:DX:SingleSpeed,
Coil:Cooing:DX:TwoSpeed (high and low speed) , CoilPerformance:DX:Cooling (each stage),
and any HVAC equipment that use Biquadratic, Cubic or Quadratic curves. To add this flexibility
generic input data labels can be populated by selecting “Other” for DX Coil Type input field,
located in Cell B3 in Figure 14.1.

14.2 Inputs
First step in curve generation is to select appropriate parameters from the dropdown menu. These
inputs define the DX Coil Type, Curve Type, Independent Variable and the Units type. The

182
14.2. INPUTS 183

Figure 14.1: Curve Fit Tool Input Interface

choices available for each input parameters are described in the following table. Once these input
parameters are selected the tool read in the values and automatically populates labels for each of the
independent and dependent variables. The labels guide users to enter the data for each variable in
the corresponding worksheet input range. Two sets of input data are required for curve generation:
Rated, and Performance Data.

Input Parameter Input Description

DX Coil Type Cooling: Applicable for DX cooling coil single speed;
Heating: Applicable for DX heating coil single speed;
Other: Applicable for any equipment that use the three
curve types
Independent Variables Temperature and Flow
Curve Types Biquadratic: Capacity and EIR as a function of
temperature; Cubic: Capacity and EIR as a function of
flow fraction or temperature; Quadratic: Capacity and
EIR as a function of flow fraction
Units IP: Temperature in degF, Capacity in kBtu/h, Power
in kW, and Flow in CFM; SI : Temperature in degC,
Capacity in kW, Power in kW, and Flow in m/s
184 CHAPTER 14. HVAC PERFORMANCE CURVE FIT TOOL

Input Parameter Input Description

Curve Object Name This input is optional. This string is appended to
the default curve object name, or if left blank the
default curve object name will be displayed. A curve
object is named is created by concatenation as follows:
(User-specified curve object name) + “DXCoilType” +
one of: [“CAPFTEMP”, “CAPFFF”, “EIRFTEMP”,
“EIRFFF”]

14.3 Rated Data

The rated data is used to normalize the performance data set. The rated test conditions depend
on the equipment type. For DX cooling coil the rated test temperatures are 67 degF (19.4 degC)
indoor coil entering wet bulb, 80 degF (26.7 degC) indoor coil entering dry bulb and 95 degF (35.0
degC) outdoor coil entering dry bulb air temperatures per ANSI/AHRI Std. 210/240 (AHRI 2008).
If the rated test temperatures are different from the values populated by the tool, then the user may
enter the applicable values manually. The rated data can be one of the performance data points
depending on the speed or stage. The rated data set is entered in the Cells range “B11:E11” of the
INPUT tab as shown in Figure 2.1.

14.4 Performance Data

The performance data set entered depends on the type of independent variables selected. To
generate performance curves (e.g. DX Coils) as a function of temperatures require the capacity and
power data at various combinations of indoor and outdoor coil entering air temperatures at a rated
supply air flow rate. And performance curves (e.g. DX Coil) as function of flow fraction require
capacity and power data at various supply air flow rates and rated indoor and outdoor coil entering
air (or water) temperatures. The performance data set may include the rated data as one of the
data points. The performance data set is entered starting from row 15 and down for each of the
variables as shown in Figure 14.1.
The total cooling and heating capacities must be the gross values, i.e., not corrected for the
supply fan heating effect. Also the input power has to exclude the supply air fan power, but
includes other miscellaneous power inputs (e.g. control panel power). If manufacturers provide the
total power, then the supply fan power must be deducted from the former. If the capacity and
power data are normalized values, then enter 1.0 for rated gross capacity and power in the Rated
Data input Cells range (B11:E11 in the INPUT tab). Two samples of performance and rated data
set are included in the “INSTRUCTION” tab.

14.5 Outputs
The generated curves are post-processed to make sure that the curve value is 1.0 at the rated
condition. The post processing is applied only if the curve value at the rated condition deviates by
a value less than or equal to 0.025 and the performance data set contains the rated data set as one
14.5. OUTPUTS 185

the data points. The coefficients of these curves are displayed on the “OUTPUT” tab as shown in
Figure 2.2.

Figure 14.2: Curve Fit Tool Output Interface

Besides the curve coefficients, the goodness of curve fit indicator statistical parameters R2 is
also reported. The R2 is the ratio of the sum of the squared deviations of the curve fit values from
the mean to the sum of the squared deviations of the original data from the mean. R squared
values closer to 1.0 are good. The tool has an option to save the curve objects to an output file
by running another macro (SaveCurveObjToTextFile). The option output files and the directory
path are specified in the OUPUT tab in cells C2 and C3, respectively, as shown in Figure 14.2. If
the output file name and path are left blank, then default names, “[Link]” and
the local directory where the tool is located are used. The local directory where the tool is located
must not have write restriction.
Sample EnergyPlus curve objects output file generated using this auxiliary tool.

Curve:Biquadratic ,
HeatPumpCoolingCAPFTemp , !- Name
1.4248528695 , !- Coefficient1 Constant
-0.0554469607 , !- Coefficient2 x
0.0027506982 , !- Coefficient3 x**2
-0.0017453896 , !- Coefficient4 y
-0.0000081 , !- Coefficient5 y**2
-0.0004638975 , !- Coefficient6 x*y
13.8888888889 , !- Minimum Value of x
22.2222222222 , !- Maximum Value of x
29.4444444444 , !- Minimum Value of y
186 CHAPTER 14. HVAC PERFORMANCE CURVE FIT TOOL

46.1111111111 , !- Maximum Value of y

0.7875 , !- Minimum Curve Output
1.1725 , !- Maximum Curve Output
Temperature , !- Input Unit Type for X
Temperature , !- Input Unit Type for Y
Dimensionless; !- Output Unit Type

Curve:Biquadratic ,
HeatPump1CoolingEIRFTemp , !- Name
0.1566419771 , !- Coefficient1 Constant
0.0522807347 , !- Coefficient2 x
-0.0017986792 , !- Coefficient3 x**2
0.009523995 , !- Coefficient4 y
0.0002405903 , !- Coefficient5 y**2
-0.0001781171 , !- Coefficient6 x*y
13.8888888889 , !- Minimum Value of x
22.2222222222 , !- Maximum Value of x
29.4444444444 , !- Minimum Value of y
46.1111111111 , !- Maximum Value of y
0.8216 , !- Minimum Curve Output
1.3703 , !- Maximum Curve Output
Temperature , !- Input Unit Type for X
Temperature , !- Input Unit Type for Y
Dimensionless; !- Output Unit Type

14.6 Error Message

Reports progress of the curve object generation calculation starting from reading input data to error
massage output file “[Link]”. This error message file provides information whether
the tool run successfully or not. Also points to the step where problem occurred.

14.7 Notes
This tool has been tested on Ubuntu 11 using Libre Office and MS Office Macintosh 2011 machines.
But the button for running the macro may not be imported properly on Ubuntu hence users may
have to run the tool manually by selecting “ManageCurveFit” and “SaveCurveObjToTextFile”
subroutine from the macro list.

14.8 References
AHRI 2008. ANSI/AHRI Standard 210/240: 2008 Standard for Performance Rating of Unitary
Air-Conditioning & Air-Source Heat Pump Equipment. Arlington, VA: Air-Conditioning, Heating,
and Refrigeration Institute.
AHRI 2007. ANSI/AHRI Standard 340/360: 2007 Standard for Performance Rating of
Commercial and Industrial Unitary Air-Conditioning and Heat Pump Equipment. Arlington, VA:
Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute.
AHRI 2003. ANSI/AHRI Standard 550/590: 2003 Standard for Performance Rating Of Water
-Chilling Packages Using The Vapor Compression Cycle. Arlington, VA: Air-Conditioning, Heating,
and Refrigeration Institute.
Chapter 15

Parametric Spreadsheets

Several spreadsheet applications are included in the Preprocess\ParametricSpreadsheets folder.

These include spreadsheets (ExcelTM ) for the Water Source heat pumps and Water to Air heat
pumps.
To download the latest version of the ParametricSpreadsheets, go to [Link]/extras and
look for the Additional Release Components section.

15.1 Water-to-Water Heat Pump Parameter / Coefficient

Generator (Cooling and Heating Mode)
This document gives brief instructions on generating the parameters/ coefficients for the
water-to-water heat pump models in cooling and heating mode. The ExcelTM spreadsheets
(WaterWater_PE_Cooling.xls and WaterWater_PE_Heating.xls) are used. Since the spreadsheet
functions are very similar for both cooling and heating modes, only one instruction document is
supplied. The spreadsheet generates:

• parameters for the parameter estimation based model.

• coefficients for the curve-fit model.

The following theses have detailed information about the curve-fit model and parameter
estimation based model:
Jin, Hui. 2002. Parameter Estimation Based Models of Water Source Heat Pumps. Phd. Thesis,
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Oklahoma State University. (downloadable
at [Link])
Shenoy,Arun. 2004. Simulation, Modeling and Analysis of Water to Air Heat Pump. M.S.
Thesis, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Oklahoma State University.
(downloadable at [Link])
Tang,C.C. 2004. Modeling Packaged Heat Pumps in a Quasi-Steady State Energy Simulation
Program. M.S. Thesis, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Oklahoma State
University. (downloadable at [Link])

187
188 CHAPTER 15. PARAMETRIC SPREADSHEETS

15.1.1 Step 1: Catalog Data Input

Data points are obtained from the heat pump manufacturer data. Minimum data points for the
parameter estimation based model are 32 data points according to Jin (2002). The curve-fit model
performance is not affected by the number of data points and a minimum of 5 data points is
required since the governing equations require 6 coefficients. The data points must have varying
inlet conditions (e.g. water flow rates, inlet water temperatures, etc.) that covers the entire range
of the heat pump operating conditions. Correction tables provided by the manufacturer should be
used to extend the catalog data range in order to have a good set of parameters/coefficients.

• Using the heat pump performance data, enter the values to Table 2.1 in worksheet “CATALOG
DATA”. The values can be in SI or IP units.
• Click on Button 1 based on the units used.

For IP units:

Figure 15.1:

For SI units:

Figure 15.2:

• The program will convert the values to the desired units and display them on Table 2.2 in
worksheet “INPUT”.
• The button shown below is used clearing Table 2.1 (worksheet “CATALOG DATA”),
and Table 2.2 (worksheet “INPUT”). It is advisable to clear the tables before generating
parameters/coefficients for a new heat pump model.

Figure 15.3:

After Table 2.2 is created, the parameters/coefficients are then calculated as follows:
15.1. WATER-TO-WATER HEAT PUMP PARAMETER / COEFFICIENT GENERATOR (COOLING AND

• Worksheet “ParamEstimator” is used for generating the parameters for the parameter
estimation based model using Nelder Mead Simplex. Refer to the steps in the Parameter
Estimation Procedure.

• Worksheet “CoeffCalculator” is used for calculate the coefficients for the curve-fit model using
the generalized least square method. Refer to the steps in the Curve Fit Model procedure.

15.1.2 Parameter Estimation Procedure

[Link] Step 2a: Generating First Set of Parameters (PE-Based Model)
• Using Table 2.2, the program can generate parameters. The user must fill all the cells colored
light blue in worksheet “ParamEstimator”.

• Accuracy: Start with a low accuracy for faster convergence, recommended value of 0.001.

• Compressor Type: Only reciprocating compressor is currently available in EnergyPlus.

One might be able to generate parameters for heat pump model with different compressor
types but this might result in unrealistic parameters.

• Refrigerant: Contact the manufacturer on the refrigerant used to generate the catalog data
and select from the list of refrigerants. Usually the refrigerant used is R22. .

• Which Initial Guess?: The user may choose a set of initial guesses(1-5) that will be used
by the optimization routine in generating the parameters. Start with 1, which is the set of
initial guess 1 at column B.

• Initial Guess: Initial guess for all the parameters. For Initial Guess 1, enter a value of 1
for all the parameters except for the loss factor (less than 1.0). The loss factor should be less
than 1.0 because the efficiency of the compressor should be less than 100%. Adjust the values
in Initial Guess 1 if the program happens to crash and try again.

• Now click on Button 2 shown below to generate the parameters.

Figure 15.4:

It will take some time to generate the parameters depending on the number of data points. The
parameters generated will be displayed at Parameters 1.

• Look at the error analysis of Error 1 which gives the user a summary of the errors for Qload,
Qsource and Power. An average error of 5-8% is achievable for all the values.

• The errors for all the individual catalog data points are displayed in worksheet “RESULT”.
190 CHAPTER 15. PARAMETRIC SPREADSHEETS

[Link] Step 2b: Improving the Set of Parameters (PE-Based Model)

• After the initial set of parameters has been generated, the user can increase the accuracy of
the parameters by using parameters generated as the initial guess for the second simulation
and increasing the accuracy of the program.

• Copy and Paste Parameters 1 to Initial Guess 2.

• Change the initial guess indicator (Which Initial Guess?:) from 1 to 2.

• Increase the accuracy by twice. For example, set accuracy to 0.000001.

• Now click on Button 2 shown below to generate the second set of parameters.

Figure 15.5:

The simulation time would most likely be less but it depends on the accuracy value as well. And
the parameters generated will be displayed at Parameter 2.

• Compare Error 2 to Error 1, the error values should be less which means that the parameters
are getting better and more accurate.

• Repeat the steps in 2a and 2b until a desired set of error values is achieved or the errors stop
decreasing

[Link] Step 3: Generating EnergyPlus Input Parameters

• Click on the Button 3 shown below to convert and arrange the parameters generated to fit
EnergyPlus Input File (IDF) which will be listed from cell B52:B59 for cooling mode and
B46:B54 for heating mode.

Figure 15.6:

• The button shown below in worksheet “ParamEstimator” is used for clearing Initial Guess (2-
5), Parameters(1-5), Error(1-5), EnergyPlus Input parameters and Result(1-5) in worksheet
“RESULT”.
15.1. WATER-TO-WATER HEAT PUMP PARAMETER / COEFFICIENT GENERATOR (COOLING AND

Figure 15.7:

15.1.3 End Parameter Estimation Procedure

15.1.4 Curve Fit Model Procedure
[Link] Step 2: Generating the coefficients (Curve-Fit Model)
• Using Table 2.2, the program is ready to generate the coefficients. User is required to fill all
the cells colored light blue in worksheet “CoeffCalculator”.

• RatedLoadVolFlowRate: Rated load side volumetric flow rate (m3 /s) which corresponds
to the highest load side heat transfer rate listed in the catalog data.

• RatedSourceVolFlowRate: Rated source side volumetric flow rate (m3 /s) which
corresponds to the highest load side heat transfer rate listed in the catalog data.

• RatedQload: Rated load side heat transfer rate (W) which is the highest load side heat
transfer rate listed in the catalog data.

• RatedPower: Rated power consumption (W) which corresponds to the highest load side
heat transfer rate listed in the catalog data.

• Now click on Button 2 shown below to calculate the coefficients.

Figure 15.8:

• The coefficients for the corresponding curves are listed at cell B12:C16. Error analysis of
model is listed at cell B19:B27.

• The errors for all the individual catalog data points are displayed in worksheet “RESULT”.

• The button shown below in worksheet “CoeffCalculator” is used for clearing the coefficients,
the error analysis and the outputs in worksheet “RESULT”.

Figure 15.9:
192 CHAPTER 15. PARAMETRIC SPREADSHEETS

15.1.5 End Curve Fit Model Procedure

15.2 Water-to-Air Heat Pump Parameter / Coefficient

Generator (Cooling)
This document gives brief instructions on generating the parameters or coefficients for the water-
to-air heat pump models in cooling mode. The ExcelTM spreadsheets (WaterAir_PE_Cooling.xls)
are used. The spreadsheet generates:

• parameters for the parameter estimation based model.

• coefficients for the curve-fit model.

The following theses have detailed information about the curve-fit model and parameter
estimation based model:
Jin, Hui. 2002. Parameter Estimation Based Models of Water Source Heat Pumps. Phd. Thesis,
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Oklahoma State University. (downloadable
at [Link])
Shenoy,Arun. 2004. Simulation, Modeling and Analysis of Water to Air Heat Pump. M.S.
Thesis, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Oklahoma State University.
(downloadable at [Link])
Tang,C.C. 2004. Modeling Packaged Heat Pumps in a Quasi-Steady State Energy Simulation
Program. M.S. Thesis, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Oklahoma State
University. (downloadable at [Link])

15.2.1 Step 1: Catalog Data Input

Data points are obtained from the heat pump manufacturer data. Minimum data points for the
parameter estimation based model are 32 data points according to Jin (2002). The curve-fit model
performance is not affected by the number of data points and a minimum of 6 data points is required
since the sensible cooling capacity requires 6 coefficients. The data points must have varying inlet
conditions (e.g. air flow rates, inlet water temperatures, and etc.) that covers the entire range of
the heat pump operating conditions. Correction tables provided by the manufacturer should be
used to extend the catalog data range in order to have a good set of parameters/coefficients.

• Using the heat pump performance data, enter the values to Table 2.1 in worksheet “CATALOG
DATA”. The values can be in SI or IP units.
• Click on Button 1 based on the units used.

For IP units:
For SI units:

• The program will convert the values to the desired units and display them on Table 2.2 in
worksheet “INPUT”. Then the program will discard bad catalog points by calculating the
relative humidity of the exiting air at the load side (relative humidity should be less or equal
to 1). Table 2.3 in worksheet “INPUT” shows the input catalog data that will be used by the
parameter/coefficient generator program.
15.2. WATER-TO-AIR HEAT PUMP PARAMETER / COEFFICIENT GENERATOR (COOLING)193

Figure 15.10:

Figure 15.11:

• The button shown below is used clearing Table 2.1 (worksheet “CATALOG DATA”),
Table 2.2, and Table 2.3 (worksheet “INPUT”). It is advisable to clear the tables before
generating parameters/coefficients for a new heat pump model.

Figure 15.12:

After Table 2.3 is created, the parameters/coefficients are then calculated as follows:

• Worksheet “ParamEstimator” is used for generating the parameters for the parameter
estimation based model using Nelder Mead Simplex. Refer to the steps in the Parameter
Estimation Procedure.

• Worksheet “CoeffCalculator” is used for calculate the coefficients for the curve-fit model using
the generalized least square method. Refer to the steps in the Curve Fit Model procedure.

15.2.2 Parameter Estimation Procedure

[Link] Step 2a: Generating First Set of Parameters (PE-Based Model)
• Using contents of Table 2.3, the program can generate parameters. The user must fill all the
cells colored light blue in worksheet “ParamEstimator”.

• Accuracy: Start with a low accuracy for faster convergence, recommended value of 0.001.

• Compressor Type: User is allowed to select from 3 types of compressors: scroll, rotary
or reciprocating. Contact the manufacturer to make sure that the compressor selected is
correct. Wrong type of compressor selected would lead to the program crashing or inaccurate
parameters.
194 CHAPTER 15. PARAMETRIC SPREADSHEETS

• Refrigerant: Contact the manufacturer on the refrigerant used to generate the catalog data
and select from the list of refrigerants. Usually the refrigerant used is R22. .

• Which Initial Guess?: The user may choose a set of initial guesses(1-5) that will be used
by the optimization routine in generating the parameters. Start with 1, which is the set of
initial guesses 1 at column B.

• Initial Guess: Initial guess for all the parameters. For Initial Guess 1, enter a value of 1
for all the parameters except for the loss factor (less than 1.0). The loss factor should be less
than 1.0 because the efficiency of the compressor should be less than 100%. Adjust the values
in Initial Guess 1 if the program happens to crash and try again.

• Now click on Button 2 shown below to generate the parameters.

Figure 15.13:

It will take some time to generate the parameters depending on the number of data points. The
parameters generated will be displayed at Parameters 1.

• Look at the error analysis of Error 1, which gives the user a summary of the errors for Qtotal,
Qsensible, Qsource and Power. An average error of 5-8% is achievable for all the values.

• The errors for all the individual catalog data points are displayed in worksheet “RESULT”.

[Link] Step 2b: Improving the Set of Parameters (PE-Based Model)

• After the initial set of parameters has been generated, the user can increase the accuracy of
the parameters by using parameters generated as the initial guess for the second simulation
and increasing the accuracy of the program.

• Copy and Paste Parameters 1 to Initial Guess 2.

• Change the initial guess indicator (Which Initial Guess?) from 1 to 2.

• Increase the accuracy by twice. For example, set accuracy to 0.000001.

• Now click on Button 2 shown below to generate the second set of parameters.

Figure 15.14:

The simulation time would most likely be less but it depends on the accuracy value as well. The
parameters generated will be displayed at Parameter 2.
15.2. WATER-TO-AIR HEAT PUMP PARAMETER / COEFFICIENT GENERATOR (COOLING)195

• Compare Error 2 to Error 1, the error values should be less which means that the parameters
are getting better and more accurate.
• Repeat the steps in 2a and 2b until a desired set of error values is achieved or the errors stop
decreasing

[Link] Step 3: Generating EnergyPlus Input Parameters

• Click on the Button 3 shown below to convert and arrange the parameters generated to fit
EnergyPlus Input File (IDF), which will be listed from cell B52:B61.

Figure 15.15:

• The button shown below in worksheet “ParamEstimator” is used for clearing Initial Guess (2-
5), Parameters(1-5), Error(1-5), EnergyPlus Input parameters and Result(1-5) in worksheet
“RESULT”.

Figure 15.16:

15.2.3 End Parameter Estimation Procedure

15.2.4 Curve Fit Model Procedure
[Link] Step 2: Generating the coefficients (Curve-Fit Model)
• Using the contents of Table 2.3, the program can generate the coefficients. The user must fill
all the cells colored light blue in worksheet “CoeffCalculator”.
• RatedAirVolFlowRate: Rated volumetric air flow rate (m3 /s) which corresponds to the
highest total cooling capacity listed in the catalog data.
• RatedWaterVolFlowRate: Rated volumetric water flow rate (m3 /s) which corresponds to
the highest total cooling capacity listed in the catalog data.
• RatedTotalCap: Rated total cooling capacity (W) which is the highest total cooling capacity
listed in the catalog data.
• RatedSensCap: Rated sensible cooling capacity (W) which corresponds to the highest total
cooling capacity listed in the catalog data.
196 CHAPTER 15. PARAMETRIC SPREADSHEETS

• RatedPower: Rated power consumption (W) which corresponds to the highest total cooling
capacity listed in the catalog data.
• Now click on Button 2 shown below to calculate the coefficients.

Figure 15.17:

• The coefficients for the corresponding curves are listed at cell B12:D17. Error analysis of
model are listed at cell B19:B30.
• The errors for all the individual catalog data points are displayed in worksheet “RESULT”.
• The button shown below in worksheet “CoeffCalculator” is used for clearing the coefficients,
the error analysis and the outputs in worksheet “RESULT”.

Figure 15.18:

15.2.5 End Curve Fit Model Procedure

15.3 Water-to-Air Heat Pump Parameter / Coefficient

Generator (Heating Mode)
This document gives brief instructions on generating the parameters/ coefficients for the water-to-
air heat pump models in heating mode. The ExcelTM spreadsheets (WaterAir_PE_Heating.xls)
are used. The spreadsheet generates:
• parameters for the parameter estimation based model.
• coefficients for the curve-fit model.
The following theses have detailed information about the curve-fit model and parameter
estimation based model:
Jin, Hui. 2002. Parameter Estimation Based Models of Water Source Heat Pumps. Phd. Thesis,
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Oklahoma State University. (downloadable
at [Link])
Shenoy,Arun. 2004. Simulation, Modeling and Analysis of Water to Air Heat Pump. M.S.
Thesis, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Oklahoma State University.
(downloadable at [Link])
Tang,C.C. 2004. Modeling Packaged Heat Pumps in a Quasi-Steady State Energy Simulation
Program. M.S. Thesis, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Oklahoma State
University. (downloadable at [Link])
15.3. WATER-TO-AIR HEAT PUMP PARAMETER / COEFFICIENT GENERATOR (HEATING MODE)1

15.3.1 Step 1: Catalog Data Input

Data points are obtained from the heat pump manufacturer data. Minimum data points for the
parameter estimation based model are 32 data points according to Jin (2002). The curve-fit model
performance is not affected by the number of data points and a minimum of 5 data points is
required since the governing equations require 5 coefficients. The data points must have varying
inlet conditions (e.g. air flow rates, inlet water temperatures, and etc.) that covers the entire range
of the heat pump operating conditions. Correction tables provided by the manufacturer should be
used to extend the catalog data range in order to have a good set of parameters/coefficients.

• Using the heat pump performance data, enter the values to Table 2.1 in worksheet “CATALOG
DATA”. The values can be in SI or IP units.

• Click on Button 1 based on the units used.

For IP units:

Figure 15.19:

For SI units:

Figure 15.20:

• The program will convert the values to the desired units and display them on Table 2.2 in
worksheet “INPUT” which will be used by the parameter/coefficient generator program.

• The button shown below is used for clearing Table 2.1 (worksheet “CATALOG DATA”)
and Table 2.2 (worksheet “INPUT”). It is advisable to clear the tables before generating
parameters/coefficients for a new heat pump model.

Figure 15.21:

After Table 2.2 is created, the parameters/coefficients are then calculated as follows:
198 CHAPTER 15. PARAMETRIC SPREADSHEETS

• Worksheet “ParamEstimator” is used for generating the parameters for the parameter
estimation based model using Nelder Mead Simplex. Refer to the steps in the Parameter
Estimation Procedure.

• Worksheet “CoeffCalculator” is used for calculate the coefficients for the curve-fit model using
the generalized least square method. Refer to the steps in the Curve Fit Model procedure.

15.3.2 Parameter Estimation Procedure

[Link] Step 2a: Generating First Set of Parameters (PE-Based Model)
• Using Table 2.2, the program can generate parameters. The user must fill all the cells colored
light blue in worksheet “ParamEstimator”.

• Accuracy: Start with a low accuracy for faster convergence, recommended value of 0.001.

• Compressor Type: User is allowed to select from 3 types of compressors: scroll, rotary
or reciprocating. Contact the manufacturer to make sure that the compressor selected is
correct. Wrong type of compressor selected would lead to the program crashing or inaccurate
parameters.

• Refrigerant: Contact the manufacturer on the refrigerant used to generate the catalog data
and select from the list of refrigerants. Usually the refrigerant used is R22. .

• Source Side Fluid: Select the type of fluid used for the source side. 0: Water, 1: Antifreeze
Mixture. Note that the number of parameters will change depending on the type of fluid.
Antifreeze mixture requires one additional parameter.

• Which Initial Guess?: The user may choose a set of initial guesses(1-5) that will be used
by the optimization routine in generating the parameters. Start with 1, which is the set of
initial guesses 1 at column B.

• Initial Guess: Initial guess for all the parameters. For Initial Guess 1, enter a value of 1
for all the parameters except for the loss factor (less than 1.0). The loss factor should be less
than 1.0 because the efficiency of the compressor should be less than 100%. Adjust the values
in Initial Guess 1 if the program happens to crash and try again.

• Now click on Button 2 shown below to generate the parameters.

Figure 15.22:

It will take some time to generate the parameters depending on the number of data points. The
parameters generated will be displayed at Parameters 1.
15.3. WATER-TO-AIR HEAT PUMP PARAMETER / COEFFICIENT GENERATOR (HEATING MODE)1

• Look at the error analysis of Error 1, which gives the user a summary of the errors for Heating
Capacity, Heating Absorption and Power. An average error of 5-8% is achievable for all the
values.
• The errors for all the individual catalog data points are displayed in worksheet “RESULT”.

[Link] Step 2b: Improving the Set of Parameters (PE-Based Model)

• After the initial set of parameters has been generated, the user can increase the accuracy of
the parameters by using parameters generated as the initial guess for the second simulation
and increasing the accuracy of the program.
• Copy and Paste Parameters 1 to Initial Guess 2.
• Change the initial guess indicator (Which Initial Guess?) from 1 to 2.
• Increase the accuracy by twice. For example, set accuracy to 0.000001.
• Now click on Button 2 shown below to generate the second set of parameters.

Figure 15.23:

The simulation time would most likely be less but it depends on the accuracy value as well. And
the parameters generated will be displayed at Parameter 2.

• Compare Error 2 to Error 1, the error values should be less, which means that the parameters
are getting better and more accurate.
• Repeat the steps in 2a and 2b until a desired set of error values is achieved or the errors stop
decreasing

[Link] Step 3: Generating EnergyPlus Input Parameters

• Click on the Button 3 shown below to convert and arrange the parameters generated to fit
EnergyPlus Input File (IDF), which will be listed from cell B46:B54.

Figure 15.24:

• The button shown below in worksheet “ParamEstimator” is used for clearing Initial Guess (2-
5), Parameters(1-5), Error(1-5), EnergyPlus Input parameters and Result(1-5) in worksheet
“RESULT”.
200 CHAPTER 15. PARAMETRIC SPREADSHEETS

Figure 15.25:

15.3.3 End Parameter Estimation Procedure

15.3.4 Curve Fit Model Procedure
[Link] Step 2: Generating the coefficients (Curve-Fit Model)

• Using Table 2.2, the program can generate the coefficients. The user must fill all the cells
colored light blue in Worksheet “CoeffCalculator”.

• RatedAirVolFlowRate: Rated volumetric air flow rate (m3 /s) which corresponds to the
highest heating capacity listed in the catalog data.

• RatedWaterVolFlowRate: Rated volumetric water flow rate (m3 /s) which corresponds to
the highest heating capacity listed in the catalog data.

• RatedTotalCap: Rated heating capacity (W) which is the highest heating capacity listed
in the catalog data.

• RatedPower: Rated power consumption (W) which corresponds to the highest heating
capacity listed in the catalog data.

• Now click on Button 2 shown below to calculate the coefficients.

Figure 15.26:

• The coefficients for the corresponding curves are listed at cell B12:C16. Error analysis of
model are listed at cell B19:B27.

• The errors for all the individual catalog data points are displayed in worksheet “RESULT”.

• The button shown below in worksheet “CoeffCalculator” is used for clearing the coefficients,
the error analysis and the outputs in worksheet “RESULT”.
15.4. G-FUNCTION SPREADSHEET 201

Figure 15.27:

15.3.5 End Curve Fit Model Procedure

15.4 G-Function Spreadsheet

The spreadsheet (g-function_library.xls) has comparison plots for different configurations/grouts
for the Ground Heat Exchanger:Vertical. A user can see how the boreholes interact with each other
in different configurations. It has the actual screen shot (GLHEPro) showing the conditions/inputs
used to obtain the data. GLHEPro is not included with EnergyPlus and it or something similar
should be used to generate similar values. Some of the values used in getting g-functions are not
used in the EnergyPlus Ground loop model, but the spreadsheet screen shot gives an idea of what
the inputs were in obtaining the g-functions.
The reference data set [Link] contains sets of parameters for the Ground Heat
Exchangers:
“This file contains sample input for the ground loop heat exchanger model. The response
of the borehole/ground is found from the ‘G-function’ that is defined in the input as series of
‘n’ pairs of values (LNTTSn, GNFCn). It is important to note that the G-functions have to be
calculated for specific GHE configurations and borehole resitance, length and borehole/ length ratio.
That is, the parameters for the units vary with each design. The data in this file are intended as
examples/samples and may not represent actual designs.
The sample data has been calculated for a number of configurations:

• 1 x 2 boreholes

• 4 x 4 boreholes

• 8 x 8 boreholes

Data is given for both ‘standard’ grout (k = 0.744 W/m.K) and ‘thermally enhanced’ grout (k
= 1.471 W/m.K). The flow rate per borehole is .1514 kg/s. The pipe given is 0.75in. Dia. SDR11
HDPE. The fluid is water. The borehole/length ratio is 0.06 (76.2m/4.572m [300ft/15ft])
Chapter 16

ParametricPreprocessor

The parametric preprocessor used to create a series of resulting IDF files from a single source IDF
file that contains parametric objects and expressions. The parametric objects in EnergyPlus are
interpreted by the ParametricPreprocessor and are:

• Parametric:SetValueForRun
• Parametric:Logic
• Parametric:RunControl
• Parametric:FileNameSuffix

The ParametricPreprocessor reads the source IDF file and removes the Parametric objects shown
above, processes these objects and any embedded expressions and produces a series of resulting IDF
files, one for each “run” described by the objects.
An intermediate file called [Link] is used that contains references to all embedded
expressions that will need to be substituted into the file.
An error file called [Link] is also produced to help debug problems with the objects.
The Parametric objects are described in detail in the InputOutputReference document.
ParametricPreprocessor can be called at the command line with the name of the source file as
the only argument.
The ParametricPreprocessor is used in the batch files that come with EnergyPlus and is used
by EP-Launch automatically.

202
Chapter 17

AppGPostProcess - Appendix G
PostProcessing program

The baseline for Standard 90.1 Appendix G requires simulating the baseline building in four
cardinal directions and comparing the average of those simulation results with the proposed building
simulation results. The AppGPostProcess utility helps perform the averaging needed. The utility
takes the four HTML files generated by EnergyPlus and creates an average HTML file. In addition,
the AppGPostProcess utility takes the four CSV files (based on ESO files) and creates an average
CSV file as well as averaging the meter CSV files (based on the MTR files). The source files must
have specific names for this utility to work:
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
Where “fileNameRoot” can be the characters typically used to name files without extension. A
single command line argument is passed to the AppGPostProcess utility which is the name of one
of the HTML files. The remaining file names will be used based on any of the HTML files selected.
The utility creates the files
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
The numeric values in the output files are the average results from the four corresponding source
files. In the HTML file, if not all the four files contain a numeric value, then the four values are
displayed instead. The source files must have identical structure for AppGPostProcess to work. For
CSV files, the same number of rows and the same number of columns are needed each file. This

203
204 CHAPTER 17. APPGPOSTPROCESS - APPENDIX G POSTPROCESSING PROGRAM

means that monthly or hourly values should be included in the CSV file, and not TimeStep values.
For HTML files, the same reports should be included in each and the IDF files should be identical.
The intention is that the four baseline IDF files would be identical except for the use of the
Compliance:Building object and only the value of the field “Building Rotation for Appendix G”
would change.
EP-Launch can be used to run both the AppGPostProcess program by using the Utilities tab
in EP-Launch. See the EP-Launch section in this document for more information on how to use
EP-Launch.
Chapter 18

Running Console Applications

Several of the auxiliary programs included with EnergyPlus are Console Applications. This
designation means that they are executed from the “command window” (Windows OS) or terminal
window (Linux OS). We will include generic instructions for the Windows OS use of these
applications in this section. Each program will also include specifics for the Windows OS in the
individual program documentation.
As installed, the batch files that accompany console applications will be set so that file extensions
are not included for input parameters, paths to installed data (such as weather data) will be set
automatically, and these paths can be modified by the user as desired. (Instructions included a bit
later in this section).
Generally, the steps for executing a console application is:

1) Open a DOS command prompt window (Start > Programs > Accessories > Command
Prompt)

2) Change to the directory where EnergyPlus is installed (modify the commands below if you
did not install EnergyPlus in the default install path):

C:
CD \<root folder></span>

3) Change to the specific folder for the console application:

CD <folder>

4) Run the program:

<batchfile> <input parameters>

18.1 Modifying the batch file

Generally, the batch files set several environment variables that govern the execution of the specific
program.

205
206 CHAPTER 18. RUNNING CONSOLE APPLICATIONS

Table 18.1: Environment Variables used in Batch Files

Environment Variable Name Description

Program Path Specific or relative program path
Program Name Name of program
Input_Path Input Path Specification
Output_Path Output Path Specification
Weather_Path Weather Data Path Specification

Or, as seen in the batch file text:

:Instructions:
: Complete the following path and program names.
: path names must have a following \ or errors will happen
set program_path =
set program_name = <specific program name will be here >
set input_path =
set output_path =
set weather_path = ..\..\ WeatherData\

As the instructions in the batch file show, the path character must terminate the path
specification or errors can occur. The “weather_path” specification shows an example of using
a “relative” path specification. Depending on the program, this specification, of course, might
change.
set weather_path = ..\..\ WeatherData\

What the specification says is that above (..) and above again (..) and then “WeatherData”
is where the weather data files are located. This kind of relative path would be true for most
“Preprocess” programs in the installed folders. The following illustrates the folder tree: (this is
usually EnergyPlusV) Preprocess Specific Program Folders WeatherData
Thus, the user can simply put the name of the weather data file onto the batch file run and it
will look for that file in the installed WeatherData folder.
Chapter 19

Technical Details of Running EnergyPlus

This section will contain the details of running EnergyPlus - more (and some duplicated) information
on EP-Launch (basic discussion included in the Getting Started manual) and “by hand” - describing
the batch files that are included with the install. The first parts of this section deal with using
EnergyPlus on a Wintel/Windows OS system. Though similar commands can be used on other OS
- such as Linux, they will not be exactly the same commands (usually).

19.1 EP-Launch Program

EP-Launch is an optional component of the EnergyPlus Windows installation (it is not available
for Linux and Mac platforms). For users that want a simple way of selecting files and running
EnergyPlus, EP-Launch provides this and more. In addition, EP-Launch can help open a text
editor for the input and output files, open a spreadsheet for the postprocessor results files, a web
browser for the tabular results file, and start up a viewer for the selected drawing file.

19.1.1 Start EP-Launch

EP-Launch is located in the main directory/folder for EnergyPlus. In addition, it is available on the
shortcut menu for EnergyPlus. By double clicking on the EP-Launch icon you get the screen shown
above (Figure 19.1) for running a single input file. The EP-Launch program simply starts other
programs and allows you to avoid having to use the DOS command line prompt to run EnergyPlus.
More help is provided for the program under the “Help” menu.

19.1.2 Selecting Input and Weather Files

The input file and weather files can be selected on the Single Input File tab from the two pull down
lists which show recently used files or you can press the “Browse…” buttons to locate an input or
weather file that you have created yourself. If this is your first time using EP-Launch, the pull down
lists will show some files from the ExampleFiles subdirectory. These are not the only examples, use
browse to open other example files from the ExampleFiles subdirectory or other EnergyPlus input
files.

207
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Figure 19.1: EP-Launch Screen

19.1. EP-LAUNCH PROGRAM 209

19.1.3 Running a Single Input File

On the Single Input File tab, after you select the weather and input files simply push the “Simulate…”
button to start the EnergyPlus building energy simulation engine. At this point a black DOS window
should pop up on your screen and show the progress of your simulation. The simulation is complete
when the black DOS box closes. The EnergyPlus program black DOS window will show scrolling
text as the simulation procedure progresses. If you would like to see these messages more slowly
you have two options:

1) Press the “Control-S” key combination to try to stop the progress and any key to continue.

2) Under the “View” menu on the EP-Launch program, select “Options” then “Command
Window” then check “Pause During Simulation” and this will pause the process immediately
after EnergyPlus executes. To continue after the pause, press any key.

If the file contains Parametric objects, the single input file may cause multiple simulations to
be performed. If multiple simulations are performed, the output files will be listed on the History
tab and will be named with either the file suffixes defined in the input file or with a serial number.
Multiple single input file and group simulations can be started at the same time. On a computer
with multiple-processors or multiple-cores, this will enable the simulations to complete more quickly
than starting one after another.

19.1.4 Looking at the Results

After you have run a simulation and the black DOS window closes, EnergyPlus has completed, and
a status message is displayed (see figure below):

Figure 19.2: EP-Launch Finish Status.

This status gives you a quick overview of whether there were warning (should look at), severe
(should probably fix) or fatal (must fix) errors in the run as well as the time it took for the
simulation to complete. After pressing “OK” from this box, selecting “ERR/EIO/BND Output
Files Only” from the “View” menu will display the ERR, EIO, and BND files - useful when errors
may have occurred. Alternatively, pressing the F2 function key will display the same three files.
Another way to open files easily is by using the View Results buttons as shown in 29. Two
different panels of buttons can be used under View Results, one shown by using the “All” tab on
the left edge and by using the “Sets” tab on the left edge. The “All” tab shows all the various files
210 CHAPTER 19. TECHNICAL DETAILS OF RUNNING ENERGYPLUS

Figure 19.3: EP-Launch with the Sets tab of View Results

19.1. EP-LAUNCH PROGRAM 211

by file extension that can be viewed individually. Files available for view based on the current input
file name, are “enabled” (extension names clearly readable).
The figure above shows the same main screen of EP-Launch but with the “Sets” tab selected on
the left edge of the View Results section. The buttons on this tab can open many files at the same
time and are a shortcut to opening the files that may be commonly used. The Text Output Files,
Drawing Files, and Spreadsheets buttons cause several different results files to open at once based
on the currently selected Input File. The HTML file opens just the tabular results file if that file
was produced (see OutputControl:Table:Style). The buttons labeled as Set 1 to Set 8 allow you to
select which sets of files you want to open. Press the “Define” button in order to define the files to
view.
When the “Define” button is pressed on the Sets tab of the View Results section of the main
screen, the dialog box in the figure above is shown. This allows the files extensions to be selected
that would be opened for each of the Set 1 to Set 8 buttons. One or many files can be selected for
each of the Set buttons. This allows you to define exactly which files you want opened.
The content of each file extension is listed below. The contents (along with examples) are
discussed in the Output Details document.
By pressing the “Text Output Files” button, a text editor will open each of the text output
files. Up to 29 files will open, if they exist. Selecting “Single File” from the ‘View’ menu displays a
menu of all available output files from which any file can be opened individually. Each file may also
be opened with an associated function key. The output files and function key shortcuts are listed
below:

1. Variable - tabulated results in comma, tab or space delimited format (generated by the
ReadVarsESO postprocessor or directly from EnergyPlus using OutputControl:Files) (F4)

2. ESO - raw report variable output (F5),

3. RDD - list of output variables available from the run (F6).

4. MDD - list of output meters available from the run (Shift-Ctrl-F3)

5. EIO - additional EnergyPlus results (F7),

6. ERR - list of errors and warnings (F8),

7. BND - HVAC system node and component connection details (F9),

8. MTR - raw report meter output (F11),

9. MTD - list of meter component variables (F12)

10. METER File - tabulated meter report in comma, tab or space delimited format (generated
by the ReadVarsESO postprocessor or directly from EnergyPlus using OutputControl:Files)
(Ctrl-F4)

11. ZSZ - zone sizing details in comma, tab or space delimited format (Ctrl+F5)

12. SSZ - system sizing details in comma, tab or space delimited format (Ctrl+F6)

13. AUDIT - input file echo with input processor errors and warnings (Ctrl+F8)
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Figure 19.4: Define Files to View

19.1. EP-LAUNCH PROGRAM 213

14. SLN - output from “report, surfaces, lines” (Ctrl+F9)

15. DBG - output from the debug command (Ctrl+F11)

16. SHD - output related to shading (Ctrl+F12)

17. SVG - HVAC Diagram (Shift+ F4)

18. EPMIDF - clean idf file after EP-Macro processing (Shift+F5)

19. EPMDET - EP-Macro detailed output with errors and warnings (Shift+F6)

20. MAP - daylighting illuminance map (Shift+F7)

21. TABLE - tabulated report of bin and monthly data in comma, tab or space delimited or
HTML format (Shift+F8)

22. VMRL - drawing file in VRML (Virtual Reality Markup Language) format (Shift F+F11)

23. DXF - drawing file in AutoCAD DXF format (Shift+F12)

24. Delight IN - DElight input generated from EnergyPlus processed input (Shift+Ctrl+F4)

25. Delight OUT - Detailed DElight output (Shift+Ctrl+F5)

26. Delight ELDMP - DElight reference point illuminance per time step (Shift+Ctrl+F6)

27. Delight DFDMP - DElight warning and error messages (Shift+Ctrl+F7)

28. EXPIDF - Expanded IDF when using HVACTemplate objects (Shift+Ctrl+F8)

29. Group Error - combined error files for a group run. (Shift+Ctrl+F9)

30. VCpErr - Transition program error file (Shift+Ctrl+F11)

31. Screen (Shift+Ctrl+f12)

32. Proc CSV - Simple statistiscs generated from CSVProc (also see Create Statistics File option
under View-Options).

33. EDD - Energy Management System details.

Clicking on the “Drawing File” button will open the generated DXF file if an appropriate viewer
has been configured (see Selecting Viewers and Editors below). The DXF file is a CAD format that
displays the physical shape of the building being modeled in three dimensions. The “Drawing File”
button also opens the HVAC diagram generated with the HVAC-Diagram utility (see Auxiliary
Programs).
Clicking on the “Spreadsheets” buttons will open any generated CSV files if an appropriate
viewer has been configured (see Selecting Viewers and Editors below).
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19.1.5 Viewing the Drawing File without Running a Simulation

The “Drawing” button (or the View menu Drawing File option) will automatically run EPDrawGUI
if the DXF file does not exist or it is older than the input file. This allows the building geometry
to be viewed without running a full simulation. For more information about EPDrawGUI, see the
EPDrawGUI section in this document.

19.1.6 Editing the Input Files

The input file, called IDF file that is selected from the top pull-down list, can be edited by pressing
one of two buttons in the “Input File” area. The “Edit - Text Editor” button will start a text editor
and the “Edit - IDF Editor” will start the separate program called the IDF Editor. Remember to
save any changes you make in either editor before returning to EP-Launch to run the simulations
again.

19.1.7 File Menu

The File menu can be used for selecting input and weather files just like the “Browse…” buttons
(see the Selecting Input and Weather Files section above)
If you are upgrading from the previous version of EnergyPlus you can use the “File”, “Transition”
menu option to upgrade your EnergyPlus input files (IDF and IMF) to the most recent version (see
the section Using Older Version Input Files - Transition for more information about the Transition
program). This EP-Launch option only works for upgrading input files one version.

19.1.8 Edit Menu

No cutting or pasting is used in this program so the edit menu shows options that duplicate the
functions of the “Edit - Text Editor” and “Edit - IDF Editor” buttons. In addition, the weather
file and the postprocessor command file (rvi) may be opened in the text editor.

19.1.9 View Menu

The View menu (see Figure 19.5) duplicates the options in the “View Results” area of the main
screen (see the Looking at the Results section above) and allows opening of selected output files.
You can also open the folders that contain the active input and weather files. Opening a single file
is under a submenu and is very similar to the Quick Open Panel for Single Simulation described
above. Selecting “HTML File” from the “View” menu will open any user created files saved in the
format: <filename>[Link] (see OutputControl:Table:Style).
The “View” menu also accesses the “Options” menu item shown in Figure 19.6 that is used to
control many of the optional features of EP-Launch. These optional features are described below:

[Link] Command Window Options

Pause During Simulation (Unless Minimized) - Stops the progress of the EnergyPlus run at
different points. This does not stop the simulation itself but pauses before or after important events
as files are copied or utility programs are run. It is usually used only for diagnosing problems with
19.1. EP-LAUNCH PROGRAM 215

Figure 19.5: EP-Launch View Menu

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Figure 19.6: EP-Launch Options Screen.

19.1. EP-LAUNCH PROGRAM 217

the EPL-RUN batch file. The feature is also described in the Running a Single Input File section
above.
Minimize Single Simulation Command Window - For a single input file, minimizes the
Command Window that EP-Launch uses to run EnergyPlus. The command window will appear
only in the Windows taskbar and the command window will not be visible. You can restore the
command window be clicking on the taskbar item labeled “EnergyPlus Process”. This option should
be used with caution since you will not see any indication of the simulation being complete other
than the “EnergyPlus Process” taskbar item will disappear.
Minimize Group Simulation Command Window - For a group of input files, minimizes the
Command Window that EP-Launch uses to run EnergyPlus. This is a good option when working
on something else on your computer at the same time as the group of simulations is running
since the command window normally becomes the front window each time a new simulation starts.
This option prevents the command window coming to the front for each simulation. The command
window will appear only in the Windows taskbar and the command window will not be visible. You
can restore the command window be clicking on the taskbar item labeled “EnergyPlus Process”.
This option should be used with caution since you will not see any indication of the simulation
being complete other than the “EnergyPlus Process” taskbar item will not be present.
Number of Simultaneous Processes - Select the maximum number of simulations that
should be able to be run at the same time. For a computer with multiple processors or multiple
cores, this will allow better utilization of the computers power. The value selected should correspond
to the number of processors/cores but higher or lower number can be used as well.

[Link] Interface Options

Extra Wide Window - Select this option to make the main EP-Launch window wider. This is
useful when files are used with very long file path names.
Alternative layout - Changes the layout of the EP-Launch window to an alternative
arrangement of buttons.

[Link] Miscellaneous Options

Tab Delimited Open with Spreadsheet - Selecting “Single File” and then “Main Results
File” from the “View” menu or pressing the F4 function key will open TAB files with the default
spreadsheet application rather than the text editor. Comma-separated variable (CSV) is the default
setting for viewing tabulated results set in the RVI file. If the user changes the setting for viewing
tabulated results to TAB or TXT format, selecting “Single File” and then “Main Results File” from
the “View” menu or pressing the F4 function key will open the files in the default text editor. TAB
files, when selected, will also be opened by the text editor when the “Text Output Files” button is
pressed after a successful run.
Allow More Than 250 Columns - Tabulated data that exceeds 250 columns, the MS Excel
maximum, will be truncated to that limit unless “Allow >250 Columns” is selected. Excel versions
prior to 2007 were limited to 255 columns in a sheet; later versions allow unlimited number of
columns. This limitation may not be true for other spreadsheet programs.
Check VERSION Prior to Simulation - Automatically check the VERSION object in the
selected EnergyPlus input file prior to simulation and if it is an older version than the current
version will run the Transition program to update the file.
218 CHAPTER 19. TECHNICAL DETAILS OF RUNNING ENERGYPLUS

Convert ESO/MTR to IP Units - Runs the convertESOMTR utility program (see

AuxiliaryPrograms documentation for more information). This utility will convert the ESO and
MTR files into Inch-Pound units. The CSV file created from these files will also be in Inch-Pound
units.
Create Statistics File - Runs the CSVProc utility program (see the AuxiliaryPrograms
documentation for more information) and creates the -[Link] file. This file contains some simple
statistics on each variable in the normal CSV file.
Create Batch File to Run EnergyPlus - Traditionally EP-Launch has created a batch file
in order to execute EnergyPlus with the various options chosen. This can cause problems with
some operating systems, such as Windows Vista, when set to a higher security setting. This option
can be unchecked and a batch file is not created when running EnergyPlus instead parameters are
passed to an existing batch file.
Run ParametricPreprocessor - When this option is checked, if Parametric objects are present
in the file, the ParametricPreprocessor will be run prior to the first simulation and if multiple
simulations are needed they will all be executed. See the Auxiliary Programs documentation for
details.
Check for Updates to EnergyPlus - When this option is checked, EP-Launch will check
every seven days if an update to EnergyPlus or any of the files distributed with EnergyPlus are
available to download. If they are available a message will be shown upon start up. You can also
manually check by going to HELP .. CHECK FOR UPDATES.

[Link] Text Editor Options

EP-Launch will start a text editor when editing a IDF file or when viewing many of the results files.
The text editor that will be used is shown but can be changed by either pressing the Select button
or by pressing the Auto Find button. The Select button allows you to find the text editor of your
choice. The Auto Find button will automatically find the program that is associated with the TXT
file extension and use that program. Auto Find is invoked the first time EP-Launch is started so
that a text editor is available immediately. The most common text editor is [Link] and
is built into Windows but many other text editors are also available.

[Link] Drawing Viewer Options

The default drawing viewer is the application associated with DXF files. This can be changed to
your favorite drawing program by using the Select button then locating the executable file for your
favorite drawing software capable of reading a DXF file. The Auto Find button will automatically
find the program that is associated with the DXF file extension and use that program. A variety
of programs (free of charge) can render DXF files for viewing. The Output Details document lists
some of these programs as well as displaying what a DXF rendered file looks like on the screen.

[Link] VRML Viewer Options

EP-Launch will start a VRML Viewer when a building drawing is created using the Report, Surfaces,
VRML option in your IDF file. The VRML Viewer that will be used is shown but can be changed
by either pressing the Select button or by pressing the Auto Find button. The Select button allows
you to find the VRML Viewer of your choice. The Auto Find button will automatically find the
program that is associated with the WRL file extension and use that program. Auto Find is invoked
19.1. EP-LAUNCH PROGRAM 219

the first time EP-Launch is started so that a VRML Viewer is available immediately. Many other
VRML Viewers are available.

[Link] Spreadsheet Options

EP-Launch will start a spreadsheet program when viewing many of the results files. The spreadsheet
that will be used is shown but can be changed by either pressing the Select button or by pressing the
Auto Find button. The Select button allows you to find the spreadsheet program of your choice.
The Auto Find button will automatically find the program that is associated with the CSV file
extension and use that program. Auto Find is invoked the first time EP-Launch is started so that
a spreadsheet program is available immediately.

[Link] Diagramming Options

EP-Launch will start a diagramming program to view SVG files from HVAC Diagram. The
diagramming program that will be used is shown but can be changed by either pressing the Select
button, the Auto Find button, the Use Firefox button or the Use Opera button. The Select button
allows you to find the diagramming program of your choice but make sure it is capable of opening
SVG files. The Auto Find button will automatically find the program that is associated with the
SVG file extension and use that program. Auto Find is invoked the first time EP-Launch is started
so that a spreadsheet program is available immediately. Since both Firefox and Opera web browsers
can view SVG files, those buttons will select those respective browsers if available.

[Link] HTML Browser Options

EP-Launch will start a HTML browser program when viewing the tabular results file when HTML
is chosen in OutputControl:Table:Style. The HTML browser that will be used is shown but can be
changed by either pressing the Select button or by pressing the Auto Find button. The Select button
allows you to find the HTML browser of your choice. The Auto Find button will automatically find
the program that is associated with the HTML file extension and use that program. Auto Find is
invoked the first time EP-Launch is started so that a HTML browser is available immediately.

[Link] ESO Viewer Options

By default, ESO files are opened with a text editor. ESO files are the raw output file containing
results from EnergyPlus for Report Variable objects. They are often processed into CSV files
to make it easier to view them. At least one utility program has been developed to view ESO
files directly (see the [Link] web site under “Interfaces & Other Tools”, “Third-party
EnergyPlus Tools). The Auto Find and Select buttons work the same way as other viewer selectors.
If no special ESO viewer is selected the box will be shown as empty. It can also be emptied by
using the Clear button.

[Link] PDF Viewer Options

EP-Launch will start a PDF viewer program when opening the EnergyPlus documentation under
the Help menu. The PDF Viewer that will be used is shown but can be changed by either pressing
the Select button or by pressing the Auto Find button. The Select button allows you to find the
220 CHAPTER 19. TECHNICAL DETAILS OF RUNNING ENERGYPLUS

PDF Viewer of your choice. The Auto Find button will automatically find the program that is
associated with the PDF file extension and use that program. Auto Find is invoked the first time
EP-Launch is started so that a PDF Viewer is available immediately.

[Link] File Association Options

When installing EnergyPlus, you are given an option if you want IDF, IMF, and EPG files associated
with EP-Launch. This allows double clicking on files with those extensions and having EP-Launch
start automatically with those files. If during the install that option is not selected or if you have
changed the program that opens IDF, IMF and EPG files and want to change it back to EP-Launch,
the button for this option will do that.

[Link] Reset Options

Two reset options are available here.
The Auto Find All File Viewers button will autofind all the file viewers in one step. This is
equivalent to pressing the Auto Find button for each viewer program.
The Reset All Options and Exit button will clear all options and restore the default values
used when first invoking EP-Launch for the first time. This also clears the list of recently used IDF
and weather files. This option will exit EP-Launch and you will have to start EP-Launch again.

19.1.10 Help Menu

The Help menu can be used to open the EnergyPlus documentation files and the EP-Launch help
file. In addition, you can check for updates to the EnergyPlus program and other files in the
EnergyPlus distribution.

19.1.11 Recently Used Files

The recently used input, weather and group file pull down lists can hold a maximum of twenty items.
These lists, like the viewers selected, are saved between times you use the EP-Launch program.

19.1.12 Running Groups of Input Files

If you are running EnergyPlus on one file or even just a few different files, the easiest way to do
this is on the Single Simulation tab. If you are performing an analysis of a building which requires
running EnergyPlus for a larger number of times, you may want to consider the Group of Input Files
tab, shown below. You may also want to set the Number of Simultaneous Processes option under
View Options Command Window so that the simulations are completed as fast as your computer
will allow.
This tab lets you manage EPG, EnergyPlus Group files which contain a list of simulations that
need to be performed. The EPG file is simply a text file that contains on each line the input file
and weather file names to be used for a simulation along with how the output files should be named
and a counter.
You do not need to manually create EPG files, instead press the New Group button on the
Group of Input Files Tab and a step-by-step “wizard” will help to create a new EPG, EnergyPlus
19.1. EP-LAUNCH PROGRAM 221

Figure 19.7: EP-Launch Group of Input Files Tab.

222 CHAPTER 19. TECHNICAL DETAILS OF RUNNING ENERGYPLUS

Group file. The first step of the wizard is to selected the EnergyPlus input files that should be
simulated as part of the group:

Figure 19.8: EP-Launch Step 1 of New Group Wizard.

Use the boxes next to each file to select the files to be simulated. The path to files shown may
be changed using the “path” button. Once the files in a certain directory are selected the “next”
button should be pressed. If additional files are desired in different directories, you will get a chance
to add them to the EnergyPlus group file in a later step.
Select one or several weather files using the second step of the wizard, shown below:
The next step is to review the simulations selected. Each combination of weather file and input
file is initially shown. Each simulation is displayed as a single row. You may select a row and
delete the simulation at this point. In addition, if additional simulations are desired, the “Add
more simulations button” brings you back to the first step of the wizard to add more file.
The next step of the wizard allows you to decide exactly where you want the output files located
and what they should be named. For most people just trying to group their simulations and wanting
the output files in the same directory as the input files, just select “Original Input File Locations”.
More advanced users may choose to define their locations for the output files using symbols that
define the name of the directory and file name using:
%I = input file name
%G = group file name
%W = weather file name
%N = repeat number for IMF files
%J = input file path
%H = group file path
%X = weather file path
Each of these symbols may be used in the location field and substitutions will be made for each
when defining the output file location.
For macro files (they have an extension IMF instead of IDF) used in a parametric analysis,
the macro file may be run repeatedly up to 999 times. Each time they are simulated a new
19.1. EP-LAUNCH PROGRAM 223

Figure 19.9: EP-Launch Step 2 of New Group Wizard.

Figure 19.10: EP-Launch Step 3 of New Group Wizard.

224 CHAPTER 19. TECHNICAL DETAILS OF RUNNING ENERGYPLUS

Figure 19.11: EP-Launch Step 4 of New Group Wizard.

[Link] file is created which sets a macro parameter. The [Link] file should be
included using the ##include statement in the macro file.
Finally, you can save the EPG, EnergyPlus Group, file wherever you would like.
To run the simulations press the “Simulate Group” button on the Group of Input Files tab. To
prevent a specific simulation from being performed, edit the file and use a comment character (an
exclamation point) to comment out the line.
When the group of input file simulations is running, the title bar of EP-Launch will show the
progress.

19.1.13 History of Simulations Performed

The History tab allows you to see what files were associated with a particular simulation that was
performed. The list shows the date and time of the simulation along with the input and weather
file names.
You can expand the level of detail by clicking on the plus signs or double clicking on the entry.
The detail shown includes the names of all the input and output files associated with that simulation
along with the message summary of the warnings and errors generated. It is possible that a file
may be shown that no longer exists.
The View Files button will display the selected file using a spreadsheet, text editor, DXF file
viewer, SVG file viewer, or HTML web browser. When groups of simulations are performed using
the Group of Input File tab and User Defined Locations are used for the output files, the history
view is the only way to access those files using EP-Launch.
The history tab displays the [Link] file that is located in the same directory as EP-
Launch. If EP-Launch seems to be starting slowly, it is possible that the history file has grown very
large. It may be deleted or renamed and a new history file will be automatically created during the
next simulation. The [Link] file may also be opened in a spreadsheet program.
19.1. EP-LAUNCH PROGRAM 225

Figure 19.12: EP-Launch History Tab.

226 CHAPTER 19. TECHNICAL DETAILS OF RUNNING ENERGYPLUS

19.1.14 Utilities Tab

The utilities tab shown in the following figure allows several utility programs that come with
EnergyPlus to be used directly. More information on each utility is also available in the
AuxiliaryPrograms documentation.

Figure 19.13: EP-Launch Utilities Tab.

For each utility, input files can be selected by using the Browse Button. The input file can be
opened using a text editor and, for certain utilities, the IDF Editor. If a weather file is needed for
a utility it can also be selected. For other utilities, no weather file is needed and that portion of
the screen is not shown. The appropriate output files can be opened by the “Open” button near
the bottom of the screen. To run the utility, use the “Run” button in the lower left corner of the
screen above the “Exit” button.
In addition, for each utility, a brief description of the function of the utility is shown in the
about box but much more information is available in the AuxiliaryPrograms documentation.

19.1.15 Caveats
Remember to save changes made in the editor before you run another simulation.
The simulation cannot write new results to open files which are locked by another application.
19.2. EP-LAUNCH LITE 227

You will need to close the spreadsheet program that views the resulting CSV files prior to
another simulation and you may need to close the text editor windows also (depending on your
editor).
The [Link] batch file is used to run EnergyPlus from the EP-Launch program. It can
be edited with care if other postprocessors or preprocessors are to be used.

19.1.16 When things go wrong

Though EnergyPlus has had several releases (including beta releases prior to initial release), there
still may be problems when input files meet with EnergyPlus. If you are using EP-Launch when this
happens, you will see a window appear as in the figure below (Figure 19.14). Follow the instructions
listed on the screen.

19.1.17 Bugs
The EP-Launch program has been through several “releases” but there is still a chance you will
find bugs. Please report them to the energyplus-support@[Link] address so that we can fix them
prior to the release.
If the pull-down lists ever are shown as blank the “reset” button may be used. This unlabeled
button is very small in the lower left-hand corner of the main screen. It removes the items shown
in the recently used file list and causes the program to forget the selected viewers and text editors;
and exits the program. When you start EP-Launch again, you will need to make these selections
(viewers and text editors) again.

19.2 EP-Launch Lite

EP-Launch Lite is a small application included with the EnergyPlus Macintosh installation. It is a
small GUI application that provides a simple way to run EnergyPlus models. Its purpose is similar
to EP-Launch but it is a much simpler application with fewer features.

19.3 EnergyPlus File Extensions

This section will present a list (perhaps not complete) of EnergyPlus file extensions and what they
mean. This will help you after the EP-Launch program finishes.

19.3.1 Input Files

The following files are input to the EnergyPlus program.

[Link] IDD
The input data dictionary (IDD) is an ascii (text) file containing a list of all possible EnergyPlus
objects and a specification of the data each object requires. This file is analogous to the DOE-
2 keyword file. The Guide for Interface Developers contains a full description of the input data
dictionary.
228 CHAPTER 19. TECHNICAL DETAILS OF RUNNING ENERGYPLUS

Figure 19.14: EnergyPlus crash within EP-Launch.

19.3. ENERGYPLUS FILE EXTENSIONS 229

[Link] idf
The input data file (IDF) is an ascii file containing the data describing the building and HVAC
system to be simulated. Many example files are installed as part of the EnergyPlus installation.
Additionally, a spreadsheet file “[Link]” contains columnar descriptions of each file’s
features.

[Link] imf
The input macro file (IMF) is an ascii file containing the data describing the building and HVAC
system to be simulated and will have some contents of “macro” commands. The Auxiliary programs
document describes use of the macro commands and the program that processes them - EP-Macro.
Many example files are installed as part of the EnergyPlus installation.

[Link] ini
This is the EnergyPlus initialization file. It is an optional ascii input file that allows the user to
specify the path for the directory containing Energy+.idd. This file, using the actual directories
of the install, will be created during the install. Unless you change where the [Link] file
resides, you will not need to change this file.

[Link] epw
The EnergyPlus weather file is an ascii file containing the hourly or sub-hourly weather data needed
by the simulation program. The data format is described in detail in the Auxiliary Programs
Document. It is also described succinctly in the Input Output Reference document.

19.3.2 Output Files

More information (and more up-to-date) about output files is shown in the Output Details and
Examples Document.

[Link] err
A text file containing the error messages issued by EnergyPlus. This is the first output that
should be examined after a [Link] messages may be issued by EnergyPlus during
its input phase or during the simulation. There are three levels of error severity: fatal, severe,
and warning as well as simple “message” lines. A fatal error causes the program to terminate
immediately. The following table illustrates the necessary actions.

Table 19.1: Error Message Levels - Required Actions

Error Level Action

Information Informative, usually a follow-on to one of the others. No action
required.
Warning Take note. Fix as applicable.
230 CHAPTER 19. TECHNICAL DETAILS OF RUNNING ENERGYPLUS

Table 19.1: Error Message Levels - Required Actions

Error Level Action

Severe Should Fix
Fatal Program will abort

An example of an error message due to an input syntax error is:

** Severe ** Did not find " DessignDay" in list of Objects
** Fatal ** Errors occurred on processing IDF file -
probable incorrect IDD file. View "[Link]" for details.
************* EnergyPlus Terminated --Error(s) Detected.

[Link] audit
This is an text file which echoes the IDD and IDF files, flagging syntax errors in either file. Note
that both err and audit will show most of the error messages caused by input syntax errors; however
only err will show errors issued during the actual simulation. The audit can be used when you need
to see the context of the error message to fully ascertain the cause. The audit file also contains
potentially extra information that may be useful from the input scan.

[Link] eso
The EnergyPlus Standard Output (ESO) is a text file containing the time varying simulation
output. The format of the file is discussed in the Guide for Interface Developers and the
InputOutputReference. The contents of the file are controlled by Output:Variable commands in
the IDF file. Although the ESO is a text file, it is not easily interpretable by a human. Usually
postprocessing will be done on this file in order to put it in a format that can be read by a
spreadsheet; however a quick visual inspection of the file does show whether the expected variables
are output at the desired time step.

[Link] mtr
The EnergyPlus Meter Output (MTR) is a text file containing the time varying simulation output.
The format of the file is similar to the ESO file. As described in the Getting Started document,
meters are a powerful reporting tool in EnergyPlus. Values are grouped onto logical meters and can
be viewed the same way that the ESO variables are used. The contents of the file are controlled
by Output:Meter commands in the IDF file. Although the MTR is a text file, it is not easily
interpretable by a human. Usually postprocessing will be done on this file in order to put it in a
format that can be read by a spreadsheet; however a quick visual inspection of the file does show
whether the expected variables are output at the desired time step.

[Link] mtd
This file contains all the details (i.e., which report variables are on a meter and, conversely, what
meters contain) about meters.
19.3. ENERGYPLUS FILE EXTENSIONS 231

[Link] eio
The EnergyPlus Invariant Output (EIO) is a text file containing output that does not vary with
time. For instance, location information (latitude, longitude, time zone, altitude) appears on this
file.

[Link] rdd
[Link] mdd
The Report (variable) Data Dictionary (RDD) is a text file listing those variables available for
reporting (on the ESO) for this particular simulation. Which variables are available for output
depends on the actual simulation problem described in the IDF. The Report (meter) Data Dictionary
(MDD) is a text file listing those variables available for reporting (on the MTR) for this particular
simulation. Which meters are available for output depends on the actual simulation problem
described in the IDF. A simulation with no chiller would not permit the output of any chiller report
variables. The user may need to examine the RDD or MDD to find out which report variables
are available in a particular simulation. The RDD and MDD are written only if the following is
included in the IDF file.
Output:VariableDictionary , Regular;

A variant produces the same files in a IDF “ready” format.

Output:VariableDictionary , IDF;

[Link] dbg
This is a text file containing debug output for use by EnergyPlus developers. Generally developers
will add debug print statements wherever in the code that that they wish. There is a “standard”
debug output that prints out conditions at all the HVAC nodes. This output is triggered by placing
Output:DebuggingData ,Yes;

in the IDF file. If Output:DebuggingData,No is entered, you will get an empty [Link]
file.

[Link] dxf
This is a file in AutoCad DXF format showing all the surfaces defined in the IDF file. It provides
a means of viewing the building geometry. The DXF file from EnergyPlus highlights different
building elements (shading, walls, subsurfaces) in differing colors. A number of programs can read
and display DXF files. Output of this file is triggered by
Output:Reports , Surfaces , DXF;

in the IDF.

[Link] sln
A text file containing the coordinates of the vertices of the surfaces in the IDF.
Output of this file is triggered by
Output:Reports, Surfaces, Lines;
in the IDF.
232 CHAPTER 19. TECHNICAL DETAILS OF RUNNING ENERGYPLUS

19.3.3 Postprocessing Program/Files

A postprocessing program [Link] is available that will read an ESO or MTR file and
produce a file that can be read by ExcelTM . It can use an input file or not. In batch mode it is run
by the little batch file [Link]: Further information on this program is provided in the
Input Output Reference under a section heading called “Using ReadVarsESO”. OutputControl:Files
may also used to write CSV output (variables and meters) directly from EnergyPlus instead of using
postprocessing.

19.4 RunEPlus batch file

It is simple to run EnergyPlus: open a DOS or CMD box in the EnergyPlus directory and use
the [Link] procedure file. The procedure file takes two arguments - the input file name
(containing the building description) and the weather file name:
RunEPlus <input_file_name> <weather_file_name>
Though it’s possible to supply arguments to the batch file with embedded blanks, it’s better
practice not to. More extensive information about the intricacies of EnergyPlus execution is given
in the next parts of this section.
As installed, the RunEPlus is ready to run the sample files that are included. If you wish to
create and run other files, you may wish to modify the batch file to your own preferences. See
“RunEPlus details” later in this document for parts of the batch file that you will need to modify.

19.5 Running EnergyPlus by Hand

EnergyPlus runs as a console application with optional command line arguments. The arguments
may be listed by typing energyplus --help (on any operating system) and man energyplus (on Unix-
based operating systems, Mac OS X and Linux). For more information about the command line
interface, see [Link]
[Link]. The remainder of this section describes running EnergyPlus in legacy mode
(i.e. no command-line arguments) on Windows OS.
To run the program bring up the command prompt and “cd” to the directory containing the
executable. Assume that the executable is called [Link]. In the same directory EnergyPlus
expects [Link], the input data file; Energy+.idd, the data dictionary file; [Link], the weather file
(needed only if there is a RunPeriod in the input); and optionally Energy+.ini, the initialization
file. Typing “EnergyPlus” (and hitting the Enter key) will execute the program. EnergyPlus will
write messages to the command window as it runs. A simulation with two design days and one run
period looks like:
EnergyPlus Starting
EnergyPlus , Version 1.3
Warming up
Initializing Response Factors
Calculating CTFs for "EXTWALL80", Construction \#1
Calculating CTFs for "PARTITION06", Construction \#2
Calculating CTFs for "FLOOR SLAB 8 IN", Construction \#3
Calculating CTFs for "ROOF34", Construction \#4
Initializing Window Optical Properties
Initializing Solar Calculations
Initializing HVAC
Warming up
19.6. RUNEPLUS DETAILS 233

Warming up
Warming up
Performing Zone Sizing Simulation
Warming up
Warming up
Warming up
Performing Zone Sizing Simulation
Initializing New Environment Parameters
Warming up {1}
Warming up {2}
Warming up {3}
Warming up {4}
Starting Simulation at 01/14 for CHICAGO IL UNITED STATES TMY2 94846 WMO# = 725340
Initializing New Environment Parameters
Warming up {1}
Warming up {2}
Warming up {3}
Warming up {4}
Starting Simulation at 07/07 for CHICAGO IL UNITED STATES TMY2 94846 WMO# = 725340
EnergyPlus Run Time = 00hr 00min 7.31 sec

When execution is finished, [Link] and [Link] will always appear. If the program
terminated with an input error, these may be the only output files. If the program runs normally,
[Link] will appear. Depending on what was requested in the input, the other output files
described above will also be written.

19.6 RunEPlus details

A procedure (batch) file is the normal way to run a console application. The installed procedure
file [Link] can be used to execute EnergyPlus and deal with all the file handling and
postprocessing. It can accommodate running the EPMacro program if you name your files
appropriately. And it can use ExpandObjects to expand the special “HVACTemplate” objects into
“normal” IDF objects.
The “set” statements near the beginning of the procedure file can be customized for each local
system. Thus “program_path” should be set to the directory path where the program executable
resides on your local computer, “program_name” should be set to the name of the EnergyPlus
executable file, “input_path” should be set to the directory path containing the input (IDF) file,
and so forth. Each of the path environment variables must have “\” as the final character or things
won’t run correctly. As mentioned before, the batch file is executed by typing:
RunEPlus <input_filename> <weather_filename>
where <input_filename> is the name of the IDF file, without the file extension,
and <weather_filename> is the name of the weather file, without the file [Link]
<input_filename> can also be a complete path to the file (without extension) and it will work.
In addition, RunEPlus can be called from a different directory and the temporary files will
be created in the directory it is called from. This enables multiple [Link] to be used with
multiple processors or a multiple-core processor without the temporary files of one set of simulations
interfering with another. Each call to [Link] should be from different directories.
Instructions appear at the top of the batch file:
:Instructions:
: Complete the following path and program names.
: path names must have a following \ or errors will happen
: does not have the capability to run input macro files (yet)
: %program_path% contains the path to the executable as well as IDD and is
: the root directory
234 CHAPTER 19. TECHNICAL DETAILS OF RUNNING ENERGYPLUS

: %program_name% contains the name of the executable (normally [Link])

: %input_path% contains the path to the input file (passed in as first argument)
: %output_path% contains the path where the result files should be stored
: %post_proc% contains the path to the post processing program (ReadVarsESO)
: %weather_path% contains the path to the weather files (used with optional argument 2)
: %pausing% contains Y if pause should occur between major portions of
: batch file (mostly commented out)
: %maxcol% contains "250" if limited to 250 columns otherwise contains
: "nolimit" if unlimited (used when calling readVarsESO)

echo = = = = = %0 (Run EnergyPlus) %1 %2 = = = = = Start = = = = =

set program_path =
set program_name = [Link]
set input_path = ExampleFiles\
set output_path = Test\
set post_proc = PostProcess\
set weather_path = WeatherData\
set pausing = N
set maxcol = 250

: This batch file will perform the following steps:

:
: 1. Clean up directory by deleting old working files from prior run
: 2. Clean up target directory
: 3. Copy %1. idf (input) into [Link]
: 4. Copy %2 (weather) into [Link]
: 5. Execute EnergyPlus
: 6. If available Copy %1. rvi (post processor commands) into [Link]
: 7. Execute [Link] (the Post Processing Program)
: 8. If available Copy %1. mvi (post processor commands) into [Link]
: or create appropriate input to get meter output from [Link]
: 9. Execute [Link] (the Post Processing Program) for meter output
: 10. Copy Eplusout .* to %1.*
: 11. Clean up working directory.

19.7 RunDirMulti Batch File

The [Link] batch file runs all the IDF files in the directory that it is located in. The
batch file is used to run EnergyPlus simulations using the [Link] for all the files in the
current directory across multiple separate processor cores. It has two parameters, the weather file
name to use for simulations and the number of processors.
RunDirMulti <weather file> (opt) <number processor cores> (opt)
The RunDirMulti batch file loops through the files located in the current directory and puts
RunEPlus calls to each file into as many temporary batch files as processor cores and then starts
each of the batch files. No load balancing between the cores is achieved using this method. The
[Link] file should be located in a directory that contains the IDF files. Editing of the file
may be necessary to match the directory that EnergyPlus is installed in.
Since the batch file starts up other batch files in different CMD windows, the only way to know
that the simulations are all complete is when all of the other CMD windows are closed. Those
windows are named “Batch Simulation<n>” where n is 1 to the number of processor cores you
selected to use.
Before use the [Link] must have the maindir variable set to the directory where the
EnergyPlus program was installed. Please edit the line in the [Link] file that says:
SET maindir=
19.8. ENERGYPLUS FILES 235

Add the full path for the directory that EnergyPlus is installed after the equals sign and include
double quotes around the path. Make sure the end of the path ends with a trailing backslash. For
example:
SET maindir=”c:\EnergyPlusVx-x-x\”
where the x’s are replaced with the actual version number if EnergyPlus was installed in the
default installation directory.

19.8 EnergyPlus Files

19.8.1 Input Files
The following files are input to the EnergyPlus program.

[Link] Energy+.idd
The input data dictionary (IDD) is an ascii (text) file containing a list of all possible EnergyPlus
objects and a specification of the data each object requires. This file is analogous to the DOE-
2 keyword file. The Guide for Interface Developers contains a full description of the input data
dictionary.

[Link] [Link]
The input data file (IDF) is an ascii file containing the data describing the building and HVAC
system to be simulated. The Guide for Interface Developers shows examples of IDF input. Many
example files are installed as part of the EnergyPlus installation.

[Link] [Link]
The input macro file (IMF) is an ascii file that is formatted for the EP-Macro program. Output
from the EP-Macro program will be the standard [Link] format. IMF files are not directly read by
EnergyPlus.

[Link] Energy+.ini
This is the EnergyPlus initialization file. It is an optional ascii input file that allows the user to
specify the path for the directory containing Energy+.idd. This file, using the actual directories of
the install, will be created during the install. An example is:
[program]
dir = C:\ EnergyPlus

[weather]
dir =

[BasementGHT]
dir = PreProcess\GrndTempCalc

[SlabGHT]
dir = PreProcess\GrndTempCalc
236 CHAPTER 19. TECHNICAL DETAILS OF RUNNING ENERGYPLUS

Under [program], dir should indicate the folder where EnergyPlus is installed (e.g. C:\Program
Files\EnergyPlusV2-0-0 or C:\EnergyPlusV2-0-0). This is automatically generated during the
install and may be the “shortened form” of these folder names. The “weather” portion of the
initialization file is unused for normal EnergyPlus. [BasementGHT] and [SlabGHT] are used by the
EP-Launch program when the Utilities tab is used to execute the Basement and Slab programs,
respectively.

[Link] [Link]
The EnergyPlus weather file is an ascii file containing the hourly or sub-hourly weather data
needed by the simulation program. The data format is described in this document in the section:
EnergyPlus Weather File (EPW) Data Dictionary.

19.8.2 Output Files

More information (and more up-to-date) about output files is shown in the Output Details and
Examples Document.

[Link] [Link]
A text file containing the error messages issued by EnergyPlus. This is the first output that should
be examined after a simulation. Error messages are issued by EnergyPlus during its input phase or
during the simulation. There are three levels of error severity: fatal, severe, and warning as well as
simple “message” lines. A fatal error causes the program to terminate immediately. The following
table illustrates the necessary actions.

Table 19.2: Error Message Levels - Required Actions

Error Level Action

”Information” Informative, usually a follow-on to one of the others. No action
required.
Warning Take note. Fix as applicable.
Severe Should Fix
Fatal Program will abort

An example of an error message due to an input syntax error is:

** Severe ** Did not find " DessignDay" in list of Objects
** Fatal ** Errors occurred on processing IDF file -
probable incorrect IDD file. View "[Link]" for details.
************* EnergyPlus Terminated --Error(s) Detected.

[Link] [Link]
This is an text file which echoes the IDD and IDF files, flagging syntax errors in either file. Note that
both [Link] and [Link] will show the error messages caused by input syntax errors;
19.8. ENERGYPLUS FILES 237

however only [Link] will show errors issued during the actual simulation. [Link] can
be used when you need to see the context of the error message to fully ascertain the cause.

[Link] [Link]
The EnergyPlus Standard Output (ESO) is a text file containing the time varying simulation
output. The format of the file is discussed in the Guide for Interface Developers and the
InputOutputReference. The contents of the file are controlled by Report Variable commands in
the IDF file. Although the ESO is a text file, it is not easily interpretable by a human. Usually
postprocessing will be done on this file in order to put it in a format that can be read by a
spreadsheet; however a quick visual inspection of the file does show whether the expected variables
are output at the desired time step.

[Link] [Link]
The EnergyPlus Meter Output (MTR) is a text file containing the time varying simulation output.
The format of the file is similar to the ESO file. Meters are a powerful reporting tool in EnergyPlus.
Values are grouped onto logical meters and can be viewed the same way that the ESO variables are
used. The contents of the file are controlled by Report Meter commands in the IDF file. Although
the MTR is a text file, it is not easily interpretable by a human. Usually postprocessing will be
done on this file in order to put it in a format that can be read by a spreadsheet; however a quick
visual inspection of the file does show whether the expected variables are output at the desired time
step.

[Link] [Link]
The EnergyPlus Invariant Output (EIO) is a text file containing output that does not vary with
time. For instance, location information (latitude, longitude, time zone, altitude) appears on this
file.

[Link] [Link]
The Report (variable) Data Dictionary (RDD) is a text file listing those variables available for
reporting (on the ESO or MTR) for this particular simulation. Which variables are available for
output on the ESO or MTR depends on the actual simulation problem described in the IDF. A
simulation with no chiller would not permit the output of any chiller report variables. The user may
need to examine the RDD to find out which report variables are available in a particular simulation.
The RDD is written only if
Output:VariableDictionary , <either Regular or IDF >;

appears in the input (IDF) file.

[Link] [Link]
This is a text file containing debug output for use by EnergyPlus developers. Generally developers
will add debug print statements wherever in the code that that they wish. There is a “standard”
debug output that prints out conditions at all the HVAC nodes. This output is triggered by placing
DEBUG OUTPUT,1;
238 CHAPTER 19. TECHNICAL DETAILS OF RUNNING ENERGYPLUS

in the IDF file. If DEBUG OUTPUT, 0 is entered, you will get an empty [Link] file.

[Link] [Link]
This is a file in AutoCad DXF format showing all the surfaces defined in the IDF file. It provides
a means of viewing the building geometry. The DXF file from EnergyPlus highlights different
building elements (shading, walls, subsurfaces) in differing colors. A number of programs can read
and display DXF files. One that works well is Volo View Express, available free from the Autodesk
web site. Output of this file is triggered by
Report, Surfaces, DXF;
in the IDF.

[Link] [Link]
A text file containing the coordinates of the vertices of the surfaces in the IDF.
Output of this file is triggered by
Report, Surfaces, Lines;
in the IDF.

19.8.3 Postprocessing Program/Files

A postprocessing program [Link] is available that will read an ESO or MTR file and
produce a file that can be read by ExcelTM . It can use an input file or not. In batch mode it is run by
the little batch file [Link]: Further information on this program is provided in the Input
Output Reference as well as the Output Details and Examples documents. OutputControl:Files
may also used to write CSV output (variables and meters) directly from EnergyPlus instead of
using postprocessing.
You can also use the CSVProc and convertESOMTR described earlier in this document as part
of your post processing strategy.
Chapter 20

Creating Input Files

EnergyPlus has several options for the user to create input files. One of the goals of EnergyPlus was
to make a simple, readable input file for the program. More of this background and explanation is
contained in the Interface Developer’s Guide. Understanding the Input Data Dictionary (IDD) is
the key to reading the input file. We have set some conventions for commenting the IDD so that
the units, minimum, maximum, and other information. This changes some of the information that
is shown in the Interface Developer’s guide. The Energy+.idd (delivered with the install program)
contains the most current information. In addition to the four methods for creating inputs described
below, several other items are described that may assist you in getting the results you want from
EnergyPlus in a timely manner.
Four methods (with the installed program) are available to create input files:

1) IDFEditor - this is a very simple, “intelligent” editor that reads the IDD and IDFs and allows
creation/revision of IDF files. It can be run from a shortcut in the main EnergyPlus directory
(created as part of the install) or directly from EP-Launch.

2) BLAST Translator - if you already have BLAST and/or BLAST input files, this program will
produce the bulk of a translation to EnergyPlus for you. It generates a complete IDF file
but does not include specifics for Systems or Plants. (It does include the System and Plant
schedules that were in the BLAST deck). Many of the sample files included with the install
started out as BLAST input files.

3) DOE-2 Translator - if you already have DOE-2.1e input files, this program will produce the
bulk of a translation to EnergyPlus for you. It generates a IMF (input macro file) that must be
run through the EnergyPlus Macro (EPMacro) program before it can be used by EnergyPlus.

4) Hand editing - for simple changes to an existing file (such as one of the sample files), you
can hand edit a file using your knowledge of the IDD, comments in the IDF file, and a text
editor such as NOTEPADTM (WordpadTM for large files). For creating HVAC simulations -
the HVACtemplate objects provide a quick way to start at HVAC simulation.

20.1 IDD Conventions

The following is a basic description of the structure of the IDD (it’s actually taken directly from the
IDD file). As noted within, ! signifies a comment character as does the \. \ has also been adopted

239
240 CHAPTER 20. CREATING INPUT FILES

as a convention for including more specific comments about each field in an object. These have
been used with success in the IDFEditor and it is hoped the flexibility will provide other interface
developers with useful information.
! Object Description
! ------------------
! To define an object (a record with data), develop a key word that is unique
! Each data item to the object can be A (Alphanumeric string) or N (numeric)
! Number each A and N. This will show how the data items will be put into the
! arrays that are passed to the Input Processor "Get" (GetObjectItem) routines.
! All alpha fields are limited to 100 characters. Numeric fields should be
! valid numerics (can include such as 1.0E+05) and are placed into double
! precision variables.
!
! NOTE: Even though a field may be optional , a comma representing that field
! must be included (unless it is the last field in the object). Since the
! entire input is "field -oriented" and not "keyword -oriented", the EnergyPlus
! Input Processor must have some representation (even if blank) for each
! field.
!
! Object Documentation
! --------------------
! In addition , the following special comments appear one per line and
! most are followed by a value. Comments may apply to a field or the object
! or a group of objects.
!
! Field -level comments:
!
! \field Name of field
! (should be succinct and readable , blanks are encouraged)
!
! \note Note describing the field and its valid values
!
! \required -field To flag fields which may not be left blank
! (this comment has no "value ")
!
! \begin -extensible Marks the first field at which the object accepts an extensible
! field set. A fixed number of fields from this marker define the
! extensible field set , see the object code \extensible for
! more information.
!
! \units Units (must be from EnergyPlus standard units list)
! EnergyPlus units are standard SI units
!
! \ip -units IP -Units (for use by input processors with IP units)
! This is only used if the default conversion is not
! appropriate.
!
! \unitsBasedOnField For fields that may have multiple possible units , indicates
! the field in the object that can be used to determine
! the units. The field reference is in the A2 form.
!
! \minimum Minimum that includes the following value
!
! \minimum > Minimum that must be > than the following value
!
! \maximum Maximum that includes the following value
!
! \maximum < Maximum that must be < than the following value
!
! \default Default for the field (if N/A then omit entire line)
!
! \deprecated This field is not really used and will be deleted from the object.
! The information is gotten internally within the program.
!
! \autosizable Flag to indicate that this field can be used with the Auto
! Sizing routines to produce calculated results for the
! field. If a value follows this , then that will be used
! when the "Autosize" feature is flagged. To trigger
20.1. IDD CONVENTIONS 241

! autosizing for a field , enter Autosize as the field 's

! value. Only applicable to numeric fields.
!
! \autocalculatable Flag to indicate that this field can be automatically
! calculated. To trigger auto calculation for a field , enter
! Autocalculate as the field 's value. Only applicable to
! numeric fields.
!
! \type Type of data for the field -
! integer
! real
! alpha (arbitrary string),
! choice (alpha with specific list of choices , see
! \key)
! object -list (link to a list of objects defined elsewhere ,
! see \object -list and \reference)
! node (name used in connecting HVAC components)
!
! \retaincase Retains the alphabetic case for alpha type fields
!
! \key Possible value for "\ type choice" (blanks are significant)
! use multiple \key lines to indicate all valid choices
!
! \object -list Name of a list of user -provided object names that are valid
! entries for this field (used with "\ reference ")
! see Zone and BuildingSurface :Detailed objects below for
! examples.
! ** Note that a field may have multiple \object -list commands.
!
! \reference Name of a list of names to which this object belongs
! used with "\ type object -list" and with "\object -list"
! see Zone and BuildingSurface :Detailed objects below for
! examples:
!
! Zone ,
! A1 , \field Name
! \type alpha
! \reference ZoneNames
!
! BuildingSurface:Detailed ,
! A4 , \field Zone Name
! \note Zone the surface is a part of
! \type object -list
! \object -list ZoneNames
!
! For each zone , the field "Name" may be referenced
! by other objects , such as BuildingSurface:Detailed , so it is
! commented with "\ reference ZoneNames"
! Fields that reference a zone name , such as BuildingSurface:Detailed 's
! "Zone Name", are commented as
! "\ type object -list" and "\object -list ZoneNames"
! ** Note that a field may have multiple \reference commands.
! ** This is useful if the object belongs to a small specific
! object -list as well as a larger more general object -list.
!
! Object -level comments:
!
! \memo Memo describing the object
!
! \unique -object To flag objects which should appear only once in an idf
! (this comment has no "value ")
!
! \required -object To flag objects which are required in every idf
! (this comment has no "value ")
!
! \min -fields Minimum number of fields that should be included in the
! object. If appropriate , the Input Processor will fill
! any missing fields with defaults (for numeric fields).
! It will also supply that number of fields to the "get"
! routines using blanks for alpha fields (note -- blanks
242 CHAPTER 20. CREATING INPUT FILES

! may not be allowable for some alpha fields).

!
! \obsolete This object has been replaced though is kept (and is read)
! in the current version. Please refer to documentation as
! to the dispersal of the object. If this object is
! encountered in an IDF , the InputProcessor will post an
! appropriate message to the error file.
! usage: \obsolete New = >[New object name]
!
! \extensible :<#> This object is dynamically extensible -- meaning , if you
! change the IDD appropriately (if the object has a simple list
! structure -- just add items to the list arguments (i.e. BRANCH
! LIST). These will be automatically redimensioned and used during
! the simulation. <#> should be entered by the developer to signify
! how many of the last fields are needed to be extended (and EnergyPlus
! will attempt to auto -extend the object). The first field of the first
! instance of the extensible field set is marked with \begin -extensible.
!
! \begin -extensible See previous item , marks beginning of extensible fields in
! an object.
!
! \format The object should have a special format when saved in
! the IDF Editor with the special format option enabled.
! The options include SingleLine , Vertices , CompactSchedule ,
! FluidProperties , ViewFactors , and Spectral.
! The SingleLine option puts all the fields for the object
! on a single line. The Vertices option is used in objects
! that use X, Y and Z fields to format those three fields
! on a single line.
! The CompactSchedule formats that specific object.
! The FluidProperty option formats long lists of fluid
! properties to ten values per line.
! The ViewFactor option formats three fields related to
! view factors per line.
! The Spectral option formats the four fields related to
! window glass spectral data per line.
!
! \reference -class -name Adds the name of the class to the reference list
! similar to \reference.
!
! Group -level comments:
!
! \group Name for a group of related objects
!
!
! Notes on comments
! -----------------
!
! 1. If a particular comment is not applicable (such as units , or default)
! then simply omit the comment rather than indicating N/A.
!
! 2. Memos and notes should be brief (recommend 5 lines or less per block).
! More extensive explanations are expected to be in the user documentation
!
! Default IP conversions (no \ip -units necessary)
! m = > ft 3.281
! W = > Btu/h 3.412
! m3/s = > ft3/min 2118.6438
! C = > F 1.8 (plus 32)
! kg/J = > lb/Btu 2325.83774250441
! Pa = > psi 0.0001450377
! W/m-K = > Btu -in/h-ft2 -F 6.93481276005548
! W/K = > Btu/h-F 1.8987
! deltaC = > deltaF 1.8
! m2 = > ft2 10.764961
! K = > R 1.8
! 1/K = > 1/R 0.555555556
! (kg/s)/W = > (lbm/sec)/(Btu/hr) 0.646078115385742
! J/kg = > Btu/lb 0.00042986 (plus 7.686)
! kg -H2O/kg -air = > lb -H2O/lb -air 1
20.1. IDD CONVENTIONS 243

! kJ/kg = > Btu/lb 0.429925

! lux = > foot -candles 0.092902267
! kg/m3 = > lb/ft3 0.062428
! kg/s = > lb/s 2.2046
! kg/s-m = > lb/s-ft 0.67194
! m3 = > ft3 35.319837041
! m3 = > gal 264.172
! W/m2 -K = > Btu/h-ft2 -F 0.176110194261872
! 1/m = > 1/ft 0.304785126485827
! J/kg -K = > Btu/lb -F 0.000239005736137667
! J/m3 -K = > Btu/ft3 -F 1.49237004739337E-05
! m/s = > ft/min 196.86
! m/s = > miles/hr 2.2369
! m2 -K/W = > ft2 -F-hr/Btu 5.678263
! W/m2 = > Btu/h-ft2 0.316957210776545
! A/K = > A/F 0.555555555555556
! g/kg = > grains/lb 7.00000
! g/m-s = > lb/ft -s 0.000671968949659
! g/m-s-K = > lb/ft -s-F 0.000373574867724868
! J/K = > Btu/F 0.000526917584820558
! J/kg -K2 = > Btu/lb -F2 0.000132889924714692
! J/m3 = > Btu/ft3 2.68096514745308E-05
! kg/kg -K = > lb/lb -F 0.555555555555556
! kPa = > psi 0.145038
! kPa = > inHg 0.29523
! m2/s = > ft2/s 10.764961
! m3/kg = > ft3/lb 16.018
! m3/m3 = > ft3/ft3 1
! N-s/m2 = > lbf -s/ft2 0.0208857913669065
! V/K = > V/F 0.555555555555556
! W/m-K2 = > Btu/h-F2 -ft 0.321418310071648
! m3/s-m = > ft3/min -ft 645.89
! J/m2 -K = > Btu/ft2 -F 4.89224766847393E-05
! cycles/hr = > cycles/hr 1
! kg/kg = > lb/lb 1
! J/J = > Btu/Btu 1
! g/GJ = > lb/MWh 0.00793664091373665
! L/GJ = > gal/kWh 0.000951022349025202
! m3/GJ = > ft3/MWh 127.13292
! m3/s-m2 = > ft3/min -ft2 196.85
! m3/s-person = > ft3/min -person 2118.6438
! W/m2 -K2 = > Btu/h-ft2 -F2 0.097826
! g/MJ = > lb/MWh 7.93664091373665
! L/MJ = > gal/kWh 0.951022349025202
! m3/MJ = > ft3/kWh 127.13292
! W/W = > Btuh/Btuh 1
! $/m2 = > $/ft2 0.0928939733269818
! $ = > $ 1
! $/kW = > $/( kBtuh/h) 0.293083235638921
! $/m3 = > $/ft3 0.0283127014102352
! years = > years 1
! $/(W/K) = > $/(Btu/h-F) 0.52667614683731
! $/(m3/s) = > $/(ft3/min) 0.000472000059660808
! W/m = > Btu/h-ft 1.04072
! K/m = > F/ft 0.54861322767449
! W/s = > W/s 1
! kmol = > kmol 1
! J = > Wh 0.000277777777777778
! GJ = > ton -hrs 78.9889415481832
! kg/m2 = > lb/ft2 0.204794053596664
! kg = > lb 2.2046
! percent/K = > percent/F 0.555555555555556
! kg/s2 = > lb/s2 2.2046
! g/mol = > lb/mol 0.0022046
! deltaJ/kg = > deltaBtu/lb 0.0004299
! person/m2 = > person/ft2 0.0928939733269818
! m2/person = > ft2/person 10.764961
! W/person = > Btu/h-person 3.412
! m3/person = > ft3/person 35.319837041
! m3/hr -person = > ft3/hr -person 35.319837041
244 CHAPTER 20. CREATING INPUT FILES

! m3/m2 = > ft3/ft2 3.281

! m3/hr -m2 = > ft3/hr -ft2 3.281
! m3/hr = > ft3/hr 35.319837041
! s/m = > s/ft 0.304785126485827
! m2/m = > ft2/ft 3.281
! L/day = > pint/day 2.11337629827348
! L/kWh = > pint/kWh 2.11337629827348
! kg/Pa -s-m2 = > lb/psi -s-ft2 1412.00523459398
! m/hr = > ft/hr 3.281
! Mode = > Mode 1
! Control = > Control 1
! Availability = > Availability 1
! rev/min = > rev/min 1
! W/(m3/s) = > W/(ft3/min) 0.0004719475
! VA = > VA 1
! N-m = > lbf -in 8.85074900525547
! m3/s-W = > ft3 -h/min -Btu 621.099127332943
! cm2 = > inch2 0.15500031000062
! kg/m = > lb/ft 0.67196893069637
! m/yr = > inch/yr 39.37
!
! Other conversions supported (needs the \ip -units code)
!
! m = > in 39.37
! W = > W 1
! m3/s = > gal/min 15852
! m3/s = > lbH2O/hr 7936289.998
! Pa = > inHg 0.00029613
! Pa = > inH2O 0.00401463
! Pa = > ftH2O 0.00033455
! W/person = > W/person 1
! W/m2 = > W/m2 1
! W/m2 = > W/ft2 0.0928939733269818
! W/m-K = > Btu/h-ft -F 0.577796066000163
!
! Units fields that are not translated
! deg
! hr
! A
! dimensionless
! V
! ohms
! A/V
! eV
! percent
! s
! W/m2 , deg C or cd/m2
! W/m2 , W or deg C
! minutes
! 1/hr
! **************************************************************************

20.2 IDFEditor
IDF Editor is an optional component of the EnergyPlus installation. For users who want a simple
way of creating or editing EnergyPlus input data files (IDF), IDF Editor provides this service. The
IDF Editor does not check inputs for validity, although some numeric fields are highlighted if out
of range and some text fields are highlighted if they contain an invalid reference. For instructions
and rules that must be followed when creating an IDF file the user should refer to the Input/Output
Reference document.
20.2. IDFEDITOR 245

Figure 20.1: IDF Editor Screen.

246 CHAPTER 20. CREATING INPUT FILES

20.2.1 Start IDF Editor

IDF Editor should be located in the EnergyPlus\PreProcessor\IDFEditor directory where you
installed EnergyPlus. By double clicking on the IDF Editor icon you will get a screen similar to
the one shown above. IDF Editor works in conjunction with the current EnergyPlus Input Data
Directory (IDD) file that resides in the directory where EnergyPlus is installed. Another way to
start the IDF Editor is from EP-Launch. Multiple IDF files can be opened at once.

20.2.2 Creating or Selecting an Input Data File

Creating a new input data file or selecting an existing input data file can be accomplished either
through use of the File menu on the menu bar at the top of the screen or through use of the New
File icon button or Open File icon button on the tool bar.

20.2.3 Class List and Objects

The classes that can be used to make up an IDF file have been organized into groups as shown in
the ‘Class List’ portion of the screen. A class is made up of a group of objects. Select a class from
the list by clicking on and highlighting the class. The field to the left of the selected class in the
‘Class List’ will either contain [——] to indicate that this class has no objects in the IDF file or it
will contain a number like [0003] to indicate the number of times the object currently appears in
the IDF file. For example, for the BuildingSurface:Detailed class selected in the screen above under
the Thermal Zone Description/Geometry group, there are 40 objects in the IDF file. The details for
these 40 objects or any new object that is defined are displayed in columns within the grid. Each
object is made up of fields and can be used to further define the object. Any units attached to each
field are shown in the second column. You may need to scroll down the ‘field’ list or maximize the
application to see all of the fields. Likewise, you may need to scroll to the right of the main grid to
see other objects.
Options under the view menu can change how you use the Class List. To display only classes
that contain objects select the “show classes with objects only” option on the “View” menu. You
can also toggle this feature on and off with CTRL+L. If the file is empty and has no objects, this
toggle does not impact the display.
The “Show Quick Select Dropdowns” view menu option adds two new input fields to the main
screen. The input fields can be used to go quickly to different classes in the main list of classes. By
typing in the top input field, the group that starts with those letters are displayed. After selecting
one and pressing the tab button, classes in that group are shown and by typing the first few letters,
you can easily select a specific class. Pressing tab again displays that class and it objects. This
method allows for quick selection of classes if you remember the group name and class name.

20.2.4 Changing Values

By clicking and highlighting a value within an object, several things happen:
1) Any user comments from the IDF file will be displayed in the ‘Comments from IDF’ portion
of the screen
2) Any notes contained in the IDD for this input field will be displayed in the ‘Explanation of
Keyword’ portion of the screen
20.2. IDFEDITOR 247

3) The value can be edited. Depending on the field, a drop down list may display the default
value, maximum and minimum, or other keywords that can be used with the field.

4) Numeric fields that can be autosized will include “autosize” as a selection in the drop down
list.

5) Some numeric fields have a maximum and/or minimum value specified in the IDD. If the
value entered is outside this range, the cell will be highlighted in pale orange.

6) For values that are names of nodes, a new dialog box titled “Edit or Select Node Name” can
be shown when the small button is pressed that is on the right side in each node name cell as
described in the next section.

20.2.5 Edit or Select Node Names Dialog

The following dialog box is displayed when the small button is pressed that is on the right side of
cells used for node names. Double clicking on cells containing node names can also make the dialog
box appear.

Figure 20.2: Edit or Select Node Name Dialog Box

To enter a new node name, type it in the “Node Name” field near the top of the dialog. To select
a name of a node that is already being used in the file, choose a node name from the list shown on
248 CHAPTER 20. CREATING INPUT FILES

the left of the dialog box and labeled “Other Node Names.” When a node name is selected from
the list on the left side of the dialog box, the box near the bottom left shown as “Where Selected
Other Node Name Appears in File” will display the name of the class, name of the object and name
of the field for each other location in the file that node name is currently be used.
The Other Node Names list on the left side of the dialog box may contain a very long list of
node names depending on the complexity of the HVAC system. To help with this, four options
are available just above the list titled All, Recent, Containing, and Class or Field. The All option
shows all node names used in the file while the other options are used to narrow the list down to
only certain node names. The Recent option shows only node names that have recently been edited.
The Containing option shows a list on the right side of the dialog box called “Filter by Contents”
which shows all of the various words used as part of node names. These words can be selected
and the Other Node Names list will only show node names that contain those words. By selecting
words from this list, the list of Other Node Names can be shortened very quickly. The last option,
Class or Field, shows a hierarchical list on the right side titled Filter by Object or Field containing
the list of classes and fields that can have node names. By selecting an object or a field, the Other
Node Names list on the right shows only node names that are present in the selected object or field.
This is another way of quickly shortening the list of Other Node Names so that the appropriate
node name can be selected.
Finally, the Containing Text field just above the OK button can be typed in. Whatever you
type limits the Other Node Names list to just those characters. The more typed, the shorter the
list becomes. This is another method of quickly finding the node name used in other parts of the
file. The Containing Text field is usually used with the All option but can be used with the other
display options as well.

20.2.6 Working with Objects

To delete an object, first click on any value for the object and then click on the “Del Obj” button.
To add a new object, click on the “New Obj” button and a new object column with fields set to
blanks, zeros, or default values will be added to the far right of the grid. The “Dup Obj” button is
similar to “New Obj”, but copies the values of the fields of the currently selected object. Copying
and pasting an object or groups of objects is also possible using the “Copy Obj” and “Paste Obj”
buttons. These allow objects to be copied between files are also good for copying from files in the
DataSets subdirectory. (Also see the Edit menu to perform these functions.)

20.2.7 File Menu

The File menu can be used for creating or selecting input files just like the buttons on the IDF
Editor screen (see the Creating or Selecting an Input File section above). In addition, the File menu
is used to save a file or exit the IDF Editor. More than one file can be opened at a time.
The “File”, “Save Options” screen is shown below.
The save options allow the order of the objects in the file to be sorted by type of object or to
keep the original order of the objects (for an existing file). The placement of new objects when the
original order is specified can be either at the top or bottom of the file.
In addition, the Save Options also allow certain objects to be written to the file using a specific
format that some users prefer.
The settings for the save options are kept for each file saved from the IDF Editor.
20.2. IDFEDITOR 249

Figure 20.3: IDF Editor Save Options Screen.

The “Set as Default” option allows you to keep the save options intact for files that have not
been saved yet with a version of IDF Editor that has this capability.
The Help that is available from the Save Options screen is reproduced below:

• The save options are related to the layout of the IDF file after it is saved. These options are
not important if you never edit the IDF file with a text editor.

• The sorted order of saving objects is the traditional way the IDF Editor sorts objects within
files. Each type of object is presented in groups in the order they appear in the Energy+.IDD.
The other options preserve the original order of the objects from the file but each object will
be still be reformatted. By preserving the order, the objects are not rearranged so you can
group them using a text editor and they will stay in that order. New objects are placed either
near the top of the file or near the bottom of the file so that they can be easily found when
using a text editor.

• You can also choose to specially format some objects. This affects how individual fields
in objects are arranged when saved. Selecting this option will format the following
objects on a single line: Report, Report Meter, Report Variable, Version, Timestep in
Hour, Inside Convection Algorithm, Outside Convection Algorithm, Solution Algorithm,
Shadowing Calculations, Ground Reflectances, and GroundTemperatures:Deep. In addition,
Schedule:Compact objects will be formatted to have two field for some lines. With this
option, objects with geometric vertices are formatted to have the X, Y, and Z values
on the same line. Those objects include: Surface:HeatTransfer, Surface:HeatTransfer:Sub,
Surface:Shading:Detached:Fixed, Surface:Shading:Detached:Building and Surface:Shading:Attached.

• These options are saved for each file. If a file has not been saved with IDF Editor yet, the
default is used but if a file does not specify the default values for these can also be set by
using the set as default option. The saved file keeps these options by using the !-option line
with SortedOrder, OriginalOrderTop, OriginalOrderBottom, and UseSpecialFormat.”
250 CHAPTER 20. CREATING INPUT FILES

• Full line comments which begin with “!” are preserved by IDF Editor and become associated
with the object immediately followin the comment line(s).

• Endline comments which begin with “!” are preserved by IDF Editor and are placed
immediately before the object they are found in.

• Endline comment which being with “!-” are automatic comments which IDF Editor will
overwrite with the field name and units. User-provided text which follows “!-” will be lost.
User comments should be added above the pertinent object using “!” to begin the line.

Also on the File menu is the Open DataSet menu and submenu. This allows you to open any
input file that appears in the DataSet subdirectory and copy objects from them into another file.
This is required because EnergyPlus does not read the DataSet files, it is up to you to include
objects from them.

20.2.8 Edit Menu

The Edit Menu offers options to create a new object, duplicate an object, and delete an object as
well as finding and searching. The object options are the same operations as can be accomplished
by using the ‘New Obj’, ‘Dup Obj’ and ‘Del Obj’ buttons (see the Working with Objects section
above). In addition, the “Next Row after Enter” option can be toggled. When this option is on,
the selection moves down one row after pressing Enter. The copy and paste object commands allow
a single object to be copied within a file or between files. The pasted object appears as the last
object in the class. This capability makes it easier to utilize the data in the DataSets directory.
The Find Class menu item brings up the following dialog box used to search through the Class
List:

Figure 20.4: Find Class Dialog Box

The Find Class dialog can be used to find class names quickly and can be activated by the
CTRL-F keyboard combination. The Find Previous Class (CTRL-T) and Find Next Class (CTRL-
G) can continue the searching process for the next and previous times that the searched text is
found in the Class List. If you find this option useful you may also want to try the Show Quick
Select Dropdowns option under the View menu which also speeds up searching through the Class
List.
The Search and Replace menu item or CTRL-H activates the following dialog box:
The Search and Replace dialog box can be used to find and change each instance of text being
searched with some replacement text. The Search and Replace dialog is used to search and replace
values of fields rather than classes like the Find Class dialog. To use the Search and Replace dialog,
20.2. IDFEDITOR 251

Figure 20.5: Search and Replace Diaglog Box

enter the text being searched in the Find What field and press the Find button. After the Find
button is pressed, the list shows the places in the file that the text appears. For each time the text
is found, the entire field value is shown followed by the class name, name of the object, and the
name of the field in parentheses. Each item in the list can be selected using the check box to the
left. The All and None buttons will select all or none of the items found. After the locations are
selected that need to be replaced, you should enter the text in the Replace With field. When the
Replace Selected button is pressed the value in each of locations that were checked will be replaced
with the Replace with text.
The dialog will usually open with the Find What field filled with the value of the currently
selected cell. If the current cell has just been changed, the Find What and the Replace With fields
will contain the before and after values of the change in the current cell. This makes it easy to
change other instances in the file to be consistent with the changes just made. If renaming objects,
the recommended approach is to rename the object and select the cell again and open the Search
and Replace dialog. This will show other places in the file that use that object name that also may
need to be changed.

20.2.9 View Menu

The View menu offers options for units and column widths. The Narrow/Medium/Wide Column
options set the standard column width for items in the object grid. Individual columns can also
be resized by dragging the column separator. The displayed value is rounded and/or expressed in
scientific notation to fit within the column width.

1) EnergyPlus input files are always in SI units. However, selecting “Inch-Pound” (IP) units
in the View menu displays and edits values in IP units in the IDF editor. The IP unit will
be displayed in the units column of the object grid. Some SI units convert to multiple IP
units. For example, W becomes Btu/hr for heating and cooling capacity but remains as W
for lighting and electrical equipment.
252 CHAPTER 20. CREATING INPUT FILES

2) All conversion factors used in the IDF editor are documented in a block of comments near
the top of the Energy+.IDD file.

3) Schedules, fluid properties and curves now support IP unit conversions. For curves, the
minimum and maximum values are converted but the coefficients are not.

To display only classes that contain objects select the “show classes with objects only” option
on the “View” menu. You can also toggle this feature on and off with CTRL+L. If the file is empty
and has no objects, this toggle does not impact the display.
The “Show Quick Select Dropdowns” option, which can also be turned on and off with CTRL-Q,
displays two dropdown lists above the class list that can be quickly used to select classes. The first
list displays the possible groups. Once those are selected, the second list contains only the classes
within that group. This option may be used to quickly access classes while avoiding scrolling
through the long class list. In addition these pull down menus may be used with the keyboard to
select groups and class names based on the first few letters of the names.
The figure below shows the “Layout Options” also accessible under the View menu.
This option allows for different arrangements of the layout for the main screen of the IDF Editor.
Select one of the four layouts available.
The “Show Quick Select Dropdowns” view menu option adds two new input fields to the main
screen. The input fields can be used to go quickly to different classes in the main list of classes.
The “Validity Check” function has replaced and expanded upon the old “Check Out-of-Range”
function. It can also be started by using CTRL-R. The “Validity Check” function performs three
kinds of validity checks and displays the results as shown in the dialog box below:
The list displays the values and locations for objects with values that are either above the
maximum or below the minimum values. This allows you to check your input for out-of-range
values prior to running EnergyPlus. It also displays fields that contain invalid references. An
invalid reference is when a name is used that should be the name of object but no object exists
that uses that name. For example, if a Construction object references a layer named IN20 but no
Material (or Material:NoMass, etc.) object is named IN20. When viewing the class that contains
invalid references, those references are shown with a different background color similar to numbers
that are out of range. The “Validity Check” dialog also shows when an entry for a field is not
one of the possible lists of choices. The Goto button allows you to jump directly to the selected
identified problems. The Perform Validity Check When Saving File can be turned on and off and
automatically performs the check whenever the file is saved.

20.2.10 Help Menu

The Help menu offers options to open the EnergyPlus documentation files.

20.2.11 Caveats
Remember to save any changes made before you create or edit another input file.
No “Run EnergyPlus” button is available. Save your IDF file and use EP-Launch to execute an
EnergyPlus run.
You cannot edit comments in the ‘Comments from IDF’ section of the screen.
The use of point “.” or comma “,” as the decimal symbol is controlled by the windows system
settings. This setting is found in the Control Panel, Regional Options, Number tab, Decimal Symbol
20.2. IDFEDITOR 253

Figure 20.6: IDF Editor Layout Options Screen.

254 CHAPTER 20. CREATING INPUT FILES

Figure 20.7: Validity Check Dialog Box

field. IDF Editor will use the current decimal symbol to signify the start of the fractional portion
of the number and will ignore other symbols. The idf file is always written using point “.” as the
decimal symbol.

20.2.12 Bugs
Please report any bugs to the helpdesk (email to energyplus-support@[Link]) so that we can fix
them prior to the next release.
Chapter 21

Manipulating Output Files

21.1 EP-Compare
The EP-Compare program is no longer included in the EnergyPlus distribution. Please see the
[Link] file in the EP-Compare folder within the PostProcess folder for more information.

255