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File Management and Errors Modeling Tools

Create a new EnergyPlus Zone Create a new EnergyPlus Shading Group Add Internal Loads to an EnergyPlus Zone (New) Create a new EnergyPlus Daylighting Controls Object (New) Create a new EnergyPlus Illuminance Map Object (New) Match Surfaces between EnergyPlus Zones (New)

Viewing Model Data Running Simulations/Help Rendering Options OpenStudio Menu Items

Create a new EnergyPlus Zone

The New Zone command activates a tool that enables you to create a new zone. Click anywhere in the view and use the cursor to select a point that will become the new zone origin. You cannot currently change the zone origin in OpenStudio once it is placed. You can change it in the IDF file directly, but this may alter your geometry. An empty SketchUp group highlighted with a blue bounding box will appear. It is anchored at one corner by a construction point.

(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL) With the cursor still positioned over the construction point, double-click it to begin editing the zone. Any new SketchUp entities that you draw inside the group with the standard tools (Rectangle, Polygon, Pencil, etc.) will immediately add new EnergyPlus heat transfer surfaces (BuildingSurface:Detailed, FenestrationSurface:Detailed, and Shading:Zone:Detailed) to the input file. Floors, walls, roofs, windows, doors, and attached shading surfaces are all automatically inferred from their tilts and positions relative to other surfaces.

(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL) Note: The size of the bounding box is arbitrary. Once the zone group is open for editing, you can draw anywhere within the view and the bounding box will stretch to fit the entities. If you accidentally click outside the zone group and the bounding box disappears, simply click on the construction point at the zone origin again to select the zone group and the bounding box will reappear. Double-click the construction point, or any entity within the group, to open it for editing again. Note 2: The construction point at the zone origin is used only to hold an empty group open. Once you have drawn some entities inside the group, you can erase the construction point. There is also a hidden construction point in the opposite corner of the bounding box. Select View/Hidden Geometry to show it. You can then delete that construction point. It just makes the bounding box fit more tightly for small zones. The "Getting Started" tutorial provides more detail about creating zones and shading groups.

Create a new EnergyPlus Shading Group

The New Shading Group command activates a tool that enables you to create a new shading group. Shading groups are not EnergyPlus objects so they are not preserved in the IDF file. They are used only by the plugin to group and isolate detached shading surfaces from the rest of the SketchUp model. This tool works almost identically to the New Zone tool, except that any new SketchUp entities you draw inside the group will immediately add new detached shading surfaces instead of heat transfer surfaces (Shading:Building:Detailed and Shading:Site:Detailed) to the input file.

Create a new EnergyPlus Daylighting Controls Object (New)

This tool creates a new EnergyPlus Daylighting Control. This consists of a pair of sensors, which by default will be placed at 30 inches above the surface you click on. You can move both sensors via SketchUp tools or the Object Info Window. You can also turn off the second sensor if you want only one, and many attributes can be set that feed information to EnergyPlus. The Glare Calculation Azimuth Angle of View Direction also changes the appearance of the object in OpenStudio. You can have only one Daylighting Control in each zone. To report data from the sensors in EnergyPlus, you also need to include lights, which you can add via the Zone Loads Tool. The following screenshot shows what the Daylighting Controls look like; an image of the Object Information Window shows settings for the Daylighting Controls. The data point for the sensor is at the cross in the middle of the component. The arrow points in the direction of the glare calculation.

(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL) See Adding and Modifying Daylighting Controls for a more extensive tutorial.

Create a new EnergyPlus Illuminance Map Object (New)

This tool creates a new EnergyPlus Illuminance Map that consists of rectangle with a grid representing the data points. By default it will be placed 30 inches above the surface you click on. You can move and resize the Illuminance Map with the SketchUp Move and Scale Tool and with the Object Information Window. You can have only one Illuminance Map in each zone. To obtain data reported for the map in EnergyPlus, you also need to include a Daylighting Controls Object and lights, which you can add via the Zone Loads Tool. The following screenshot shows what the Illuminance Map looks like; an image of the Object Information Window shows settings for the Illuminance Map.

(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL) See Adding and Modifying Illuminance Maps. for a more extensive tutoria.

Add Zone Loads to an EnergyPlus Zone (New)

You can use the Zone Loads tool to add loads from people, lights, and equipment. You can also address ventilation, air infiltration and HVAC thermostat set points and schedules. You can apply these settings across the entire model, to a specific selection of zones, or to a single zone. The following dialog box shows the data it takes. See Adding Zone Loads to Your Model for a more extensive tutorial.

(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

Match Surfaces between EnergyPlus Zones (New)

This tool does not draw new geometry, but addresses data connections that have to be made between coplanar surfaces in adjacent zones. Once you have drawn the surfaces, you can use this tool to handle the data connections. Before searching on a large IDF, you can close the Outliner and Object Information windows to expedite the search.

(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL) See the Surface Matching Tool for a more extensive tutorial.

Viewing Model Data

Information Tool Object Information Window Outliner (Native SketchUp Feature) Surface Search (New) Set Default EnergyPlus Constructions (New)

Running Simulations/Help Rendering Options OpenStudio Menu Items

Information Tool
The Information Tool command activates a cursor-like tool that hovers over information about the face. A tooltip momentarily shows the EnergyPlus object text for that face. The status bar shows the position of the cursor in world coordinates. The following screenshot shows the information tool being used on a base surface of a zone. The data tool will work on all surfaces and subsurfaces, but will not identify data for objects such as Daylighting Controls or Illuminance Maps. You can see the same information for these by opening the Object Information Dialog box while the object is selected. (See the next subject for a screenshot of this.)

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(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL) Back to Top

Object Information Window

The Object Information command displays a dialog window with information about the currently selected EnergyPlus object. The content of this dialog changes based on the type of object selected. Select a zone group to see object information about the zone. Double click on a zone group for editing and select a face to see object information about that heat transfer surface. Open a shading group for editing and select a face to see object information about that detached shading surface. With no selection, you see object information about the Building object. Changing selections with the Object Information dialog open will dynamically update the contents with information about the new selection. The contents of the Object Information dialog window are divided into three sections: Object Inputs, Object Summary, and Object Text. The fields in the object inputs section enable you to directly change the fields of the corresponding EnergyPlus input object. The list of fields depends on the type of object you select. For example, for a typical BuildingSurface:Detailed object you can easily assign a new name, set the surface type, set the construction, set the boundary conditions, etc. All other objects that reference that object will update automatically. Your changes are not committed until you click on the dialog outside of the text field. Coordinates for surface vertices cannot be edited from this dialog. You must use the standard SketchUp tools to modify the geometry. The object summary section displays number of vertices, gross area, net area, percent glazing, etc. Like the input fields, the content of the summary depends on the type of object you select.

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The Object Text section displays the actual text of the input object as it appears in the EnergyPlus input file. You can select and copy the text, but you cannot edit it directly. Use the input fields in the Object Inputs section to make changes. All changes are made instantaneously and will show up immediately in the object text. Original comments and formatting of the input file are preserved.

(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL) Object Information Window while Zone is selected

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(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL) Object Information Window while surface is selected

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(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL) Object Information for Building (while nothing is selected)

Default Constructions

Default Constructions

Default Constructions are used to set constructions on new geometry as it is drawn. Default Constructions are defined for each of exterior and interior floors, walls, roof/ceilings, windows, and doors. Currently there are no separate Default Constructions for below-grade surfaces.

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Default Constructions are initialized to the constructions used to start a new model from the IDF template, such as "Exterior Wall". The template file is located under OpenStudio/NewTemplate.idf. This is automatically loaded when you start a new IDF file. When opening an IDF file that has no constructions with names corresponding to those in a new file, you will be prompted to provide defaults. You can ignore this prompt if you do not plan to draw new geometry. Changing the Default Constructions does not affect existing surfaces. It only sets the defaults for surfaces created from that point forward. Choose "Apply to Entire Model" or "Apply to Selection" to quickly reset existing surfaces to the current Default Constructions. This can be applied either to a given selection or the entire model. Use the Surface Search Tool to create custom selections of surfaces across multiple zones for resetting to Default Constructions. If a selection contains no surfaces of a given type; e.g., interior doors, the value for that surface types Default Construction has no affect and does not need to be set. Surfaces are reset to the current default interior or exterior construction of their type when the surface matching routine is run. It is necessary that matched surfaces from different zones share the same constructions. If you choose a single zone as a selection and then apply newly changed Default Constructions to that zone; matched surfaces in adjacent zones may now be out of sync. You will have to make sure they are in sync again before running a simulation.

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New Construction Stub enables you create a new Construction to reference. You can start assigning this construction to surfaces right away, but at some point you will need to edit this new construction in the IDF file directly to set the desired properties. You can save your Default Constructions Preferences to an external file for a given project, and reopen these settings when needed to avoid having to manually reset each time you open the file. You are not exporting the actual constructions, only the names. The constructions have to be in a given IDF file to use them. You can obtain a report of the last Default Construction application in comma separated value (CSV) format to verify the operations that have been performed.

Outliner (Native SketchUp Feature)

The Outliner shows a hierarchy of all the top-level and nested components and groups in your model. You can filter what is shown, collapse or expand it, and make selections in the model by clicking on these objects. You can select objects that may be hard to otherwise select, such as a zone with no surfaces in it. It is also a powerful search tool on large projects with many zones. If you consistently name your zones, you can make better use of this.

(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

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Surface Search (New)

OpenStudio Surface Search tool picks up where the Outliner leaves off. This powerful surface search tool enables you to search most parameters of your surfaces. It selects and visually isolates the results by hiding all other surfaces. When you are finished, you can click "Unhide All" on the Surface Search dialog to unhide the rest of the surfaces. Before searching on a large IDF, you can close the Outliner and Object Information windows to expedite the surface matching.

(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL) See Searching Data in OpenStudio Models for a more extensive tutorial.

Set Default EnergyPlus Constructions (New)

This powerful tool enables you set default constructions for different types of EnergyPlus surfaces. Default Constructions are used to set constructions on new geometry as it is drawn.

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(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL) See Setting Default Constructions Preferences for a more extensive tutorial.

Running Simulations/Help
Run EnergyPlus Simulation Connect to the EnergyPlus Example File Generator OpenStudio User Guide

Rendering Options OpenStudio Menu Items

Run EnergyPlus Simulation

The Run Simulation command displays a dialog window that enables you to select run control options, select a weather file, configure run periods, and choose results to be reported. Click on the Run button to launch a simulation of the current EnergyPlus input file. The EnergyPlus engine will begin to run in a shell command window. You may continue to work in SketchUp while the simulation is running. If you decide not to run the simulation at this time, click on the Apply button to save your configuration.

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(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL) Options for run control enable you to choose whether you want to run design day simulations, weather file simulations, or both. You can also select the start and end dates for the weather file run period. Changing these options will update the Run Period object in the simulated input file.

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Options for reporting results enable you to choose the data you want reported back from the simulation. The Report Annual Building Utility Performance Summary (ABUPS) option reports a file that provides a helpful summary of the building energy use over the run period and a breakdown of end uses. You can choose the format for this report (HTML, CSV, Tab, orFixed), and the units (SI or IP). The Report User Variables And Meters option preserves any Output:Variable and Output:Meter objects already in the input file. If this option is not checked, all Output:Variable and Output:Meter objects are stripped from the input file. The Report Zone Temperatures option adds Output:Variable objects for zone mean air temperature (MAT) and zone mean radiant temperature (MRT). The Report Inside and Outside Surface Temperatures option adds Output:Variable objects for all inside and outside surface temperatures. These might be useful for data visualization studies. There are also options for various actions that should be performed when the simulation is complete. The Close Shell Command Window option will automatically close the shell window (MS-DOS console). If this option is unchecked, you will have to manually close the window before you can automatically perform any other actions (e.g., show the error file). The Show Error File option opens the eplusout.err file in the preferred text editor. You should always check your ERR file after every EnergyPlus run. The Show Annual Building Utility Performance Summary (ABUPS) option opens the ABUPS file for viewing. The Show Report variables and meters file (CSV) option opens the report variable output in comma-delimited (CSV) format. If any you select Output:Variable options, the EnergyPlus output file is postprocessed into a CSV file whether or not you select the To Show option.

Connect to the EnergyPlus Example File Generator

This launches the U.S. Department of Energy's Example File Generator. This is another method to add data to your IDF file. This launches as a Web window in SketchUp. After you complete the process, the sample file will be sent to you via e-mail. (See the screenshot of the Web site.)

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(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

OpenStudio User Guide

This command opens the User Guide help pages (what you are reading right now) in your default web browser.

Rendering Options
Hide Rest of Model (Native SketchUp Feature) View Hidden Geometry (Native SketchUp Feature) View Model in X-ray Mode (Native SketchUp Feature) Render by Surface Class Render by Data Render by Outside Boundary Condition (New) Render by Layer (Native SketchUp Feature) Render by Surface Normal (Native SketchUp Feature) Render Settings Color Scale Simulation Results Data Tool Animation Settings Animation Controls

OpenStudio Menu Items

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Hide Rest of Model (Native SketchUp Feature)

On the first image, "Hide Rest of Model" is not active, so when you edit a group or component, the rest of the model is grayed out but still visible. The following image has "Hide Rest of Model" active. As a result, that is all you see when you are editing a group or component.

(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

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(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

View Hidden Geometry (Native SketchUp Feature)

When "View Hidden Geometry" is not active, you see only the middle zone on the third floor. When you activate "View Hidden Geometry", you see a semitransparent view of the rest of the model. This technique shows only objects that are hidden because of the "hide" attribute. If a layer that contains an entity has been turned off, it will still be off in this mode.

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(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

View Model in X-ray Mode (Native SketchUp Feature)

X-ray mode enables you to quickly look inside your model without hiding anything or creating section cuts.

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(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

Render by Surface Class

This is your typical working rendering style. Walls, roofs, windows, doors, and floors, and shading surfaces all have their own unique self-assigned colors.

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(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

Render by Data
Once you load the ESO file, select the run period, and select the data variable, you can use the Render by Data command to view the model colored by the data value. Surfaces or zones are colored by the variable value at a given time. To change the time, use the SketchUp Shadow Settings control (Window->Shadows). If the time is outside the current run period, no values will display. You can display a color bar or use the data value cursor to reference the absolute values of the variable.

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(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

Render by Outside Boundary Condition (New)

This is a good rendering mode to diagnose problems with your model. It colors surface by their outside boundary conditions. It provides a quickly way to globally look at boundary conditions throughout your model.

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(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

Render by Layer (Native SketchUp Feature)

This will render content by layer. You can create zones to represent anything you want to track. For example space types. Create or zones on these layers, or move the to this layer. Keep in mind, that the layer structure isn't saved with the IDF file, so any layer's you setup are just for your current session.

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(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

Render by Normal (Native SketchUp Feature)

This rendering style only has two colors. Red or white. White represents the front of a face/surface, while red represents the back of a face/surface. This is a good diagnostic tool to look for reversed faces. Normally red would be inside of the building, and white outside, but if faces are reversed, the model could appear similar to below.

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(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

Render Settings
You can use this setting to select the EnergyPlus Standard Output (ESO) file corresponding to your current idf model. Once the ESO is loaded, you can select from available run periods (such as design days or annual simulations) and then from available report or meter variables. Scan the "*.mdd", "*.mtd", and "*.rdd" files to see which meters and report variables are available for your model. Currently, only surface or zone level meters and report variables are supported. The ESO file can become quite large for models with many report variables, so parsing this file may be somewhat slow and cause the UI to lock up. If possible, limit the amount of meter and report variable output requested, look at the results of design days only, or shorten the simulation run period to minimize the size of the ESO. You can also cache read ESO files into a format that can be parsed more quickly. This option will generate a "*.eso.cache" file in the same directory as the selected ESO file. You can delete the cache file at any time; it will refresh when the file timestamp on the ESO file is newer than the cache file.

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(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

Color Scale
You can open this window to see the current data value associated with a rendered color. This will change as you adjust the min and max value and data type. You can see the color scale on the screenshot under "Render by Data".

Simulation Results Data Tool

The Results Data Tool functions much like the normal Information Data tool in OpenStudio; however, in this case it displays the data associated with the surface it is over. This data are based on your current rendering settings. You can also see the Results Data Tool in use on the screenshot under "Render by Data".

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Animation Settings
Load the ESO file into memory. Then use the Animation command to see how variables change with time. You can configure the time period to run (you can tell it to loop continuously if you wish). No direct animation export is provided, but you can use a screen capture tool to record a video.

(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

Animation Controls
Animation tools give you controls to play, pause, rewind, and fast forward the animation. It uses the makers and frame settings you set in Animation Settings window.

OpenStudio Menu Items

File Information Simulation Information Edit Thermostats New Construction Stub New Schedule Stub Render By Layer Render by Surface Normal Preferences Check for Updates About OpenStudio

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File Information
The File Info command displays a dialog window with information about your current EnergyPlus input file, including the file name, the file path, the file size (as currently saved), and a count of some types of EnergyPlus objects.

(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

Simulation Information
The Simulation Info command displays a dialog window that enables you to set the fields for the GlobalGeometryRules and Site:Location objects in EnergyPlus.

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(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

Edit Thermostats
This enables you to edit and create new thermostats for your model. This is also available through the Zone Loads dialog box.

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(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

New Construction Stub

The New Construction Stub command creates a new Construction object in the input file. A dialog prompts you to enter the name of the new construction. The new object is only a stub. It has no material layers assigned to it, so you will have to edit the input file to add material layers to the Construction and create the associated Material objects before your input file will run properly. You can access this through the Default Constructions dialog or through Menu/OpenStudio/New Construction Stub.

(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

New Schedule Stub

The New Schedule Stub command creates a new schedule object in the input file. A dialog prompts you to enter the name of the new schedule. The new object is only a stub. It has no data assigned to it yet, so you will have to edit the input file to add material layers to the Construction and create the associated Material objects before

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your input file will run properly. You can access this through the Zone Loads dialog or through Menu/OpenStudio/New Schedule Stub.

(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

Render by Layer
This command toggles SketchUp's built in "Render by Layer" mode on and off. This is applied globby to all faces, and does not alter the individial face materials. When this mode is on, you will not see the true face material.

Render by Surface Normal

This command sets the face front and back colors to white and red respectivly. It also changes the face style setting to "Display shaded using all same". This is a diagnostic tool to quickly identify faces with reversed normals. This is applied globby to all faces, and does not alter the individial face materials. When this mode is on, you will not see the true face material.

Preferences
The Preferences command displays a dialog window with various user preferences for the plugin that are preserved between SketchUp sessions. This is where you set the path to the executable for the EnergyPlus engine.

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(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

Check for Updates

You can run this to see if you are using the most current release of OpenStudio.

(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

About OpenStudio
This command displays a modal dialog window with version and copyright information.

IDF 201 - Adding new IDF objects (adding additional output variables, photovoltaic system)
Add additional output reports

There are hundreds of EnergyPlus output options. They all serve a purpose depending upon what information you are looking for from your simulation. OpenStudio makes a few of the most common report types directly accessible from within the "Run Simulation" dialog, under the results tab shown below.

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OpenStudio adds IDF objects to your building model right before it runs depending on which boxes you have checked, it does not save these objects to your working IDF file. However, you can add these output requests using a text or IDF editor in which case you do not need to use OpenStudio to request output. You can see the file which OpenStudio runs by looking at the "in.idf" file in your run directory.

(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

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The Annual Building Utility Performance Summary is a predefined annual summary report. Another predefined annual summary report is the Input Verification and Results Summary. This provides a number of different results, including a breakdown of the window to wall ratio for all walls in the project, broken down by the direction the walls are facing. The text below is all that has to be added to your IDF file to request this report. o Output:Table:SummaryReports, InputVerificationandResultsSummary, !- Report Name

Below you can see some of the results from the Input Verification report which are contained in the EnergyPlus ".html" file output that is created in the same directory as your IDF file.

(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

You may add additional reports under the "Output:Table:SummaryReports" object. The Envelope Summary lists walls and details their construction, reflectance, U-Factor along with a number of other results. Shading Summary will detail for every window what fraction of the window is in shade at nine different times of the year (9am, noon,

39 and 3pm on the solstices and equinoxes). See the Energy+.idd listing for "Output:Table:SummaryReports" to see a complete list of predefined output tables.

Output:Table:SummaryReports, InputVerificationandResultsSummary, !- Report Name EnvelopeSummary, !- Report Name ShadingSummary; !- Report Name

Below you can see some of the results from the Envelope Summary report, also in the "html" file contained in the same directory as your IDF file.

(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

Add a photovoltaic generator (Generator:Photovoltaic) object

Adding the output reports was pretty easily. You add a few lines of text and you are done. Adding something like a photovoltaic generator involves a little more work.

40 There are a few objects that have to work in conjunction with each other, and with objects you may already have in your model. Below is a screenshot of the model that will be used for this demonstration. SketchUp labels have been added to identify the surface and generator names where PV will be added. This isn't saved with the IDF, but was just added for this demonstration.

(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

When you want to add a more complex object like this into your model there is often a relevant sample file that has all the parts you need. You can copy and alter the objects as needed. In this case the sample file you can refer to is in the EnergyPlus example files folder and named "GeneratorswithPV.idf". The further simplified IDF used in this tutorial is included in the OpenStudio install under "OpenStudio/examples/PV objects and sample model/Sample_PV_object_in_model.idf". There are a number of objects to add in order to make the photovoltaic system properly function. First are a series of "ElectricLoadCenter" related objects. o ElectricLoadCenter:Distribution, Simple Electric Load Center, !- Name PV list, !- Generator List Name Baseload, !- Generator Operation Scheme Type

41 0, !- Demand Limit Scheme Purchased Electric Demand Limit {W} , !- Track Schedule Name Scheme Schedule Name , !- Track Meter Scheme Meter Name DirectCurrentWithInverter, !- Electrical Buss Type Simple Ideal Inverter; !- Inverter Object Name ElectricLoadCenter:Inverter:Simple, Simple Ideal Inverter, !- Name always On, !- Availability Schedule Name , !- Zone Name 0.0, !- Radiative Fraction 1.0; !- Inverter Efficiency ElectricLoadCenter:Generators, PV list, !- Name SIMPLE PV ShadingSurface,!- Generator 1 Name Generator:Photovoltaic, !- Generator 1 Object Type 20000, !- Generator 1 Rated Electric Power Output always On, !- Generator 1 Availability Schedule Name , !- Generator 1 Rated Thermal to Electrical Power Ratio SIMPLE Integrated PV, !- Generator 2 Name Generator:Photovoltaic, !- Generator 2 Object Type 20000, !- Generator 2 Rated Electric Power Output always On, !- Generator 2 Availability Schedule Name , !- Generator 2 Rated Thermal to Electrical Power Ratio SIMPLE Roof Paver PV, !- Generator 3 Name Generator:Photovoltaic, !- Generator 3 Object Type 20000, !- Generator 3 Rated Electric Power Output always On, !- Generator 3 Availability Schedule Name ; !- Generator 3 Rated Thermal to Electrical Power Ratio

The "PhotovoltaicPerformance:Simple" object describes both the efficiency of our panels, as well as what percentage of our surface is covered with PV. For this demonstration all three generators use the same "PhotovoltaicPerformance:Simple" object; but each generator could also have its own "PhotovoltaicPerformance:Simple" object. o PhotovoltaicPerformance:Simple, 12percentEffPVhalfArea, !- Name 0.5, !- Fraction of Surface Area with Active Solar Cells {dimensionless} Fixed, !- Conversion Efficiency Input Mode 0.12; !- Value for Cell Efficiency if Fixed Next we have the "Generator:Photovoltaic" objects. Notice how the names below match up with the names for the "ElectricLoadCenter:Generators" above. The Generators below also refer to the "PhotovoltaicPerformance:Simple" object by name, and lastly, they refer to already existing surfaces in the model by name ("external shade", "spandrel panel", and "roof"). o Generator:Photovoltaic, SIMPLE PV ShadingSurface, !- Name external shade, !- Surface Name ** change to match your surface

42 PhotovoltaicPerformance:Simple, !- Photovoltaic Performance Object Type 12percentEffPVhalfArea, !- Module Performance Name Decoupled, !- Heat Transfer Integration Mode 1.0, !- Number of Modules in Parallel {dimensionless} 1.0; !- Number of Modules in Series {dimensionless} Generator:Photovoltaic, SIMPLE Integrated PV, !- Name spandrel panel, !- Surface Name ** change to match your surface PhotovoltaicPerformance:Simple, !- Photovoltaic Performance Object Type 12percentEffPVhalfArea, !- Module Performance Name IntegratedSurfaceOutsideFace, !- Heat Transfer Integration Mode 1.0, !- Number of Modules in Parallel {dimensionless} 1.0; !- Number of Modules in Series {dimensionless} Generator:Photovoltaic, SIMPLE Roof Paver PV, !- Name roof, !- Surface Name ** change to match your surface PhotovoltaicPerformance:Simple, !- Photovoltaic Performance Object Type 12percentEffPVhalfArea, !- Module Performance Name IntegratedExteriorVentedCavity, !- Heat Transfer Integration Mode 1.0, !- Number of Modules in Parallel {dimensionless} 1.0; !- Number of Modules in Series {dimensionless}

The shading surface PV is thermally decoupled from the building. As the surface heats up, it doesn't transfer heat into a thermal zone of the building. Since this object only provides shade and isn't part of a thermal zone, it doesn't have a construction. Below is the relevant IDF text for the object. o Shading:Building:Detailed, external shade, !- Name , !- Transmittance Schedule Name 4, !- Number of Vertices 0.000000, !- Vertex 1 X-coordinate {m} -1.371600, !- Vertex 1 Y-coordinate {m} 3.048000, !- Vertex 1 Z-coordinate {m} <cut short> The spandrel panel is attached to the building, and as the PV panel heats up, it transfer some of that heat into the thermal zone just like most other external surfaces. You can see above that generator for this has its heat transfer integration mode set to "IntegratedSurfaceOutsideFace". The material and construction for this is pretty typical to a normal exterior wall. o BuildingSurface:Detailed, spandrel panel, !- Name Wall, !- Surface Type PVSpandrlPanel, !- Construction Name PV Test Building, !- Zone Name Outdoors, !- Outside Boundary Condition , !- Outside Boundary Condition Object SunExposed, !- Sun Exposure WindExposed, !- Wind Exposure , !- View Factor to Ground

43 4, !- Number of Vertices 0.000000, !- Vertex 1 X-coordinate {m} 0.000000, !- Vertex 1 Y-coordinate {m} 1.524000, !- Vertex 1 Z-coordinate {m} <cut short>
o

Construction, PVSpandrlPanel, !- Name PVModule(glass), !- Outside Layer PVModule(glass), !- Layer 2 B4 - 3 IN INSULATION, !- Layer 3 E6 - 1 / 2 IN GYP SHEATHING BOARD; !- Layer 4

The roof has the panel attached in a method that simulates an air cavity between the panel and the roof. Its heat transfer mode is set to "IntegratedExteriorVentedCavity". To accomplish this some objects have to be added that simulate the air cavity. These in turn are referenced in the surface object. BuildingSurface:Detailed, roof, !- Name Roof, !- Surface Type PVRoofPaverUnderlayment, !- Construction Name PV Test Building, !- Zone Name OtherSideConditionsModel, !- Outside Boundary Condition PVRoofPaverSystem1, !- Outside Boundary Condition Object SunExposed, !- Sun Exposure WindExposed, !- Wind Exposure 0.0, !- View Factor to Ground 4, !- Number of Vertices 0.000000, !- Vertex 1 X-coordinate {m} 6.096000, !- Vertex 1 Y-coordinate {m} 5.791200, !- Vertex 1 Z-coordinate {m} <cut short>

Construction, PVRoofPaverUnderlayment, !- Name IN35, !- Outside Layer ROOFING - BUILT UP ROOFING - 3 / 8 IN, !- Layer 2 INS-Roof-R_15, !- Layer 3 MAT-METAL; !- Layer 4 SurfaceProperty:OtherSideConditionsModel, PVRoofPaverSystem1, !- Name GapConvectionRadiation; !- Type of Modeling SurfaceProperty:ExteriorNaturalVentedCavity, PVRoofPaverExtVentCav1, !- Name PVRoofPaverSystem1, !- Boundary Conditions Model Name 0.02, !- Area Fraction of Openings {dimensionless} 0.9, !- Thermal Emissivity of Exterior Baffle Material

44 {dimensionless} 0.92, !- Solar Absorbtivity of Exterior Baffle {dimensionless} 0.05, !- Height Scale for Buoyancy-Driven Ventilation 0.05, !- Effective Thickness of Cavity Behind Exterior Baffle {m} 0.97, !- Ratio of Actual Surface Area to Projected Surface Area {dimensionless} Smooth, !- Roughness of Exterior Surface 0.1, !- Effectiveness for Perforations with Respect to Wind {dimensionless} 0.5, !- Discharge Coefficient for Openings with Respect to Buoyancy Driven Flow {dimensionless} roof; !- ** change surface name when using IntegratedExteriorVentedCavity Heat Transfer Mode

In the end you have a chain of connected objects referencing each other that looks something like this: ElectricLoadCenter > Generator > PhotovoltaicPerformance & Surface > Construction > Material While it looks very complicated you can really just copy and paste everything in the OpenStudio sample file that falls below the line that says " !- =========== IMPORTED PV OBJECTS ===========". After you paste this you just need to update the Generator objects to point to the desired surface, and then adjust the construction of that surface as necessary to properly simulate how it will be built. Lastly to view simulation results for the photovoltaic system we need to request those results. You don't have to request all everything shown below. Just request what you want. o Output:Variable,*,PV Generator DC Power,hourly; Output:Variable,*,PV Generator DC Energy,hourly; Output:Variable,*,Inverter AC Energy Output,hourly; Output:Variable,*,Inverter AC Power Output,hourly; Output:Variable,*,PV Array Efficiency,hourly; Output:Variable,*,PV Cell Temperature,hourly; Output:Meter,Photovoltaic:ElectricityProduced,runperiod; Output:Meter:MeterFileOnly,Photovoltaic:ElectricityProduced,monthly;

Below you can see the results of the simulation. This model doesn't have any internal loads or HVAC systems so it isn't using any energy; it only generates energy.

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(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

The next tutorial will demonstrate how to batch run variations of a model. A valuable use for this would be to study the affect of changing the angle of the panels on the amount of electricity generated.

IDF 301 - Batch running multiple simulations using EP-Launch (building orientation sensitivity)
Prepare IDF files

Often it is nice to run simulations on a series of models that have one aspect changed slightly from model to model to look at energy sensitivity to the aspect being altered. Below are some examples of what you might vary from one model to the next. o building orientation o wall R-value o percentage of glazing

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o o o o o o

geometry of shading devices changes to occupancy schedule aspect ratio of building number of floors building location solar panel positioning

The first step is to create a series of IDF files based on an original file. There may be times that you don't need to create multiple IDF files. For example if you are just simulating a design in multiple cities, or if you are using a tool that will generate the design variations for you. For this demonstration the IDf creation will be manual, and the aspect of the design that will change is the building orientation. The first step is to open your IDF file in OpenStudio and go to the plugins menu in SketchUp. Choose "Plugins/OpenStudio/Simulation Info". Change the Coordinate System to "Relative Coordinates".

(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

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Once the coordinate system has been set, save and close your IDF file. Then create as many copies of the file as you want to run. Rename them to identify what is changing, for example, adding a prefix of "020" to identify a rotation angle of 20 degrees. Below you can see an IDF field where the North rotation angle changed from "0" to "20" degrees.

(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

Batch run simulations with EP-Launch

Once your files have been created go to the EnergyPlusV5-0-0 folder and open the "EPLaunch.exe". This application can be used to run single simulations or to run multiple simulations. Press the "New Group" button to get started. Note that on the Mac OS Ep-Launch light doesn't support batch or group simulations.

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(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

The next step is to choose the IDF files you want to simulate. Once you define the path you can choose all of the files or manually pick them.

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(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

Next you can pick one or a group of weather files. If you choose a group of weather files then the list of IDF files will be simulated for each weather location. So if you have 10 IDF files and 4 weather files, you will have 40 simulations run.

(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

After you choose the IDf and weather files, you have an opportunity to add additional simulations, or remove specific ones from the list.

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(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

Next you define where the simulation results will be saved. Choose "User Defined Location".

(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

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You will be prompted for a path to save the EnergyPlus Group file. This saves all of your preferences making it easy to re-run the batch simulation if you make changes to the IDF files. After that choose "Simulate Group" to start the simulations.

(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

When the simulation run is done you will have a sub folder for each weather location setup for the group. All of the simulation results are inside of the @font-face { fontfamily: "Cambria Math"; }@font-face { font-family: "Calibri"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; }span.EmailStyle15 { font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: windowtext; }.MsoChpDefault { }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } corresponding weather folder.

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(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL) View batch simulation results

You can view the simulation results for each simulation like you would for a single simulation. You can look at the html and error files, and can open the IDF in OpenStudio and load the ESO file. There are also some nice tools that work well for viewing results of multiple simulations at once. EP-Compare is made just for this. It is located under the EnergyPlus install under "PostProcess\EP-Compare\EP-Compare.exe". When you first open it choose "Manage Files" and then choose the directory with the simulations you want to compare.

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(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

Once the files are loaded you can view the data in a variety of different ways. Each section of the graph is for one of the simulation runs. In this case North rotation of "0" is at the left, and "160" is at the right (20 degree steps). It was a symmetrical building so the simulation set didn't need to go through the entire 360 degrees of rotation.

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(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

ResultsViewer is another application for viewing simulation results. While it is very nice for viewing details from a single simulation, it can also open multiple SQL files at once. Then if you use the filter tool you can trim down your list of variables and choose one from each simulation file. ResultsViewer will show you a more detailed picture about specific times of year or times or times of day. "ctrl" click each value you want and then right click and choose "line plot". The graph below shows monthly results, which was requested along with hourly values in the IDF files.

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(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

The graph above looks at the entire building, but you can also look at specific zones. The graph below shows the Sensible Cooling Rate for one of the first floor perimeter zones. You can see there is some cross over in the stacking order of the lines depending upon the time of year. This could be a good tool to inform what shading devices might need to look like on different facades depending upon the building orientation.

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(Credit: David Goldwasser/NREL)

Once you have completed your batch simulation and reviewed the results hopefully you have gained information to inform your design process. There could be a number of things you could do next to follow up. o You may want to change the building design and then go back and re-run the simulation group again. o If you are happy that you have addressed the building orientation for project, then maybe you create a new simulation group to study the percentage of glazing, shading devices, or on envelope constructions. o This is a powerful tool that leverages the work you have already done to create the energy model. It also helps to validate assumptions about the efficiency of different design variations.