Lecture 2: Simulating

Buildings and EnergyPlus

Auxiliary Programs

Material prepared by GARD Analytics, Inc. and University of Illinois

at Urbana-Champaign under contract to the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory. All material Copyright 2002-2003 U.S.D.O.E. - All rights reserved
Importance of this Lecture to the
Simulation of Buildings
Simulation of buildings requires 3 main steps:
Creation of Building Model (Input Definition)

Utilizing a Simulation Program (Running/Debugging Input)

Analysis of Simulation Results (Output)

Most of the lectures in this course focus on the first

of the three steps since this is where most of your
time will be spent
However, using a program and understanding its
output is as critical to the proper use of simulation
This lecture focuses on the last two steps since they
will be useful throughout the semester and will
restrict the discussion to the program we are using
this semester: EnergyPlus

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 Purpose of this Lecture

Gain an understanding of the following

EnergyPlus related issues
Simulation Types
EnergyPlus Files
Auxiliary Programs
EnergyPlus Output
Handling Errors in Input

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 Simulation Types
Peak Thermal Load Calculation
Simulation run for an extreme (design) day or several design
days
Generally used for determining sizing of equipment such as
fans, chillers, boilers, etc.
Building Energy Analysis
Simulation run for an extended period of time: a month,
season, year, or several years using weather files
Includes the building response to the entire range of
conditions expected at a particular site
Helps evaluate the energy cost of the building over longer
periods of time

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 EnergyPlus Files
Let EP-Launch or RunEPlus.bat worry about
getting files into the right place
Simple, console app concept
Energy+.idd constant
Energy+.ini working file paths
In.idf input data file
In.epw weather data
Input files in working directory
Execution from working directory

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 Files Overview

Simple ASCII files

Simple input format (self-contained)
User-defined output (comma separated
data) can be interpreted by many
programs
Spreadsheets
Databases
Custom Programs
Note: be advised that the use of some word processing programs to create input
files may result in errors due to their use of non-simple carriage returns.
Notepad works well if one is trying to create input files by hand. 6
 EP-Launch

Assistance in running EnergyPlus

Reads EPL-Run.bat file
Creates RunEP.bat file and executes
Displays run status (eplusout.end)
Can view all input and output files
Several user options available

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EP-Launch
Access EnergyPlus documentation

Select and edit input file

Select weather file

View output files

Run EnergyPlus

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EP-Launch Setup

Select desired text

editor program
(defaults to .txt editor)

Select drawing viewer

for DXF files (VoloView
Express is free from
www.autodesk.com)

Select desired
spreadsheet program to
view csv files

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EP-Launch Options

Open only ERR and EIO

output files

Pause batch file after

EnergyPlus execution to
read traceback if crash

Wide format for long

path names

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EP-Launch Alternate Layout

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 IDF Editor
Not really an interface
Reads IDD
Structures data entry based on IDD
Writes objects in IDD order
e.g. Run Period, Design Days, all Materials, all
Constructions, all Zones, all Surfaces
Files generated by other means will be rearranged

CANNOT read IMF files (see EP-Macro)

Some tasks must be done in text editor

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 IDF Editor

Select object type from class list

Description of
entry, max and min
when applicable

Pull-down list of keywords or

references when applicable

Objects shown here for selected class

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 WinEPDraw

Creates dxf drawing

Does not run simulation
*.epderr file reports errors
Run independently
EP-Launch drawing button will run if
dxf file not present
dxf file older than idf

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 Results

ERR file contains warnings and errors

(always look here!)
EIO file contains additional EnergyPlus
results, including verification of location,
environment, summary reports, etc.
View menu ERR/EIO/BND only (F2)
RDD file lists the output variables
available from the run

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 Results (contd)
ESO file contains the raw output from the run
(users rarely look here)
CSV versions of ESO and MTR files can be
opened by clicking on the Spreadsheet
button
Can be imported into any spreadsheet program
that accepts the CSV format
DXF file can be viewed by clicking on the
Drawing File button
Can be imported into any CAD program that
accepts the DXF format
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 Input Error Detection
Input Processor checks field type, max, min,
required fields, based on IDD specifications
Inputs are not processed sequentially
Simulation modules perform additional checks
Certain errors will terminate program before
all input has been retrieved by simulation
modules
Previously undetected errors may be reported
after fixing other errors

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 Error Diagnostics

ERR file reports any errors that may

have occurred during the simulation
Error messages may be generated during
its input phase or during the simulation
Error messages usually identify specific
object type and name related to the error
Use search command to locate error in IDF
file

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 Error Diagnostics (contd)

Four levels of error severity:

Message Informative. No action
required.
Warning Take note. Fix as applicable.
Severe Should fix. Program may abort.
Fatal Program will abort

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 Error Diagnostics (contd)

Running EnergyPlus with CVBbRh.idf

results in the following Err file:
Program Version,EnergyPlus, Version 1.1.1
** Warning ** Version in IDF="1.1" not the same as expected="1.1.1"
** Warning ** World Coordinate System selected. Some Zone Origins are non-zero.
** ~~~ ** These will be used in Daylighting:Detailed calculations but not in normal geometry inputs.
************* Testing Individual Branch Integrity
************* All Branches passed integrity testing
************* Testing Individual Supply Air Path Integrity
************* All Supply Air Paths passed integrity testing
************* Testing Individual Return Air Path Integrity
************* All Return Air Paths passed integrity testing
************* No node connection errors were found.
** Warning ** The following lines are "Orphan Objects". These objects are in the idf
** ~~~ ** file but are never obtained by the simulation and therefore are NOT used.
** ~~~ ** See InputOutputReference document for more details.
************* Object=FLUIDNAMES=WATER
************* Object=FLUIDPROPERTYTEMPERATURES=GLYCOLTEMPERATURES
************* Object=FLUIDPROPERTYCONCENTRATION=WATER
************* EnergyPlus Completed Successfully-- 3 Warning; 0 Severe Errors; Elapsed Time=00hr 00min 06sec

Only messages and warningsEnergyPlus ran successfully

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 Error Diagnostics (contd)

Typo in file
BUILDING,
NONE, !- Building Name
0.0000000E+00, !- North Axis {deg}
Suburbs, !- Terrain
3.9999999E-02, !- Loads Convergence Tolerance Value {W}
0.4000000, !- Temperature Convergence Tolerance Value {deltaC}
FullInteriorAndExterior; !- Solar Distribution

abcdefg Typo here

SOLUTION ALGORITHM,
CTF; !- SolutionAlgo

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 Error Diagnostics (contd)

Err file error message

Program Version,EnergyPlus 1.1.0.018, 4/23/2003 9:40 AM

************* IDF Line=28 abcdefg
** Severe ** , or ; expected on this line

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 Error Diagnostics (contd)

*.audit file for context

Search for error flag

20 BUILDING,
21 NONE, !- Building Name
22 0.0000000E+00, !- North Axis {deg}
23 Suburbs, !- Terrain
24 3.9999999E-02, !- Loads Convergence Tolerance Value {W}
25 0.4000000, !- Temperature Convergence Tolerance Value {deltaC}
26 FullInteriorAndExterior; !- Solar Distribution
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28 abcdefg Typo here
** Severe ** , or ; expected on this line
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Error message here

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 Error Diagnostics (contd)

Crashes
EP-Launch indicates that EnergyPlus crashed
EP-LaunchView MenuPause During Simulation
- adds a pause to view traceback
Name of failed routine may provide a clue to
where the problem lies, e.g., CalcSimple Cooling
Coil

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Error Diagnostics (contd)

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 Error Diagnostics (contd)
Reports
Report, Surfaces, DXF
DXF file that will render the surfaces specified in the IDF
file into something viewable
Report, Surfaces, Details
Lists all surfaces with area, azimuth, tilt, construction
and surface type
Report Variable Dictionary
Allows determination of all of the key strings to specify
report variables in the input files (produces RDD file)
Report, Construction
Lists thermal properties of all construction types

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 Error Diagnostics (contd)

Common Errors
Missing comma or semicolon
Inappropriate zero value
Upside down roof or floor
HVAC missing components
HVAC misconnected nodes
Empty objects in IDF Editor

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 Summary

Two main simulation categories:

Thermal load calculations
Energy analysis
Important input files for EnergyPlus:
Energy+.idd and Energy+.ini
In.idf and in.epw
EP-Launch used to select input files and
weather as well as executing EnergyPlus

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 Summary (contd)

Output and error diagnostics:

*.err (and *.audit) messages are not necessarily
problems
Messages and warnings may or may not be
important to the simulation (informational in many
cases)
Severe and fatal errors need to be addressed
Other output files (*.eso, *.csv, *.dxf, *.eio) can
also aid in determining problems in user input

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