[Equest-users] eQuest Wiki & Other Question

[Nick Caton]

Carol I think I can fill in a response:

 

More often than not, big complicated energy modeling projects typically
result in another individual doing the HVAC design.  When that other
person regularly uses HAP and/or Trace to run sizing loads, we
ultimately have to butt heads to be sure eQuest is arriving at similar
answers, and it usually is off in one zone or another by a big factor.
Quirks like unexpectedly huge people densities or particular OA
requirements get missed by eQuest's occupancy libraries.

 

The concept of being able to get to a certain point of the energy model,
avoiding inputting any system sizing parameters (Auto-size CFM's,
capacities, etc), and then import such information from another's work
(rather than doing it by hand from cryptic output reports), is really
appealing as that's a part of the job that's both un-fun and drawn out.
It does encourage using the model to tweak the HVAC design process to a
more intimate degree than we might otherwise, once the two sets of
results are calibrated to each other, which I think is great.

 

Envisioning this, I think it would manifest as an option in Trace or HAP
(or similar loads program) to  create a text file (*.inp) containing the
variables you'd want to import located under the respective
zones/systems.  There would have to be some graphic/visual means of
telling Trace/HAP the cryptic zone/system names generated by eQuest to
make this a time-efficient feature.

 

To Matthew's question, I'm afraid this concept will be remaining in
perpetual la-la-land unless Trane or Carrier decide/realize they might
get a lot more business by assigning this interoperability feature to
their respective software developers.  As they both perceive their
software packages as "competitors," to eQuest, I don't see it happening
anytime soon, but I've been wrong before!

 

I have heard scattered reports (and even seen a few screenshots) of
people in the "real world" managing to get GBS/Revit to interface via
export into eQuest - but my personal attempts (3 times) have all failed
along the way... it seems rooted to model manipulations that Revit MEP
cannot do, which Architectural can (and we don't have the budget for)
that are required for a clean export.  To my limited understanding, with
this process you're getting geometries (polygons, surfaces) defined, and
possibly spaces/zones and constructions, but beyond that you're left to
do everything else without the wizards.

 

~Nick

 

PS: If any man wants to contribute woman-hours (or vice versa, I won't
judge!) to making that eQuest-wiki concept happen, then make it known
=).  By contributing, I'm explicitly suggesting being willing to write
up one or more articles, mini-guides, or how-to's.

 

 

 

 

NICK CATON, E.I.T.

PROJECT ENGINEER

25501 west valley parkway

olathe ks 66061

direct 913 344.0036

fax 913 345.0617

Check out our new web-site @ www.smithboucher.com 

 

From: equest-users-bounces at lists.onebuilding.org
[mailto:equest-users-bounces at lists.onebuilding.org] On Behalf Of Carol
Gardner
Sent: Thursday, July 15, 2010 10:05 PM
To: Matthew W. Higgins
Cc: eQuest user forum
Subject: Re: [Equest-users] eQuest Wiki & Other Question

 

Sorry, Matthew, but I can't resist this: if they were "woman-hours" at
stake there would be fewer and the outcome better. You left yourself
wide open for that one!

Related to your second paragraph, can you give me an example of why you
would want to go from eQUEST to XML/Trace? I am stumped as to why you
want to do such a thing.

Carol

On Thu, Jul 15, 2010 at 1:51 PM, Matthew W. Higgins <MWHiggins at bpce.com>
wrote:

Seems like a lot of the traffic lately (past month or so) could be
lightened by the eQuest Wiki that was mentioned. Anything come of that?
Of course, keeping respectful of the fact that these are man-hours at
stake to create it all.

 

Also, unrelated, I'm aware of the workflow using GreenBuilding Studio to
go from Revit to eQuest and the ability to bring XML into Trace, but is
there a workflow to go from eQuest BDL to Trace or back out to an XML,
file then into Trace? Seems like GBS could go from eQuest to XML/Trace,
primarily for time savings when creating geometries.

 

Thoughts? Thanks.

 

Matthew Higgins, ASHRAE-HBDP, LEED-AP

Energy Engineer

 

Bridgers & Paxton Consulting Engineers, Inc.

4600-C Montgomery Blvd. NE

Albuquerque, NM  87109

505-883-4111

505-888-1436  Fax

mwhiggins at bpce.com 

 

www.bpce.com

 


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-- 
Carol Gardner PE

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