[Bldg-sim] [TRAINING] EnergyPlus & Modelkit | Newark, NJ | 2026 Jan

[Aaron Boranian]

Big Ladder Software is pleased to announce that we are offering a new
*in-person* training series for *EnergyPlus *and* Modelkit*!

This training series will be hosted by the *New Jersey Institute of
Technology* in *Newark, NJ* and include three of our workshops:


   - *EnergyPlus* for Practitioners
   <https://training.bigladdersoftware.com/course/energyplus-for-practitioners-2026-01>
    from *January** 13-14, 2026*
   - *EnergyPlus* EMS Controls
   <https://training.bigladdersoftware.com/course/energyplus-ems-controls-2026-01>
    on *January** 15**, 2026*
   - *Modelkit* for *EnergyPlus*
   <https://training.bigladdersoftware.com/course/modelkit-for-energyplus-2026-01>
    on *January** 16**, 2026*

There are also two bundle discounts available. *Save $175 if you *register
for both *EnergyPlus* workshops
<https://training.bigladdersoftware.com/bundles?bundle_id=in-person-bundle-newark-energyplus-workshops-2026-jan>,
or *save $290 if **you *register for ALL workshops
<https://training.bigladdersoftware.com/bundles?bundle_id=in-person-bundle-newark-all-workshops-2026-jan>
*!*


*Visit our training platform to register*
<https://training.bigladdersoftware.com/>

*https://training.bigladdersoftware.com/
<https://training.bigladdersoftware.com/>*

*EnergyPlus* for Practitioners
<https://training.bigladdersoftware.com/course/energyplus-for-practitioners-2026-01>

*Dates: *January 13-14 (Tuesday - Wednesday)

Location: NJIT Hillier College of Architecture and Design
<https://maps.app.goo.gl/x2Bd1aMSVvHwpU7o9> in Newark, NJ

*Time*: Start at 8 AM and end at 5 PM each day

*Price: *$1,095 USD per person


*Workshop Description*

- Have you ever wanted to truly understand how to use *EnergyPlus* at the
text level?
- Have you been using *OpenStudio*, *DesignBuilder*, or another GUI and had
the need to peek under the hood to debug a problem or implement a measure
or workaround?

*This workshop should be a prerequisite for anyone planning to work
with EnergyPlus regardless of what user interface you choose.*

This workshop focuses on the needs of the energy modeling practitioner in
order to get you up to speed and be highly productive with *EnergyPlus* as
quickly as possible. We cover the fundamentals of *EnergyPlus* such as
geometry and internal loads while rapidly ramping up to advanced topics
such as HVAC systems and controls. We guide you through the complexities of
the *EnergyPlus* syntax, input/output files, documentation, and essential
software tools including the *Euclid* plugin for *SketchUp*. Most
importantly, we teach you how to use the available resources to teach
yourself going forward.

Demonstrations and hands-on exercises are used extensively throughout. By
the end of the workshop, you should be comfortable with creating, running,
and debugging *EnergyPlus* models.


*EnergyPlus* EMS Controls
<https://training.bigladdersoftware.com/course/energyplus-ems-controls-2026-01>

*Date: *January 15 (Thursday)

Location: NJIT Hillier College of Architecture and Design
<https://maps.app.goo.gl/x2Bd1aMSVvHwpU7o9> in Newark, NJ

*Time*: Start at 8 AM and end at 5 PM

*Price: *$595 USD per person


*Workshop Description*

This workshop covers the Energy Management System (EMS) capability of
*EnergyPlus*, which allows the implementation of custom control strategies
and calculation routines that override standard modeling processes within
*EnergyPlus*. We cover the *EnergyPlus* Runtime Language (Erl) that is used
to describe the custom control programs, how to create EMS components
(sensors, actuators, output variables, etc.), and how to debug the
execution of EMS programs. Lecture topics include how to create advanced
HVAC control sequences, how to override default HVAC operation (flow rate,
setpoint temperature, capacity, etc.), how to abort a simulation when
operational faults occur, and how to use outputs to generate trend data.
Demonstrations and hands-on exercises are used extensively throughout.

*Previous experience with EnergyPlus is strongly recommended but not
required. *


*Modelkit* for *EnergyPlus*
<https://training.bigladdersoftware.com/course/modelkit-for-energyplus-2026-01>

*Date: *January 16 (Friday)

Location: NJIT Hillier College of Architecture and Design
<https://maps.app.goo.gl/x2Bd1aMSVvHwpU7o9> in Newark, NJ

*Time*: Start at 8 AM and end at 5 PM

*Price: *$595 USD per person

*Workshop Description*

*This workshop should be a prerequisite for anyone planning to work
with EnergyPlus DEER prototypes
<https://github.com/sound-data/DEER-Prototypes-EnergyPlus/tree/main>.*

This workshop teaches you to use the *Modelkit
<https://bigladdersoftware.com/projects/modelkit/>* framework developed by
Big Ladder Software for generating *EnergyPlus *input files. We cover the
basics of how *Modelkit* uses the *Ruby* programming language in
combination with a library of templates to highlight the benefits of these
features. We then describe the process of templates being combined together
in order to compose the *EnergyPlus* input file, and how parametric values
can be set in one template and passed to another. For example, changing an
HVAC system type from “CAV” to “VAV” would require changing a single
parameter – the templates are pre-configured to update EnergyPlus object
types, inlet/outlet node connections, and other details accordingly.

Next, we cover Big Ladder Software’s *Modelkit* Flannel framework that
simplifies parametric analysis by allowing users to set parametric values
in multiple CSV files and use *Modelkit* to automatically compose and
simulate EnergyPlus input files, as well as compare user-specified results
between simulations.

By the end of the workshop, you should be comfortable with creating and
simulating *EnergyPlus* input files using *Modelkit*. Demonstrations and
hands-on exercises will be used extensively throughout to generate models
with a range of energy-efficiency measures and HVAC system configurations.

*Previous experience with EnergyPlus is recommended but not required.*

Regards,

Aaron Boranian (he/him/his)
Senior Building Simulation Engineer
& Director of Training Services
Big Ladder Software LLC
<https://bigladdersoftware.com/>
 808.895.1741 <+1808-895-1741>
 1617 Wazee St, Unit 200, Denver, CO 80202
<https://goo.gl/maps/XdV4bXukiGBHVoV5A>
 bigladdersoftware.com

<https://static.bigladdersoftware.com/email-signature/redirect.html>
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