Hello!<BR><BR>There is a good reason people don't use spreadsheet analyses very much anymore for building modeling. I used bin models for many years to estimate HVAC energy use and kept improving my technique until I arrived at what was dubbed the Osama bin Model approach. In the end, I ditched this to learn how to do things right in eQuest.<BR><BR>What was the big lesson? Bin models at best are big sloppy averaging exercises that use first principals (read: "easy math") to determine operation at any one point in time. This is cool for ventilation calculations where the loads are instantaneous and related directly to ambient conditions, but definitely not a good way to model the impacts of anything that has time lags/delayed responses. How do you estimate the benefit of commercial building envelope upgrades? Most savings arise during unoccupied periods, primarily from reduced cycling of fans, pumps, cooling systems, and boilers. Sure there are reduced heating/cooling loads, but how do you estimate the heat loss when you can't estimate what the average interior temperature is going to be? <BR><BR>Yeah, spreadsheet calcs definitely have their place and I still do use them. I have found that eQuest is a whole lot faster and more accurate than the ol' Osama bin Model when doing whole-building analyses.<BR><BR>Eric<BR><BR>__________________<BR><BR>Eric Studer, PE<BR>Project Manager<BR>DMI<BR>35 Walnut Street<BR>Wellesley, MA<BR>(781) 431-1100 ext 12<BR>Fax: (781) 431-1109<BR><BR><BR>
<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=7 cellPadding=1>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD bgColor=#789be0>
<DIV style="WIDTH: 1px"></DIV></TD>
<TD>
<DIV class=Section1>
<DIV>
<DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #b5c4df 1pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; PADDING-TOP: 3pt">
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">From:</SPAN></B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> bldg-sim-bounces@lists.onebuilding.org [mailto:bldg-sim-bounces@lists.onebuilding.org] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Daniel Croisant<BR><B>Sent:</B> Monday, February 22, 2010 4:50 PM<BR><B>To:</B> bldg-sim@lists.onebuilding.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> [Bldg-sim] Estimating Energy Consumption Using Spreadsheets<?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal>Hello,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal>I’ve “grown-up” in the time when energy modeling programs always existed. I’m curious if anyone that has been in the business for awhile has any experience using spreadsheets to estimate a building’s energy consumption, and if so, would you be so kind as to share them with me? I’m not looking to use it on any projects and would not try to hold anyone liable for any results. I’m just curious as to how people tackled the issue of estimating energy usage, other than degree days, before the popularization of DOE and other energy modeling programs. Plus I think it would just be fun to play around with what other people have used. <o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal>Thank you in advance,<o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt" class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN style="COLOR: maroon">Dan Croisant</SPAN></B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Gill Sans MT','sans-serif'"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 9pt">Mechanical Design Engineer</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Gill Sans MT','sans-serif'; COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 9pt"> | LEED AP</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 9pt">Direct 262.522.4414 </SPAN><o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: maroon; FONT-SIZE: 9pt">I B C ENGINEERING SERVICES, INC. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: gray; FONT-SIZE: 9pt">N8 W22195 Johnson Drive, Suite 180 <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: gray; FONT-SIZE: 9pt">Waukesha, Wisconsin 53186 </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: gray; FONT-SIZE: 9pt">T 262.549.1190 : : F 262.549.1620 </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Gill Sans MT','sans-serif'; COLOR: gray; FONT-SIZE: 9pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: gray; FONT-SIZE: 9pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 13pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="COLOR: maroon"><A title=http://www.ibcengineering.com href="blocked::http://www.ibcengineering.com" mce_href="blocked::http://www.ibcengineering.com"><SPAN style="COLOR: maroon">www.ibcengineering.com</SPAN></A></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P></DIV>
<HR style="HEIGHT: 1px" noShade>
_______________________________________________<BR>Bldg-sim mailing list<BR><A style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://lists.onebuilding.org/listinfo.cgi/bldg-sim-onebuilding.org" target=_blank mce_href="http://lists.onebuilding.org/listinfo.cgi/bldg-sim-onebuilding.org">http://lists.onebuilding.org/listinfo.cgi/bldg-sim-onebuilding.org</A><BR>To unsubscribe from this mailing list send a blank message to <A style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://mbox.dmiinc.com/compose.php?to=BLDG-SIM-UNSUBSCRIBE@ONEBUILDING.ORG" target=_top mce_href="compose.php?to=BLDG-SIM-UNSUBSCRIBE@ONEBUILDING.ORG">BLDG-SIM-UNSUBSCRIBE@ONEBUILDING.ORG</A><BR></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>