energyplus hvac generator

IRUSE has developed a tool to generate the objects needed to run an EnergyPlus simulation aside from those directly related to the building geometry, constructions and schedules.The majority of these objects relate to HVAC and plant systems, however, other objects such as those related to internal loads, are also included. The tool is intended to operate with the files output from the Google SketchUp OpenStudio plugin or the output from geometry translation tools, such as GST/IDF Generator.

The primary interface to the tool is an Excel workbook. This describes all of the components within a building or zone and their associated parameter values. A VBA macro then outputs a series of files containing the parameter values (and some EnergyPlus objects) in the EnergyPlus Macro Language. These files are automatically assembled (along with the geometry, schedules and constructions) into an input file for EnergyPlus. Thus, many tedious tasks associated with creating an EnergyPlus model are avoided. For example: a HW water loop, along with all the associated objects, such as splitters, mixers, branches, etc., is created automatically based on the HW components in the workbook. The tool also includes some rudimentary error-checking for many parameter values.

This tool is compatible with EnergyPlus v7.0. It is actively under development and new features/capabilities are added as required for our case study buildings. However, the tool requires an good understanding of EnergyPlus and is intended for research purposes. Please contact Paul Raftery for details.

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