Simulation tab on Model Options dialog and Output tab on Simulation Options dialog and Outputs model data tab.
You can control the data generated from simulations by making selections on the Simulation tab of the Model options dialog, on the Output tab of the Simulation calculation options dialog or on the Miscellaneous model data tab.
This option causes average and total zone data to be generated for building and blocks. For example average temperatures, comfort conditions, total solar radiation, internal gains, fabric transmission losses etc. It does not affect the generation of energy consumption and CO2 data at the building level.
Note: It is not possible for DesignBuilder to display block level results when any type of zone merging has been enabled regardless of this setting.
By default, data for unoccupied zones is excluded from block and building totals and averages. Check this option to include data for unoccupied zones.
A zone is defined as unoccupied if it has:
The way building and block averages are calculated is described in the Comfort Analysis section.
Note: if you uncheck this option and all zones in the model are unoccupied then you will get a 'Zero floor area error' message
By default this option is checked and it is possible to select specific outputs for building, zones, surfaces and openings on the Outputs model data tab. The disadvantage of specifying specific output selections for each EnergyPlus object is that it can slow the simulations down, especially the initialisation period before the main simulation starts. For large models this can cause extremely long delays and in this case it is advisable to switch this option off.
When this option is switched off the "*" character is used in the Output:Variable IDF data to mean "all objects", instead of specifying outputs for each object one by one. Because of the way that EnergyPlus is structured this results in much more efficient processing.
The following limitations apply when Allow custom outputs is deselected:
Tip: For very large models it is usually best to uncheck this option to reduce simulation times.
Select this option to generate heat flow at surface boundaries. Note that selecting this option results in large amounts of data being generated as EnergyPlus must generate output for every surface and window in the zone and you should only select it if you need to look at the zone heat balance. The following EnergyPlus reports are generated:
For more information, see under the Fabric and Ventilation header of the Simulation Detailed Results page.
Select this option to generate internal gains-related output and any associated energy consumption. The following EnergyPlus reports are generated:
For more information, see under the Internal Gains header of the Simulation Detailed Results page.
Select this option to generate energy consumption data for the HVAC system.
For more information, see under the System Heat Flows and Fuel breakdown headers of the Simulation Detailed Results page.
Select this option to include output of latent gains from occupants and other internals gains.
For more information, see under the Internal Gains header of the Simulation Detailed Results page.
You can restrict the simulation comfort and environmental outputs using the options:
Note that temperature distribution outputs (below) are unaffected by this setting as they have their own specific reporting period and schedule options.
Select the schedule to be used to restrict outputs when the Reporting period (above) is set to 3-User-defined schedule.
This option generates temperatures and humidity data. The following EnergyPlus reports are generated:
For more information, see under the Environmental/Comfort Output header of the Simulation Detailed Results page.
Select this option to include total infiltration, natural ventilation plus mechanical fresh air supply outputs.
For more information, see under the Fabric and Ventilation header of the Simulation Detailed Results page.
For more information, see under the Environmental/Comfort Output header of the Simulation Detailed Results page.
Checking this option causes these outputs to be generated:
Zone Thermal Comfort ASHRAE 55 Adaptive Model Temperature - the ideal indoor operative temperature, or comfort temperature, as determined by the ASHRAE-55 adaptive comfort model. The 80% acceptability limits for indoor operative temperature are defined as no greater than 2.5°C from the adaptive comfort temperature. The 90% acceptability limits are defined as no greater than 3.5°C from the adaptive comfort temperature.
Note: ASHRAE 55 Adaptive outputs must be viewed in the Results Viewer - they are not available on DesignBuilder Simulation screen.
Note: Since valid ASHRAE 55 Adaptive outputs are only generated when the running mean outside air temperature is higher than 10°C, they apply mainly to summer overheating comfort analyses and so do not pick up winter underheating.
Checking this option causes the following outputs to be generated:
Note: CEN Standard 15251 Adaptive outputs must be viewed in the Results Viewer - they are not available on DesignBuilder Simulation screen.
Select this option to generate TM52 outputs.
Building category
Select the building category. See Comfort Analysis for more details.
Note: CIBSE TM52 outputs must be viewed in the Results Viewer - they are currently not available on DesignBuilder Simulation screen.
Select this option to generate TM59 overheating analysis outputs. When this option is checked the following further options can be selected.
Note: CIBSE TM59 outputs must be viewed in the Results Viewer - they are currently not available on DesignBuilder Simulation screen.
Mechanical ventilation
Selecting this output will add results according to TM59 chapter 4.3, as described in the TM59 section.
Vulnerable occupants
Selecting this output will change the building category for predominantly naturally ventilated buildings according to TM59 chapter 4.2 as described in the TM59 section.
Corridors
Selecting this output will produce results according to TM59 chapter 4.5 as described in the TM59 section.
Natural ventilation rules
There are 3 options to choose from:
1-Standard EnergyPlus controls - applies standard natural ventilation controls as explained in the main help sections.
2-TM59 rules - overrides default EnergyPlus natural ventilation behaviour in favour of the implied TM59 rule to open windows when the inside temperature is greater than 22°C, regardless of outdoor air temperature.
3-Approved Document O rules - applies TM59 rules but with the limits imposed by Approved Document O automatically applied.
Note: When choosing options 2 or 3, please be sure to read the detailed discussion on this option in the TM59 temperature control section, especially if you plan to the use the model for energy analysis as well as for TM59 overheating analysis.
Select this option to generate Fanger PPD and PMV outputs.
Note: PMV outputs should only be viewed on a zone by zone basis at hourly or sub-hourly intervals. When viewing averages over longer intervals the meaning of this output can easily become distorted. For example consider a simple case where there is extreme overheating in the summer (e.g. average PMV = +3) and similarly extreme underheating in the winter (e.g. average PMV = -3). The average over the year might be close to zero, but that does not mean that the building was comfortable throughout the year! For similar reasons the building average PMV should be used with extreme caution.
Select this option to generate the following Pierce 2-Node outputs:
Select this option to generate KSU Model Thermal Sensation Vote outputs using the KSU two-node thermal comfort model.
Select this option to generate Temperature distribution data for each zone.
Reporting period
You can restrict the outputs for simulation temperature distribution only in 2 ways using the options:
- 1-All periods - data is included for all periods including times when the zone is unoccupied.
- 2-Just occupied periods - the default option where data is only included for times when the zone is occupied.
- 3-User-defined schedule - data is only included for times when the value of the Reporting schedule selected below has a value greater than zero.
Reporting schedule
Select the schedule to be used to restrict outputs when the Reporting period (above) is set to 3-User-defined schedule.
Generates the EnergyPlus daylight map outputs.
Details of this report are shown in the EnergyPlus Output Details document.
When this option is selected additional daylighting data is generated as described below.
Daylight factor data is written to the .eio file and the daylight illuminance and glare data is written to the eso file for viewing in the Results Viewer.
Daylight factors are ratios of interior illuminance at a specific location to exterior horizontal illuminance. In EnergyPlus, they are pre-calculated hourly for every shadow calculation day for every exterior window of a daylight zone. The pre-calculated daylight factors are interpolated between hours and for the actual sky conditions in the time-step calculation of the daylighting performance of daylight zones.
EnergyPlus reports the daylight factors for four sky types (clear, turbid clear, intermediate, and overcast) at noon time (12:00pm) for each exterior windows (base window without shading) in the eio file when the daylight factors are first calculated. This reports all hourly pre-calculated daylight factors.
Details of this report are shown in the EnergyPlus Output Details document.
The total daylight illuminance at the first and second reference points from all of the windows in a daylit zone.
The daylight glare index at the first and second reference points in a daylit zone.
EnergyPlus internally calculates energy in the form of J, but since the magnitude of those numbers for most buildings is very large, conversion options are provided for the summary report tables.
Select the units for energy to be reported in the EnergyPlus summary table. Options are:
1-kWh - J converted into kWh (1 / 3,600,000).
2-None - no conversions performed, i.e. energy data is provided in J.
3-MJ - J converted into MJ (1 / 1,000,000)
4-GJ - J converted into GJ (1 / 1,000,000,000)
5-IP - convert all annual, monthly, economics and timebins tabular values to common Inch-Pound equivalents.
The 1-kWh, 3-MJ and 4-GJ unit conversion input options apply only to the Output:Table:Monthly reports and partially to the ABUPS report. For ABUPS, the 1-kWh option changes the report but the 3-MJ and 4-GJ options do not since they it is already in MJ/m2 and GJ. In addition, the 1-kWh option also changes results in the LEED Summary report, changing GJ to kWh and MJ/m2 to kWh/m2.
The easiest option is to select the All Summary report option which will produce all of the annual summary reports, except the Component Load Summary reports.
Including the Component Load Summary report will increase the simulation run time.
Also note that the Envelope Summary, Surface Shadowing Summary and Shading Summary reports can be very long for large models since they include entries for every surface / opening.
The screenshot below shows the summary annual reports available for selection.
Tip: DesignBuilder v7 doesn't provide specific options for the more recent EnergyPlus summary tables listed below, but these can still be generated by selecting the All Summary report option:
- Tariff Report
- Life Cycle Cost Report
- Heat Emissions Report
- Thermal Resilience Summary
- CO2 Resilience Summary
- Visual Resilience Summary
Details on the Summary Annual Reports
The Annual Building Utility Performance Summary report often called ABUPS produces a report with an overall summary of the utility consumption of the building. It contains a number of sub tables that are each described below.
Site and Source Energy – Indicates the total site and source energy use. For electricity the net electricity from the utility is used for the electric contribution. The site to source conversion factors are based on those entered by the user. These are entered in the Environmental Impact Factors and Fuel Factors data.
Building Area – Shows the total floor area of the building and the conditioned floor area.
End Uses – This shows the total use of electricity, natural gas, other fuels, purchased cooling, purchased heating and water for each major end-use category. The end-use categories are Heating, Cooling, Interior Lighting, Exterior Lighting, Interior Equipment, Exterior Equipment, Fans, Pumps, Heat Rejection, Humidification, Heat Recovery, Hot Water, Refrigeration, and Generators. Not all fuels have corresponding end uses. The values in this sub-table are from output meters. To determine which components are attached to each end-use meter, consult the meter details output file (*.mtd). The source of the resource does not affect this table – the amount of electricity used for lights does not change if the electricity is from the utility or from an on-site generator. The district heating column also includes steam.
End Uses By Subcategory – Shows a breakdown of the major end uses by user-defined category. If an end-use subcategory was not input for an object, it is automatically added to the General subcategory for that major end-use category.
Utility Use Per Floor Area – These two sub-tables show the results from the end-uses table divided by the total floor area defined for the building and for the total conditioned floor area. Only three categories for end-uses are used for these sub-tables, lighting, HVAC and other. HVAC includes fans, pumps, heating, cooling, heat rejection, humidification, and domestic hot water heating. The district heating column also includes steam.
Electric Loads Satisfied – Shows the different methods that electric loads are satisfied in the building. The values shown for on site power generation are: Fuel-Fired Power Generation, High Temperature Geothermal, Photovoltaic Power, and Wind Power. The flows to and from the electric utility are shown next and finally the total electricity used at the site is compared to the total generated on site plus the net amount from the electric utility. The percentages shown are based on the total electricity used by the end-uses.
On-Site Thermal Sources – Shows the on-site thermal sources of energy such as Water-Side Heat Recovery, Air to Air Heat Recovery for Cooling, Air to Air Heat Recovery for Heating, High-Temperature Geothermal, Solar Water Thermal, Solar Air Thermal.
Water Loads Summary – Shows the different methods the water loads were satisfied.
The Input Verification and Results Summary report produces a report with several tables including:
General which includes general information like the Program Version and Build, Weather, Latitude, Longitude, Elevation, Time Zone, North Axis Angle, and Hours Simulated.
Window-Wall Ratio table for envelope which includes the wall area, the window area and the ratio of the two. These are computed for all walls and for walls that are oriented generally north, south, east and west. All walls are categorized into one of these four cardinal directions. This is computed for walls that have a tilt of 60 to 120 degrees.
Skylight-Roof Ratio table for envelope which includes the roof area and the skylight area and the ratio of the two. This includes all surfaces with a tilt of less than 60 degrees.
Zone Summary includes internal load summary for each zone including area, if conditioned, volume, multipliers, above ground gross wall area, underground gross wall area, window area, design lighting, design people, and design plug and process.
Hybrid Model: Internal Thermal Mass table is only shown when hybrid model: internal thermal mass simulation. This includes Hybrid Modeling (Y/N) for internal mass and Temperature Capacitance Multiplier values for each zone.
The Source Energy End Use Components Summary report produces a report that includes three tables. These tables display source energy by fuel type that is calculated based on site to source energy factors specified by the user in the EnvironmentalImpactFactors and FuelFactors objects. The last two tables display the source energy in terms of area normalized metrics. Following is a description of each table:
Source Energy End Use Components – This shows the total use of source electricity, source natural gas, source values of other fuels, source purchased cooling and purchased heating for each major end-use category. The end-use categories are Heating, Cooling, Interior Lighting, Exterior Lighting, Interior Equipment, Exterior Equipment, Fans, Pumps, Heat Rejection, Humidification, Heat Recovery, Hot Water, Refrigeration, and Generators. Not all fuels have corresponding end uses. The values in this sub-table are from output meters. To determine which components are attached to each end-use meter, consult the meter details output file (*.mtd). The source of the resource will affect this table – the amount of electricity used for lights will change if the electricity is from the utility or from an on-site generator. The district heating column also includes steam.
Source Energy End Use Components normalized by Conditioned Floor Area – This table shows the total end uses in source energy normalized by conditioned floor area.
Source Energy End Use Components normalized by Total Floor Area – This table shows the total end uses in source energy normalized by total floor area.
The Climatic Data Summary includes the main details on each of the design days including: maximum dry-bulb, daily temperature range, humidity value, humidity type, wind speed, and wind direction.
The Envelope Summary includes the following tables:
Opaque which includes all opaque surfaces and includes the name of the construction, reflectance, U-Factor, gross area, azimuth, tilt, cardinal direction.
Fenestration which includes all non-opaque surfaces and includes the name of the construction, areas (glass, frame, divider, single opening, multiplied openings), U-Factor, SHGC (the solar heat gain coefficient based on summer conditions), visible transmittance, conductance (frame, divider), indication of shade control, the name of the parent surface, azimuth, tilt, cardinal direction.
The Surface Shadowing Summary includes two tables. Note that surfaces starting with “Mir-” are automatically generated by EnergyPlus and are the mirror images of user entered surfaces.
Surfaces (Walls, Roofs, etc) that may be Shadowed by Other Surfaces and includes the name of the surface and a list of surfaces that may possibly cast shadows on that named surface. The list of possible shadow casters does not necessarily mean that they do cast shadows during the simulation, only that their relative position makes it possible that shadows from a surface in the list may fall on the named surface.
Subsurfaces (Windows and Doors) that may be Shadowed by Surfaces, includes the name of the subsurface such as a window or a door and a corresponding list of surfaces that may be casting shadows on the windows and doors.
The Shading Summary includes the following tables:
Sunlit Fraction which shows a list of windows and the fraction of the window that is sunlit for nine specific times of the year. The nine specific times include 9am, noon and 3pm on March 21, June 21, and December 21. These nine times were chosen to represent the range of sun angles. The simulation must include those times for the value to be included in the report.
Window control includes the names of all windows that have a window shading control (see WindowShadingControl) and includes the name of the control, the type of shading, the shaded construction, the kind of control, and if glare control is used.
The Lighting Summary includes the following tables:
Interior Lighting which includes the name of the lights object, the zone that it is used in, the lighting power density, zone area, total power, end use subcategory, schedule name, average hours per week, return air fraction, and whether the zone is conditioned.
Daylighting which includes the names of the daylighting objects, the zone they are used in, the type of daylighting being used, the control type, the fraction of the lighting controlled, the total power of the lighting installed in the zone and the lighting power that is controlled by the daylighting object.
Exterior Lighting which includes the name of the ExteriorLights object, the total watts described by the object, if the ExteriorLights uses an astronomical clock or just a schedule, the name of the schedule used, and the average hours per week for the named schedule for the year. The effect of the astronomical clock does not get included in the averaged hours per week shown.
The Equipment Summary includes some details on the major HVAC equipment present. The report has seven parts.
Central Plant includes details on chillers, boilers, and cooling towers including the capacity and efficiency. For Chiller:Electric:EIR and Chiller:Electric:ReformulatedEIR, IPLV at AHRI standard test conditions is reported.
Cooling Coils includes the nominal total, sensible and latent capacities, the nominal sensible heat ratio, the nominal efficiency, nominal UA value, and nominal surface area for each cooling coil. These values are calculated by calling the cooling coil simulation routine with the rated inlet conditions: inlet air dry bulb temperature = 26.67C, inlet air wet bulb temperature = 19.44C, inlet chilled water temperature = 6.67C.
DX Cooling Coils summarizes the Standard Rating (Net) Cooling Capacity, SEER, EER and IEER values at AHRI standard test. Currently, these values are only reported for coil type = Coil:Cooling:DX:SingleSpeed and Coil:Cooling:DX:MultiSpeeed with condenser type = AirCooled. However, the EER value is not reported for the mulit-speed DX cooling coil. There are two SEER values reported: SEER and SEER Default. The SEER value is calculated using user specified Part Load Factor (PLF) curve used for energy performance calculation and the SEER Default value is calculated using the AHRI Standard 210/240-2008 default PLF curve and cooling coefficent of degradation value of 0.25.
DX Heating Coils summarizes the High Temperature Heating Standard (Net) Rating Capacity, Low Temperature Heating Standard (Net) Rating Capacity and Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF) values at AHRI standard test. Currently, these values are only reported for coil type = Coil:Heating:DX:SingleSpeed.
Heating Coils includes the nominal capacity and efficiency for each heating coil. The capacity is calculated by calling the heating coil simulation routine at the rated inlet conditions: inlet air dry bulb temperature = 16.6C, inlet relative humidity = 50%, inlet hot water temperature = 82.2C.
Fan includes the type of fan, the total efficiency, delta pressure, max flow rate, motor heat in air fraction, and end use.
Pumps includes the type of pump, control type, head pressure, electric power, and motor efficiency for each pump.
Service Water Heating includes the type of water heater, the storage volume, input, thermal efficiency, recovery efficiency, and energy factor.
The HVAC Sizing Summary includes the following tables:
Zone Cooling which includes the following columns for each zone: the calculated design load, the user specified design load, the calculated design air flow, the user specified design air flow, the name of the sizing period, the time of the peak load during the sizing period, the temperature at the time of the peak load during the sizing period, and the humidity ratio at the time of the peak load during the sizing period used.
Zone Heating which includes the following columns for each zone: the calculated design load, the user specified design load, the calculated design air flow, the user specified design air flow, the name of the sizing period, the time of the peak load during the sizing period, the temperature at the time of the peak load during the sizing period, and the humidity ratio at the time of the peak load during the sizing period used.
System Design Air Flow Rates which includes the following columns for each air loop: the calculated cooling air flow rate, the user specified air flow rate for cooling, the calculated heating air flow rate, the user specified air flow rate for heating.
Coil Sizing Summary which includes the following types of information for each coil: coil type, HVAC location, capacity and flow rates at the zone peak, system peak, and final values, design day name and time for the zone peak and system peak, zone conditions at the system peak, etc. This table is a subset of the Coil Sizing Details table. See the Output Details and Examples document for a complete description of each column.
Note: values listed as “calculated” are the unaltered result of the zone or system sizing calculations, using the design sizing period weather and schedules specified in the input. Values listed as “user specified” are either the calculated values modified by global or zone sizing factors or values specified with the flow/zone or flow/system design air flow method.
The Component Sizing Summary includes different tables depending on the kinds of HVAC components that exist in the input file. A table is shown for each type of HVAC component that is sized. The table lists the objects of that type of component that appear in the input file and one or more parameters related to that component. For example, the AirTerminal:SingleDuct:VAV:Reheat component creates a table showing the maximum air flow rate from the sizing calculations and the maximum reheat water flow rate. Another example is the Fan:VariableVolume object which shows a table with both the maximum and minimum flow rates for each fan based on the results from the sizing calculations.
The Coil Sizing Details table includes the following information for each coil: coil type, HVAC location, capacity and flow rates at the zone peak, system peak, and final values, design day name and time for the zone peak and system peak, zone conditions at the system peak, coil entering and leaving conditions, supply fan information, related plant sizing information, etc. See the Output Details and Examples document for a complete description of each column.
The Outdoor Air Summary report includes the following tables:
Average Outside Air During Occupied Hours table shows for each zone the average and nominal number of occupants, the zone volume, the average air change rate based on mechanical ventilation, infiltration and simple ventilation during occupied hours.
Minimum Outside Air During Occupied Hours table shows for each zone the average and nominal number of occupants, the zone volume, the minimum air change rate based on mechanical ventilation, infiltration and simple ventilation during occupied hours.
The System Summary Reportincludes the following tables:
Economizer which includes the following columns for each Controller:OutdoorAir object: the high limit shutoff control, the minimum outdoor air flow, the maximum outdoor air flow, if the return air temperature has a control limit, if the return air has an enthalpy limit, the outdoor air temperature limit, and the outdoor air enthalpy limit.
Demand Controlled Ventilation table is for each Controller:MechanicalVentilation object and shows the name, the nominal outdoor air per person and the nominal outdoor air per zone area.
Time Not Comfortable Based on Simple ASHRAE 55-2004 table shows how many hours that the space is not comfortable for each zone under the criteria of assuming winter clothes, summer clothes or both summer and winter clothes. See the People object for more information about this thermal comfort calculation.
Time Setpoint is Not Met table shows how many hours the space is more than 0.2C from the setpoint during heating and during cooling. The last two columns indicate those hours that the setpoint is not met while the space is occupied.
The Adaptive Comfort Summary report tabulates the sum of occupied hours not meeting adaptive comfort acceptability limits for each relevant People object (People objects for which adaptive comfort calculations are requested). These acceptability limits include ASHRAE Std. 55 80%, ASHRAE Std. 55 90%, CEN-15251 Category I, CEN-15251 Category II, and CEN-15251 Category III.
The Sensible Heat Gain Summary provides results for each zone and the overall building for some of the major heat gain components. The first four columns show the loads satisfied by sensible air heating and cooling as well as radiant heating and cooling surfaces in the zone. The heat gains from people, lighting, equipment, windows, interzone air flow, and infiltration are shown when adding heat to the zone and separately when removing heat from the zone (for applicable components). Finally the balance is shown as “Opaque Surface Conduction and Other Heat Addition” and “Opaque Surface Conduction and Other Heat Removal” which is a term indicating the affect of the walls, floors and ceilings/roof to the zone as well as the impact of the delay between heat gains/losses and loads on the HVAC equipment serving the zone. The following shows each output variable that is used for each column. For each timestep in the simulation, positive values are shown as additions and negative values are shown as removal for most variables.
Zone Air Heat Balance System Air Transfer Rate
Zone Air Heat Balance System Convective Heat Gain Rate
Zone Air Heat Balance System Air Transfer Rate
Zone Air Heat Balance System Convective Heat Gain Rate
Zone Radiant HVAC Heating Energy
Zone Ventilated Slab Radiant Heating Energy
Zone Radiant HVAC Cooling Energy
Zone Ventilated Slab Radiant Cooling Energy
Zone People Sensible Heating Energy
Zone Lights Total Heating Energy
Zone Electric Equipment Radiant Heating Energy
Zone Gas Equipment Radiant Heating Energy
Zone Steam Equipment Radiant Heating Energy
Zone Hot Water Equipment Radiant Heating Energy
Zone Other Equipment Radiant Heating Energy
Zone Electric Equipment Convective Heating Energy
Zone Gas Equipment Convective Heating Energy
Zone Steam Equipment Convective Heating Energy
Zone Hot Water Equipment Convective Heating Energy
Zone Other Equipment Convective Heating Energy
Zone Windows Total Heat Gain Energy
Zone Air Heat Balance Interzone Air Transfer Rate
Zone Air Heat Balance Outdoor Air Transfer Rate
The Opaque Surface Conduction and Other Heat Addition and Opaque Surface Conduction and Other Heat Removal columns are also calculated on an timestep basis as the negative value of the other removal and gain columns so that the total for the timestep sums to zero. These columns are derived strictly from the other columns.
Three different component load summary reports can be generated:
Zone Component Loads Summary
AirLoop Component Loads Summary
Facility Component Loads Summary
The AirLoop and Facility level reports are generally aggregations of the results reported in the Zone Component Loads Summary report. The Component Loads Summary reports provide an estimate of the heating and cooling peak loads for each zone, airloop or the entire facility broken down into various components. These reports may help determine which components of the load have the largest impact for the heating and cooling peak design conditions. When specified, the Zone Component Loads Summary report is created for each zone that is conditioned. Similarly, the AirLoop Component Load Summary is generated for each AirLoop and a single Facility Component Loads Summary is generated for the entire facility. The difference between the peak design sensible load and the estimated instant + delayed sensible load (as shown in the Peak Conditions subtable) is an indication of how consistent the overall total estimate may be to the computed total peak loads for the zone. When the report is called the zone sizing calculations are repeated twice so this may result in longer simulation times. The keys used to obtain these reports are ZoneComponentLoadSummary, AirLoopComponentLoadSummary, and FacilityComponentLoadSummary. Since including this report may increase the simulation time, new key options have been added that will display all reports but the Zone Component Load Summary those keys used are AllSummaryButZoneComponentLoad and AllSummaryAndMonthlyButZoneComponentLoad.
The report has six parts:
Contains the sensible-instant, sensible-delay, sensible-return air, latent, total and %grand total for people, lights, equipment, refrigeration, water use equipment, HVAC equipment loads, power generation equipment, infiltration, zone ventilation, interzone mixing, roof, interzone ceiling, other roof, exterior wall, interzone wall, ground contact wall, other wall, exterior floor, interzone floor, ground contact floor, other floor, fenestration conduction, fenestration solar, opaque door. The values in the sensible-delay column are estimated using a procedure shown in the Engineering Reference. Also shown are the related areas for each type of component. For People and Lights the floor area is shown but for walls, fenestration. and other surfaces, the area of that surface is used.
Contains the time of the peak load and the outside dry bulb and wet bulb temperatures as well as the outside humidity ratio for that time. It also shows the zone temperature and relative humidity and humidity ratio for that time. The airflow and outside airflow as well as the supply air temperature are shown. Also the sensible peak load accounting for the sizing factor is shown along with the difference due to the sizing factor.
This table shows some ratios that may be handy in evaluating the results. It contains the percentage of outside air, the airflow per floor area, the airflow per capacity, the floor area per capacity and the capacity per floor area. It also shows the number of people.
Contains the sensible-instant, sensible-delay, sensible-return air, latent, total and %grand total for people, lights, equipment, refrigeration, water use equipment, HVAC equipment loads, power generation equipment, infiltration, zone ventilation, interzone mixing, roof, interzone ceiling, other roof, exterior wall, interzone wall, ground contact wall, other wall, exterior floor, interzone floor, ground contact floor, other floor, fenestration conduction, fenestration solar, opaque door. The values in the sensible-day column are estimated using a procedure shown in the Engineering Reference. Also shown are the related areas for each type of component. For People and Lights the floor area is shown but for walls, fenestration. and other surfaces, the area of that surface is used.
Contains the time of the peak load and the outside dry bulb and wet bulb temperatures as well as the outside humidity ratio for that time. It also shows the zone temperature and the relative humidity and humidity ratio for that time. The airflow and outside airflow as well as the supply air temperature are shown. Also the sensible peak load accounting for the sizing factor is shown along with the difference due to the sizing factor
This table shows some ratios that may be handy in evaluating the results. It contains the percentage of outside air, the airflow per floor area, the airflow per capacity, the floor area per capacity and the capacity per floor area. It also shows the number of people.
The "Air Loop Component Summary" tables also include tables that indicate the zones included in the aggregated results for heating and cooling.
If the time of the peak load for each Zone for cooling exactly matches the time of the peak load for the AirLoop or Facility than the Estimated Cooling Peak Load Components will represent a sum of the values from the corresponding zones. Likewise the Estimated Heating Peak Load Components will add up for the AirLoop or Facility if the times of the heating peaks exactly match. This is not necessarily the case for Peak Conditions or the Engineering Checks tables. Since the sizing of Air loops is based on the system sizing they usually will be different than the sum of the corresponding zones.
Note: generating the Component Load Summary report will cause simulations to take longer.
The Standard 62.1 Summary produces a report that is consistent with many of the outputs needed when doing calculations consistent with ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2010. The report is generated when sizing calculations are specified. The abbreviations used in the report are consistent with the abbreviations used in Appendix A4 of the Standard. The following tables are part of the report:
System Ventilation Requirements for Cooling containing: Sum of Zone Primary Air Flow - Vpz-sum, System Population – Ps, Sum of Zone Population - Pz-sum, Occupant Diversity – D, Uncorrected Outdoor Air Intake Airflow – Vou, System Primary Airflow – Vps, Average Outdoor Air Fraction – Xs, System Ventilation Efficiency – Ev, Outdoor Air Intake Flow – Vot, Percent Outdoor Air - %OA.
System Ventilation Requirements for Heating containing: Sum of Zone Primary Air Flow - Vpz-sum, System Population – Ps, Sum of Zone Population - Pz-sum, Occupant Diversity – D, Uncorrected Outdoor Air Intake Airflow – Vou, System Primary Airflow – Vps, Average Outdoor Air Fraction – Xs, System Ventilation Efficiency – Ev, Outdoor Air Intake Flow – Vot, Percent Outdoor Air - %OA.
Zone Ventilation Parameters containing: AirLoop Name, People Outdoor Air Rate – Rp, Zone Population – Pz, Area Outdoor Air Rate – Ra, Zone Floor Area – Az, Breathing Zone Outdoor Airflow – Vbz, Cooling Zone Air Distribution Effectiveness - Ez-clg, Cooling Zone Outdoor Airflow - Voz-clg, Heating Zone Air Distribution Effectiveness - Ez-htg, Heating Zone Outdoor Airflow - Voz-htg.
System Ventilation Parameters containing: People Outdoor Air Rate – Rp, Sum of Zone Population - Pz-sum, Area Outdoor Air Rate – Ra, Sum of Zone Floor Area - Az-sum, Breathing Zone Outdoor Airflow – Vbz, Cooling Zone Outdoor Airflow - Voz-clg, Heating Zone Outdoor Airflow - Voz-htg.
Zone Ventilation Calculations for Cooling Design containing: AirLoop Name, Box Type, Zone Primary Airflow – Vpz, Zone Discharge Airflow – Vdz, Minimum Zone Primary Airflow - Vpz-min, Zone Outdoor Airflow Cooling - Voz-clg, Primary Outdoor Air Fraction – Zpz, Primary Air Fraction – Ep, Secondary Recirculation Fraction- Er, Supply Air Fraction- Fa, Mixed Air Fraction – Fb, Outdoor Air Fraction – Fc, Zone Ventilation Efficiency – Evz.
System Ventilation Calculations for Cooling Design containing: Sum of Zone Primary Airflow - Vpz-sum, System Primary Airflow – Vps, Sum of Zone Discharge Airflow - Vdz-sum, Minimum Zone Primary Airflow - Vpz-min, Zone Outdoor Airflow Cooling - Voz-clg, Zone Ventilation Efficiency - Evz-min.
Zone Ventilation Calculations for Heating Design containing: AirLoop Name, Box Type, Zone Primary Airflow – Vpz, Zone Discharge Airflow – Vdz, Minimum Zone Primary Airflow - Vpz-min, Zone Outdoor Airflow Cooling - Voz-clg, Primary Outdoor Air Fraction – Zpz, Primary Air Fraction – Ep, Secondary Recirculation Fraction- Er, Supply Air Fraction- Fa, Mixed Air Fraction – Fb, Outdoor Air Fraction – Fc, Zone Ventilation Efficiency – Evz.
System Ventilation Calculations for Heating Design containing: Sum of Zone Primary Airflow - Vpz-sum, System Primary Airflow – Vps, Sum of Zone Discharge Airflow - Vdz-sum, Minimum Zone Primary Airflow - Vpz-min, Zone Outdoor Airflow Cooling - Voz-clg, Zone Ventilation Efficiency - Evz-min.
Note: The Standard ASHRAE 62.1 Summary report is available for generation when using Detailed HVAC or Simple HVAC with the default 1-EnergyPlus Simple HVAC autosizing method.
The Energy Meters Summary (which is a slight misnomer as some meters may not be strictly energy) provides the annual period (runperiod) results for each meter (reference the meter data dictionary file (.mdd) and/or the meter details file (.mtd). The results are broken out by fuel type (resource type) in this report.
The Initialization Summary provides the information shown in the initialization output file (.eio) but in a tabular format. Because of this, some of the outputs my be difficult to understand without referencing the documentation on the .eio file that is located in the Output Details and Examples document.
The LEED Summary report provides many of the simulation results required for certification of Energy and Atmosphere Credit 1 Optimized Energy Performance according to the LEED Green Building Rating System ™.
The Tariff Report provides the results of the Tariff Analysis simulation. The report consists of a summary table, categories, charges, ratchets, qualifies, native variables, other variables and computation.
The Economic Result Summary provides a summary of the Tariff Reports. The report consists of annual costs and costs for each tariff considered and why it was or was not selected.
The Component Cost Economics Summary provides the construction cost estimate summary for the project. The costs are broken into eight categories and the reference building costs are provided as a comparison. A second table is also produced that provides line item details with one line for every line item object.
The Life Cycle Cost Report provides a summary of the information from the Life Cycle Cost calculations. This report shows the costs and the timing of costs, often called “cash flows,” along with the present value in several different tables. The tabular results show the present value of all current and future costs.
The Heat Emissions Report provides a summary of the building heat emission to the ambient air. This report shows the heat emissions from buildings by surface heat transfer, zone exhaust, zone relief, HVAC relief, HVAC heat rejection, as well as the total emissions.
The Thermal Resilience Summary provides the indoor thermal resilience metrics unmet hours and occupant⋅hours summary report. This includes the Heat Index Hours and OccupantHours, Humidex Hours and OccupantHours, Heating SET Hours and Cooling SET Hours reports. The Heating SET Hours and Cooling SET Hours are reported only when the Pierce model are chosen for thermal comfort calculations. To activate the Pierce SET calculation in EnergyPlus, users need to define the People and chose Pierce as the thermal comfort method.
The CO2 Resilience Summary provides the indoor CO2 level unmet hours and occupant⋅hours summary report for resilience. This includes the CO2 Level Hours and OccupantHours reports. To activate the CO2 concentration calculation in EnergyPlus, the Simulate CO2 concentration site level option must be selected and a schedule of outdoor air CO2 levels selected.
The Visual Resilience Summary provides the indoor illuminance level unmet hours and occupant⋅hours summary report for resilience. This includes the Illuminance Level Hours and OccupantHours reports. To activate the indoor illuminance calculation in EnergyPlus, it is necessary to select the Lighting control option.
Select from a range of summary monthly reports:
Information about the various monthly summary reporting options can be found in the EnergyPlus Output Details And Examples documentation.
Check this option if you would like DesignBuilder to generate temperature output for each air and water node in the HVAC system. This output data cannot be displayed directly in DesignBuilder but can be viewed in the separate Results Viewer application.
Check this option if you would like DesignBuilder to generate mass flow output for each air and water node in the HVAC system. This output data cannot be displayed directly in DesignBuilder but can be viewed in the separate Results Viewer application.
Check this option if you would like DesignBuilder to generate humidity ratio output for each air node in the HVAC system. This output data cannot be displayed directly in DesignBuilder but can be viewed in the separate Results Viewer application.
Output from EnergyPlus can be written to SQLite files for manipulation outside of DesignBuilder. When this option is selected all of the predefined database tables as well as time series related data is included in the SQLite output file eplusout.sql. The description for SQLite outputs is described fully in the EnergyPlus Output Details document.
Tip: SQLite outputs can be processed by the DesignBuilder db_eplusout_reader Python library for generating custom reports and optimisation KPIs.
This option causes EnergyPlus to generate a DXF file summarising the building model. The file is called eplusout.dxf and it is stored in the EnergyPlus folder. This option can be useful for checking that the correct geometry has been generated.
This option causes EnergyPlus to generate a comma separated value file summarising the building model. The file is called eplusout.eio and it is stored in the EnergyPlus folder.
Select this option if you would like RDD and EDD files to be generated by the simulation for use in future simulations. The RDD file provides a list of all the EnergyPlus output reports that could be selected for the current model, while the EDD files contains a list of all the available actuators.
This section of input allows more control over the reporting of “Time setpoint not met” hours.
This data defines the maximum difference from the heating setpoint when reporting the time heating setpoints are not met. If the zone temperature is below the heating setpoint by more than this value, the following report variables will increment as appropriate:
It also impacts table report "Annual Building Utility Performance Summary" sub-table "Comfort and Setpoint Not Met Summary".
This data defines the maximum difference from the cooling setpoint when reporting the time cooling setpoints are not met. If the zone temperature is above the cooling setpoint by more than this value, the following report variables will increment as appropriate:
It also impacts table report "Annual Building Utility Performance Summary" sub-table "Comfort and Setpoint Not Met Summary".