EnergyPro

Comprehensive energy analysis program that has can be used to perform several different calculations:

• California Title 24 hourly energy analysis of low-rise residential buildings with an approved residential simulation (ResSim)
• Residential design heating and cooling load calculations (Res Loads)
• California Title 24 energy analysis of nonresidential buildings, hotels/motels and high-rise residential buildings with either a prescriptive method approach which individually calculates compliance for the envelope, lighting, and mechanical building components (NR Prescriptive), or a performance simulation method using an approved version of DOE-2.1E (Win/DOE)
• Nonresidential design heating and cooling load calculations (NR Loads)
• DOE-2 energy analysis to determine actual energy use, with or without EnergyPro as a pre-processor.

Keywords

California Title 24, compliance software, energy simulation, commercial, residential

Validation/Testing

N/A

Expertise Required

Users should be familiar with basic Windows operations to use the software. It is recommended that users also study the California Title-24 regulations if using the software for code compliance purposes. Knowledge of the DOE 2.1E software is strictly optional, since the software provides a shell interface to the DOE-2.1E engine.

Users

Over 5000 copies of the software have shipped to date, mostly in California, some throughout the US.

Audience

Title-24 Energy Consultants (Residential & Non-residential), builders, architects, utilities, mechanical engineers.

Input

A building tree is used to describe the general building information, similar to Windows Explorer. Users can choose to display different hierarchies of information, zone level, room details, system and plant level. Input is streamlined through the use of libraries that come pre-populated with commonly used building components such as walls, windows, mechanical systems and lighting fixtures.

Output

EnergyPro can provide exact images of any of the 40 or more forms issued by the California Energy Commission. In addition, detailed room-by-room load calculation reports and HVAC psychrometric diagrams can be produced. All available DOE-2.1E reports can be produced from within the program interface, as well as incentive calculation reporting for California's Savings By Design utility incentive program.

Computer Platform

Microsoft Windows 95, 98, 2000, NT 3.51, 4.0, IBM 486 or Pentium 75 with at least 16 MB RAM, 40 MB free disk space, SVGA monitor with minimum 800 x 600 resolution.

Programming Language

C++

Strengths

Most users are productive with EnergyPro within a day, thanks to an extensive use of Wizards to speed up the learning curve. A Building Wizard guides the user through the creation of a simple building description, the Calculation Manager sets up approriate calculations, and an extensive Diagnostic Wizard provides detailed Errors, Warnings and Cautions to the user. Report creation takes under a minute thanks to the Report Wizard that guides the user through the miriad of potential reports encompassed by DOE-2 and the code requirements.

Weaknesses

A number of more advanced concepts encompassed by DOE-2.1E are not handled by the EnergyPro interface. Examples include co-generation, daylighting and off-site steam production. The user must model the basic building in EnergyPro, generate the DOE-2 BDL file, and then manually edit the BDL file to add these features.

Contact

Availability

Contact Gabel Dodd / EnergySoft or visit the web site for an order form. Cost starts at $450, depending upon which modules are ordered. Includes one year unlimited technical support. Network versions and simultaneous users are no additional charge within the same physical location. Additional sites are 25% per site. Overnight delivery available in the US. EnergyPro demonstration version and installation instructions can be downloaded from the web site.

Printable Version