[Bldg-sim] eQuest to Energy Pro: VRF

[Aulbach, John]

Matthew:

After Eric Shadd's comments, I suddenly realize you were asking about
EnergyPro, not Energy Plus.

I have also used Energy Pro to some extent, as well as eQuest for 3 - 4
years (and DOE-2 for 25 years).

EnergyPro is a DOE-2.1E based program, whereas eQuest is a DOE-2.2
engine. Slightly differently animals. DOE-2.1E has LOADS, SYSTEM, PLANT,
and ECONOMICS. DOE-2.2 has LOADS, HVAC, and ECONOMICS. 

You cannot straight away go from 2.2 back to 2.1E. With GREAT
EXCRUCIATION, you could copy some of 2.1E to 2.2. But I advise against
it.

Energy Pro's main purpose in life (with a nod to it's co-creator and my
friend, Martyn Dodd) is to develop California Title-24 compliance. It
has the Title-24 fixed inputs for schedules, building types, and other
such parameters. You put in the Proposed Building you wish, and Energy
Pro will generate the Base Case building, and tell you how much better
(or worse) your proposed building is to Title-24.

eQuest has a similar "building the proposed, and we will build the base"
approach to California Title-24 compliance.

SOMEWHERE in the Nether world of Energy Pro lies the DOE-2.1E engine.
The RAW (DOS) version. You can probably extract the main 2.1E engine and
run whatever you wish. I am unsure as to what features can actually be
run under this version (primary/secondary pumping, possibly not).

But if you run eQuest, you can either run a California Compliance Run
(and an Oregon Energy Trust compliance with a special version), or you
can run your building with YOUR schedules, YOUR HVAC component EERs and
COPs, YOUR operating parameters, and YOUR utility rates. Anywhere in the
world you can get a TMY type weather year.

Plus features like Primary/secondary pumping, photovoltaic arrays, and
easily developed parametric Runs from the "front end" of eQuest. Other
than the CA compliance software, I am unaware that Energy Pro's raw DOE2
has a front end.

Hope this clarifies a bit more.

John R. Aulbach, PE, CEM
Project Manager
Nexant, Inc.
701 West Kimberly Ave., Suite 245
Placentia, CA 92870-6342 USA
Phone: 714-524-4402
Fax: 714-524-4407
email: jaulbach at nexant.com
 


-----Original Message-----
From: bldg-sim-bounces at lists.onebuilding.org
[mailto:bldg-sim-bounces at lists.onebuilding.org] On Behalf Of Matthew
Higgins
Sent: Monday, July 07, 2008 11:12 AM
To: bldg-sim at lists.onebuilding.org
Subject: [Bldg-sim] eQuest to Energy Pro: VRF

Does any one know whether or not eQuest BDL can be trascribed into
Energy Pro software? I ask because I don't want to duplicate the efforts
already exerted in eQuest to be able to model a VRF system in Energy
Pro.

On that same note, is Energy Pro all that different than eQuest? (In
terms of the capabilities/inputs/interface/learning-curve/etc.)

--
Matthew Higgins, LEED AP
Technical Specialist
Environmental Dynamics, Inc.
Architecture and Sustainability Consulting Services
505.242.2851