[Bldg-sim] bin weather file

[Joe Huang]

*.bin is the file format used by DOE-2.1E and DOE-2.2, which is the underlying simulation 
engine for eQUEST.
It's a surprisingly small binary file of only 148K, because the data have been "packed", 
i.e., the numbers have been combined numerically to be "unpacked" when read by DOE-2. This 
was done to minimize computer storage which was a consideration when DOE-2 was first 
designed in the early 80's.  The downsides to these packed files are: (1) some loss of 
precision, and (2) you need special programs to convert the files into something humanly 
readable. Perhaps none of this is relevant to most users, who just need a *.bin weather 
file for their specific location and have no interest in looking at the weather data 
itself, but I throw out these two sentences just to explain what they are.

There is no recognizable depository of *.bin files, but there are plenty of them floating 
around in various places. For example, the eQUEST web site ( www.doe2.com/index_Wth.html ) 
has a number of standard weather data sets, almost entirely for the US, California, and 
Canada.   I've also got NREL's new TMY3 weather files in *.bin format for 1020 US 
locations on my company website (www.whiteboxtechnologies.com/weather_data.html ).
The eQUEST web site also has a utility program (eQ_WthProc) that allows users to convert 
EPW files to bin files.

If you don't find a *.bin file meeting your needs from the above, it's also possible to 
create a *.bin file from raw weather data. <caution - advertising follows :-) >   I have 
been offering a service to create weather files in *.bin (or other commonly used formats) 
for any location available in the National Climatic Data Center's (NCDC) massive 
Integrated Surface Hourly (ISH) archive that contains historical weather records for 
around 8,000 international locations (1,500 in the US, 600 in Canada) going back to 1980.  
Those interested can e-mail for details.

Joe

Joe Huang
White Box Technologies, Inc.
346 Rheem Blvd., Suite 108D
Moraga CA 94556
yjhuang at whiteboxtechnologies.com
www.whiteboxtechnologies.com
(o) (925)388-0265
(c) (510)928-2683
"building energy simulations at your fingertips"


On 3/7/2012 11:01 AM, Patrick Keeney wrote:
> Hey All,
> Quick question....how do I get a .bin weather file.  I'm not familiar with this file type.
> I've tried converting to a .bin in the Ecotect "Convert Weather Data" tab, but it won't 
> switch whatever file you have to a .bin.
> Any help would be great.  Thanks.
>
> -- 
> Patrick J Keeney
> MArch-MSSD Candidate
> 410-299-5627
>
>
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