[Equest-users] eQUEST Wish List for DOE-2 Developers - Please comment

[Xavier Garcia Casals]

Hi,
Which is the last eQuest version available?
I am still using 3.61e, which is the last one I found in the web, but 
its already a long time I hear commenting on the 3.63 (and even the 3.62 
which I suppose I completly missed) as a version improving some of the 
limitations on the v 3.61e. Also I heard on the list comments about the 
fact that there was soon to be a new release (don't know if is the 3.63 
or a latter one) introducing many improvements. Is there a known 
schedule for these updated versions release as well as a list of which 
points have already been addressed on them?
Regards,

En/na Kendra Tupper ha escrit:
> Hey Everyone,
>
> I've been keeping track of a list of potential improvements to eQUEST,
> and I wanted to send out a final request. Please review the list below
> and email me (not the entire list) if you have anything that isn't
> already included. My hope is to take this to the eQUEST developers and
> try to figure out a way to either get funding for these improvements,
> or be able to work with them to help develop some of these features. I
> realize a list like this has been attempted many times, but I never
> see a final result, so I'm giving it a shot myself! Thanks in advance
> for your input.
>
> Geometry/Zoning
> 1) Allow users to name their own zones in the wizards and make wall,
> constructions, & layers match up with user chosen names.
> 2) A detailed interface zone/space editor that makes it easier to
> create, modify, or delete zones or spaces (not only helps w/updating
> the geometry, but for displacement ventilation too).
> 3) Change the Zone Snap by CAD, Polygon, or Grid in the wizard to
> radio buttons instead of pulldown menus.
> 4) Always import the CAD file to put it near 0,0,0 or make it easier
> to zoom in and out.
> 5) Fix issues with creating side by side shells in the wizard – right
> now, even if you try to line up the shells exactly in line with each
> other, eQUEST sometimes creates an exterior wall between the shells.
> This can be solved by drawing your zone boundaries slightly inside the
> shell boundaries, but it would be nice to be able to indicate interior
> vs exterior surfaces in the wizard.
> 6) Provide the option to create one roof per zone vs. one roof per
> shell, regardless of whether or not you have a plenum.
> 7) When you build shells stacked on top of each other in the wizard,
> if the shells do not have the same footprint, you end up with portions
> of one shell missing exterior roofs or exterior ground floors. It
> would be nice if the programs defined the exterior surfaces based on
> which portions of the zone are actually exposed to exterior
> conditions.
> 8) Better way to define double high or atrium spaces.
>
> Envelope/Heat Transfer
> 1) Better accuracy/options for modeling light shelves
> 2) Double walled façade, with options for venting
> 3) Trombe walls
> 4) Better thermal mass simulation
> 5) Modeling windows with input files from Window 5 (W5): This is
> probably more of an issue with W5, but the file that is exported, does
> not include the framing, so if you want to model the windows this way,
> you need to build the actual dimensions of each window in eQUEST and
> assign framing to it.
> 6) Night sky radiation
> 7) Ability to calculate radiant transfer, mean radiant temperature and
> thermal comfort metrics.
> 8) Fix issues or provide more documentation on how to accurately
> simulate roof/attic heat transfer when you have plenums. Right now, if
> your plenum zones and spaces are set to type “Plenum”, the load
> reports show no heat transfer through the roof. Changing the space
> type to “Conditioned” or “Unconditioned” seems to fix this, but it
> would be nice to have documentation explaining why.
>
> Internal Loads
> 1) Ability to select ballast types for lighting fixtures and have the
> program include default wattages for the ballasts.
>
> Airside Systems
> 1) A built in UFAD model
> 2) Ability to do demand control ventilation check box in wizard and
> for it to apply to more system types
> 3) Fix issues with air to water Heat Pump models – right now, it runs
> as if the COP were 1 regardless of what EIR is input. The workaround
> is to model electric resistance with the correct COP and part load
> curves, but this should be fixed.
> 4) Ability to directly model water-water heat pumps.
> 5) Built in system type for active and passive chilled beams.
> 6) Built in system type for radiant floors (heating and cooling).
> 7) Ability to assign more than one system to a zone (especially useful
> for modeling a dedicated outside air system).
> 8) Better accuracy for modeling natural ventilation and make it
> available for all system types.
> 9) When modeling a dedicated outside air system (DOAS), you cannot
> also have demand control control ventilation and/or and OA economizer.
> Basically, the DOAS can only provide a constant amount of OA, dictated
> by the zone level requirements.
> 10) The option to specify packaged DX EER at either design or rated conditions.
> 11) The option to specify a packaged DX EER with or without fan energy
> included – then the program would subtract out fan power if that was
> also entered.
> 12) More transparent way of specifying VAV turndown ratios. Right now,
> if you specify it in terms of Min cfm/sf, and leave Min Ratio blank,
> Min Ratio automatically defaults to 1 and eQUEST takes the greater of
> the two, rendering your input for Min cfm/sf a moot point.
>
> Central Plants
> 1) Water Side Economizer (plant side) - right now, this only functions
> if it can provide 100% free cooling, it cannot pre-cooled water going
> to the chiller. There are many semi-accurate work arounds to this, but
> it would be great if the WSE could do partial cooling as well.
> 2) Water to Water heat pump - right now you can only assign this to a
> lake/well loop, which is a big problem.
> 3) Ability to model solar hot water systems
> 4) Ability to have one chiller loop provided entering chilled water
> for another loop.
>
> Parametric Runs
> 1) The ability to copy/paste parametric components and runs.  Right
> now can be done in the .prd, but it would be nice to do it within the
> eQUEST interface.
> 2) Several things are missing from the parametric run pulldowns (e.g.
> Tubular skylights, Lighting Control Method).
> 3) The ability to create, leave out, or reassign keywords/components
> in parametric runs.  This would fix at least 2 things:
> - The glaring difficulty of creating 90.1 App G baselines when the
> proposed design has a chiller, but the baseline has packaged cooling.
> For me, this is the #1 shortcoming in eQUEST.  Encountered all the
> time, tedious and error-prone every time.
> - Zones could be reassigned between runs. Right now, we solve this by
> abandoning eQUEST before doing parametrics and using if-then
> statements in the INP and then using "case" type statements to change
> them in the BDL.
>
> User Interface
> 1) Fixing the spreadsheets so that they cut/paste can be used with
> Excel and Word, and so that multiple selections can be more easily
> edited at once.  Also the spreadsheet feature seems to lock cells when
> sorted sometimes.
> 2) A graphical and spreadsheet format for schedules in the detailed
> interface.  Would streamline a tedious process and provide output for
> reports.
> 3) The ability to copy/paste components within the tree structure
> (right now have to use a pulldown menu to find the space).
> 4) Azimuth field in the Window spreadsheet so that it can be sorted by
> orientation.
> 5) Easier way to delete components from the component tree – right
> now, when you navigate down to what you want to delete, after its
> deleted the tree reverts back to its original state, and you have to
> manually navigate down to each component you want to delete.
> 6) In the spreadsheet view, it would be nice to be able to copy and
> paste defaults and “restore defaults”  for multiple selections, the
> same way you can for user defined inputs.
>
> Reports/Help Menus
> 1) Updating the help menus to refer directly to eQUEST user inputs, as
> well as BDL keywords.  Right now the DOE2 help will only tell you the
> keyword/command, but not where to find them in eQUEST's detailed
> interface.
> 2) Simplify the hourly result reporting process.
> 3) Create a report that includes all cooling and heating loads
> (including correct roof conduction and outside air)
> 4) A graphical report that shows not only end use by energy use but
> also end use by energy cost
> 5) Better documentation for the energy rate input.
> 6) A feature to show the origin of a DOE-2 default (Title 24?  DOE2?
> 90.1? 62.1? Standard practice?)
> 7) Better documentation on domestic hot water defaults
> 8) More help documentation on dealing with eQUEST inputs at elevation
> –which ones are automatically corrected by the elevation you input
> under ‘Site Parameters” and which ones should you account for
> elevation within the inputs? The help menus only address airflow
> corrections, but do not indicate is equipment efficiencies are derated
> as well.
> 9) More help documentation on performance curves and how to generate
> the correct eQUEST inputs from part load data – the process is
> difference for chillers versus packaged DX and the help files don’t
> adequately address this.
>
> --
> Kendra Tupper
> Senior Consultant
> Built Environment Team
>
> Rocky Mountain Institute  |  T  303-567-8641 |  F  303-245-7213  |  www.rmi.org
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>   

-- 

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*Xavier García Casals*

 

Tel: (+34) 91 843 19 85

Móvil: 660 22 94 45

xgcasals at telefonica.net <mailto:xgcasals at telefonica.net>

 

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