[Bldg-sim] Does anyone have any experience eQUEST complience analysis and LEED export features?

[Nick Caton]

Hi Jeremiah,

 

To respond to your final query first:  It's my understanding the LEED
Compliance Analysis portion of eQuest is still very much a work in
progress.  I've dabbled with these new features enough to decide that,
for myself, it is presently more time-efficient to craft my baseline
models and assemble performance reports "manually."  I optimistically
look forward to future improvements, but caution anyone intending to use
these features under a deadline to first be comfortable performing the
performance rating method without such automated assistance.  You need
that experience/knowledge to effectively review and understand what
is/isn't being automated.  

 

That said, eQuest remains far and away my tool of choice for the
performance rating method - just not with the present compliance
automation.

 

>From your description I'm compelled to point out that when creating a
baseline model, you do not need to create or maintain separate copies
for each rotation.  Look into parametric runs in the archives and you'll
learn these 4 orientations can be defined and simulated within a single
project.  Much easier to manage, revise and document.

 

If I'm not mistaken, most (if not all) of what's tallied in the LEED csv
generator feature is accessible between the graphical reports for
monthly consumptions, the graphical report for annual utility costs, and
the front-end BEMP report when you look at the SIM output reports.  What
I submit for LEED documentation varies somewhat on a project-by-project
basis, but I always include those specific items.  If you're having
trouble finding anything else specifically, I would first check the
archives and otherwise feel free to ask here - though you might find a
quicker response inside the [equest-users] list ;).

 

In summary, I'd take anything produced by the LEED compliance analysis
tool and the associated CSV generator with a grain of salt.  One could
only speculate on a number of issues in the models that may have caused
the initial odd behavior where an uninsulated building beat out a
baseline-compliant building.  If it were my project, I'd likely start by
investigating whether the models are on even footing (same weather file,
qty of conditioned spaces, etc) and then ensuring neither model is
showing signs of dysfunctional systems (i.e. inordinate unmet hours),
but again I probably wouldn't rely on the baseline generator to start.

 

It sounds like you may still be struggling with "free" electricity.
First verify it isn't just the CSV feature acting wonky by checking
whether your model is in fact utilizing the utility rates you input
(check the graphical cost reports).  If you are seeing "free"
electricity there, I'd move on to check between your models to see
whether your utility rates are defined differently (or not at all) in
the "utility & economics" tree.  

 

Best of luck!

 

~Nick

 

 

NICK CATON, P.E.

SENIOR ENGINEER

 

Smith & Boucher Engineers

25501 west valley parkway, suite 200

olathe, ks 66061

direct 913.344.0036

fax 913.345.0617

www.smithboucher.com 

 

From: bldg-sim-bounces at lists.onebuilding.org
[mailto:bldg-sim-bounces at lists.onebuilding.org] On Behalf Of Jeremiah
Crossett
Sent: Friday, December 16, 2011 9:38 AM
To: Bldg-sim2 (Bldg-sim at lists.onebuilding.org)
Subject: [Bldg-sim] Does anyone have any experience eQUEST complience
analysis and LEED export features?

 

Hello, 

This is my first post to the {SIM} thread, so please forgive any
repetition from previous posts that I may be unaware of.

 

I have a LEED compliance modeling job I am working on and have attempted
to use the "Compliance analysis" tool in eQUEST.

The results where at first encouraging, as it created the building
rotations as expected, but upon further analysis I realized that the
baseline buildings that should be at ASHRAE 2007 where using about 30%
more energy then a building with has zero insulation, standard lighting
watts/sqft, standard hot water use, standard process loads etc... 

 

The test building that is not at code energy costs are in the sixty
thousand range, and the 0,90,180,270 average that should be at code is
in the ninety thousand range. This %30 savings for the building that has
zero insulation over the building that has been auto generated to be
complaint with ASHRAE/LEED can not be correct. 

 

So I decided to not use the compliance analysis tool, in favor of
creating my proposed building in the D&D wizard, then making a copy that
I then specified ASHRAE compliance manually, and then copying my
manually created compliant building for each rotation. Figuring that the
"Export LEED Results CSV" would be a simple way to average my manually
created rotations and compare them to my proposed building I used this
feature. This worked great at first, until I updated my proposed
building with the latest from the design team. Now when I Export LEED
Results CSV it is outputting zero electrical costs for all of the
buildings! The view simulation results show costs, and the Export LEED
Results CSV shows kWh usage, therms use, and costs for Natural Gas, but
leaves all of the costs of electric at ZERO, also the feature in the
Export LEED Results CSV there is a percentage cost savings that produces
results that are obviously out of whack. The first run I only had the
percentage cost savings issue and figured I could work around the one
bug, but now that it is saying that electricity is "free" I am very
concerned with the accuracy of any of the LEED compliance tools in
eQUEST. I made a google spreadsheet that I can copy/paste the Export
LEED Results CSV to for graphing of results. 

 

Here is the link to my google spreadsheet with the results. 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AkGqvJNjrYpldF9iTFlqb1F0dV9
nRlpwSDJHbnBpcEE

 

I have read the PDF published on the subject, and am very curios if the
compliance analysis tool is something that is known to work correctly?
(I would be happy to find out I made some error, but can not find any
such errors on my part) 

If anyone has any insight it would be greatly appreciated. 

 

 

 

 

-- 

Jeremiah D. Crossett

Setanta Energy & Water

Phone: 503-688-8951

Email: jeremiah at setnrgh2o.com <mailto:jeremiah at setnrgh2o.com> 

http://www.setnrgh2o.com/

 





 

-- 

Jeremiah D. Crossett

Setanta Energy & Water

Phone: 503-688-8951

Email: jeremiah at setnrgh2o.com <mailto:jeremiah at setnrgh2o.com> 

http://www.setnrgh2o.com/

 

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