[Bldg-sim] BIN Method Tool

Chris Balbach cbalbach at psdconsulting.com
Wed Aug 28 06:46:13 PDT 2013


All:

For what it is worth, I've found the bin based (beta) online energy savings calculator tool used to support DOE Advanced Rooftop Campaign to be very useful - see: http://www.pnnl.gov/uac/

It's very well documented, and uses an innovative hybrid approach combining regressions of the DOE Commercial Reference Buildings along with bin-based calculation methods for determining cooling energy savings associated with (compressor based cooling - no support for evaporative cooling) rooftop unit related improvements.  The tool accounts for part load efficiencies and basic economizer operations. The tool allows for users to create custom load lines representing building cooling loads, and offers a spreadsheet import for using RTU specific performance data, if needed.  One can even use it to extract  bin hours (DB + MCWB) for canned schedule sets for a large set of US weather sites. With a bit of post processing, given the output bin data one can easily also estimate the energy savings associated with ventilation energy recovery as a possible RTU replacement option.   A useful deployment of taxpayer funded commercial buildings research, IMHO.
Also - I have the executables for ASEAM, if anyone wants them. My recollection is that ASEAM won't run on a 64 bit machine - period. and needs to run in 16 bit mode on a 32 bit windows machine operating in Windows 95 compatibility mode. Nevertheless, it is still a pretty interesting ASCII text GUI (multi-zone) bin based estimating tool.   Contact me offline if you want me to send it to you. The documentation behind ASEAM is largely available (free pdf download to ASHRAE members) as the final report for ASHRAE RP 363 : "Upgrading Documentation of the Proposed TC 4.7 Simplified Energy Analysis Procedure". While I agree with Joe - it's certainly old-school, the documentation is still solid if one is looking to build their own measure specific custom spreadsheet-based calculator, etc.

All the Best,

_Chris

Chris Balbach, PE, CM, CMVP, BEAP, BEMP, BESA
Vice President of Research and Development
Performance Systems Development of NY, LLC
124 Brindley Street, Suite 4, Ithaca, NY, 14850
http://www.psdconsulting.com
ph: (607)-327-1647


From: bldg-sim-bounces at lists.onebuilding.org [mailto:bldg-sim-bounces at lists.onebuilding.org] On Behalf Of Joe Huang
Sent: Tuesday, August 27, 2013 11:34 PM
To: bldg-sim at lists.onebuilding.org
Subject: Re: [Bldg-sim] BIN Method Tool

I also recall ASEAM from back in the mid-1980's, when it was thought to be an easier program to teach than DOE-2 for
a USAID project to help ASEAN countries develop building energy standards.  Back in those days, ASHRAE TC 4.7 was quite
involved in refining the modified  bin calculation method that got known as the TC 4.7 Simplified Energy Analysis Procedure.
The best implementation of the modified bin method that I know of was TrakLoad, also mid-1980's vintage, developed by Robert Sonderegger,  now at Itron, though I doubt that Robert is still marketing or supporting the program.

This is all ancient history, as far as energy calculations goes.  I see no advantage to the bin method as compared to a hour-by-hour simulation, especially if you have to go through a lot of hoops to resurrect the programs as well as get the weather data into the bin format (though that's really very easy to do).

Joe


Joe Huang

White Box Technologies, Inc.

346 Rheem Blvd., Suite 108D

Moraga CA 94556

yjhuang at whiteboxtechnologies.com<mailto:yjhuang at whiteboxtechnologies.com>

http://weather.whiteboxtechnologies.com for simulation-ready weather data

(o) (925)388-0265

(c) (510)928-2683

"building energy simulations at your fingertips"

On 8/27/2013 5:34 PM, Jim Dirkes wrote:

Back in the day, I used a BASIC program called ASEAM that was developed by an ASHRAE research project.  It was capable of modeling only a single zone and limited number of HVAC systems (as I recall). I think I found a version of it online a few years ago and then decided I'd probably not use it, and no longer have it.  You may be able to find it....  ASEAM (A Simplified Energy Analysis Method) uses a modified bin method approach for energy calcs.



James V Dirkes II, PE, BEMP, LEED AP
www.buildingperformanceteam.com<http://www.buildingperformanceteam.com/>
Energy Analysis, Commissioning & Training Services
1631 Acacia Drive, Grand Rapids, MI 49504 USA
616 450 8653



From: bldg-sim-bounces at lists.onebuilding.org<mailto:bldg-sim-bounces at lists.onebuilding.org> [mailto:bldg-sim-bounces at lists.onebuilding.org] On Behalf Of Randy Wilkinson
Sent: Tuesday, August 27, 2013 7:08 PM
To: bldg-sim at lists.onebuilding.org<mailto:bldg-sim at lists.onebuilding.org>
Subject: Re: [Bldg-sim] BIN Method Tool



I have a program called TMY2BIN which converts freely available TMY2 hourly weather files into bin weather files for use in simplified energy calculations.  It does allow you to define occupancy hours.  Cost is $25  Check it out at: http://www.hvacware.net

I do not have any calculations for common ECM's that use this bin weather data.  That's why you get the big bucks.

Randy

- -
Randall C. Wilkinson, P.E., C.E.M.
hvacware.net
Spokane, WA

On 13-08-27 02:56 PM, Mike Karpman wrote:

Hi,



Does anyone know of any current tools that use the BIN method? I am imagining something that both processes weather data into BINs (taking into account occupied versus unoccupied times), and maybe includes some templates for common energy efficiency measures?



Thanks,

Mike



Mike Karpman

Karpman Consulting

(860) 430-9110

41C New London Turnpike

Glastonbury, CT 06033











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