[EnergyPlus_Support] Re: EnergyPlus How To

["jon_pls" <jon_pls@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Linda.
 
I've seen your postings on the DesignBuilder site, am somewhat 
familiar with your expertise with EnergyPlus.
 
You asked about how to approach doing a manual. I had an experience 
this last year with something similar. It may or may not help.
 
The LEED criteria refers to some public domain software 
called "Contam 2.4" for natural ventilation calculations. It's 
obtained through NIST. When you download this software, and the 
accompanying documentation, you get a description of each indvidual 
component of the program. You still have no clue of how the program 
is supposed to run. Kind of "you can't see the forest for the trees" 
thing. The documentation for EnergyPlus is kind of like that.
 
I stumbled upon a short extension course offered by the MIT 
architecture department, of all places, that made the program 
operation clear after about a half hour of not-too-intense study. 
If you would like a PDF of this extract, e-mail me at my work 
location, I'll send it along.  A good example of how to make 
something that could be complicated pretty simple.

bjg@xxxxxxxxxxxx
 


--- In EnergyPlus_Support@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Linda Lawrie <linda@...> 
wrote:
>
> At 03:07 PM 3/16/2007, jon_pls wrote:
> >What's the best way to understand how everything works in 
EnergyPlus,
> >or, re-stated, is there any other "how to" documentation outside of
> >the official EnergyPlus site?
> 
> Not really.  I am on the hook for writing a "basics" manual this 
year 
> (due for the October release) but quite sure how to tackle it -- 
any 
> suggestions are appreciated.
> 
> >How did everyone else learn how to edit IDF files?
> 
> I'm not a good person to ask.  Personally, I would probably use 
some 
> tool like DesignBuilder to do the building geometry, which is 
always 
> a pain to do.  Then, I would look to the Compact HVAC systems which 
> will help you build up a system.  (and it creates an IDF so you can 
> pick that up and hopefully learn from it).
> 
> 
> 
> Linda
> 
> EnergyPlus WebSite: http://www.energyplus.gov
> Owner: EnergyPlus_Support list
> Member: EnergyPlus Development Team
> 
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>




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