Energyplus: Can anyone suggest how should i start with this?

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Hello, i start using Energyplus as modelling tool and would like to ask this, i need to calculate energy consumption at three floor house, Since every floor has the same number of rooms, should i consider only one floor in this software? should i divide that floor into thermal zones (for each room)? or should i think of the entire floor as a Zone1?

Every floor has 6 rooms

I am confused with the division of zones? how should i write it? should i divide each floor into 6 thermal zones? also with the vertex option? for what floor should i write the vertex?

Tanya

asked 2020-06-17 08:40:38 -0500

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Mehrdad Vojdani

updated 2020-06-17 17:17:46 -0500

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This is going to depend on what you are trying to do.

Disclaimer: I'm going to make simplifications below.

A Zone is a thermal zone, and represents one cell of the overall calculation, where everything will have the same conditions. You can set internal gains (people, electric equipment, lights, etc), define HVAC equipment, set a specific thermostat, etc, and energyplus will also perform an energy/mass balance for that zone as a whole. (By default,) The zone will have the same air temperature throughout for example.

There is a helpful paragraph in the "E+ Essentials", see https://bigladdersoftware.com/epx/doc..., and another paragraph 'Zone' in https://bigladdersoftware.com/epx/doc...

Some rough examples:

If you have two bedrooms next to each other, and they are heated/cooled exactly the same way (same hvac equipment, same thermostat schedule), and you do not care about knowing specifically how much energy bedroom 1 versus bedroom 2 is using, then you can put both in the same thermal zone.
If you have an unheated garage next to a living room, then you probably shouldn't make them part of the same zone.
If you have a kitchen and a living room next to each toher, and there isn't a door in between or that door is always open, you can speculate they will be at the same temperature, so they should be part of the same zone probably.

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Julien Marrec

answered 2020-06-18 02:47:46 -0500

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Thanks very much for the answer

Tanya (2020-06-18 04:42:28 -0500) edit

Can i also ask you about the Simulation control, for example if i have a weather file but i still need to obtain an energy consumption values of the building in a certain period? Should i add the zones and put parameters in the fields with People,Lights, equipment, water etc also?

what should i choose in: Do zone Sizing calculation: Yes/No Do System sizing calculation: Yes/No Do plant sizing calculation: Yes/No Run simulation for sizing periods: Yes/No Run simulation for Weather File run periods: Yes (i read this should be yes if i have a weather file)

Tanya (2020-06-18 05:00:20 -0500) edit