ENERGY SCHEMING 3.0

Users Manual Chapter 0 - Prefatory Pages

 

Energy Scheming has been created by:

Programming Assistance:

User Guide Creation:

 

User Guide Design and Production:

Julie Cristello, Jeanney Kim, Hoover Li, Spencer McPherson, Peter Nies, Therese Peffer, John Pettit, Kindy Poole, Jacqueline Reynolds, Alyssa Turk

 

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the funding support of:

A number of people have helped us over the years with various versions of the program and we would like to thank them.

James Awe, Tim Becker, Terry Blomquist, Damon Bull, Tony Chou, Michael Cockram, Mark DeKay, Joyce Deters, Erik Dorsett, Larry Dunn, Paul Falsetto, Steve Fickas, Sean Fremouw, Mike Holcomb, Lloyd Humez, Bob Jones, Jeff Joslin, Jennifer Jurick, Kit Larsen, Lance LaVine, Joel Loveland, Melinda McClellan, Margot McDonald, Peter Miller, Murray Milne, Fuller Moore, Doreen Muller, Richard Nordhaus, Barbara-Jo Novitski, Jan Owens-Hart, Therese Peffer, Lisa Petterson, John Reynolds, Marshall Schneider, Tammy Schneider, Marc Seguela, Robert Shibley, Ken Smith, Jurgen Spiecker, Eric Sunderland, Dean Thomas, Jim Tully and Rob Young.

 

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Copyright

This manual and the software described in it are copyrighted by the University of Oregon with all rights reserved. Under the copyright laws, this manual or the software may not be copied, in whole or part, without the written consent of G.Z. Brown, Department of Architecture, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, U.S.A.

©1992, 1997

Printed in Eugene, Oregon, U.S.A.

The Macintosh System and Finder are copyrighted programs of Apple Computer, Inc.
Macintosh is a trademark licensed to Apple Computer, Inc.
Macintosh SE, Mac II, ImageWriter II are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.
MacPaint, MacDraw are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.
Apple File Exchange is copyrighted by Apple Computer, Inc.
SuperPaint is a trademark of Silicon Beach Software, Inc, a Subsidiary of Aldus Corporation.
MacDraft is a trademark of Innovative Data Design, Inc.
ArchiCAD is a registered trademark of Graphisoft U.S., Inc.
DOE 2 is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Energy.

 

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Preface

Energy Scheming for the Apple Macintosh has been developed at the University of Oregon's Department of Architecture. It is a design tool (rather than an analysis or evaluation tool) that facilitates energy considerations in buildings at the preliminary design stages. Its primary goal is to help you create an energy-efficient building rather than to evaluate an already conceived one.

The energy use analysis evaluates a single-zone building for 24 hours, for each of four representative days. All information about the building may be input entirely graphically. The drawings of the building to be evaluated can be copied into Energy Scheming from another application or you can draw it in Energy Scheming's Drawing Environment.

 

Assumptions about the Users

We assume that Energy Scheming users are architects, architecture students or others with some knowledge of energy analysis and building design. They are also familiar with the Apple Macintosh computer. Therefore this User Guide does not explain in detail either the principles of design with energy or Macintosh conventions such as opening and closing files, saving, and scrolling.

We recommend that you refer to your Apple Macintosh user's manuals for information about basic Macintosh procedures. For sources of information about energy applicable to building design, consult the bibliography in this manual.

 

Questions or Comments?

If you have questions or comments about Energy Scheming please write to:

G.Z. Brown
Department of Architecture
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon 97403. U.S.A.

 

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Table of Contents

Chapter

Heading

Page

Chapter 0.

Read This First!

0.7

Before Installing Energy Scheming

0.8

Installing Energy Scheming

0.9

Before You Begin to Use Energy Scheming!

0.10

To Get Started

0.12

Chapter 1.

Introduction

1.1

Technical Considerations and the Creative Process

1.1

Overview of Energy Scheming

1.4

The Energy Performance Report

1.8

Macintosh Conventions Used in Energy Scheming

1.11

Guide to The Drawing Environment

1.14

Guide to the Takeoff Environment

1.19

Chapter 2.

Guided Tour

2.1

Chapter 3.

How Energy Scheming Calculates Loads

3.1

Guide to the Energy Analysis

3.1

Sources of Heat Gain

3.2

Sources of Heat Loss

3.5

Chapter 4.

Input Requirements

4.1

Define Project

4.1

Draw Mode

4.2

Takeoff Mode: Plans and Elevations

4.3

Schedules

4.5

Strategies

4.6

Chapter 5.

Procedures

5.1

Preliminaries

5.1

Building Drawings

5.3

Preliminary Takeoff Procedures

5.6

Specifications from Plan Drawings

5.7

Roof Specifications

5.9

Floor Specification

5.17

Occupancy Zones

5.22

Equipment Zones

5.27

Electric Lighting Zones Specification

5.31

Mass Specification

5.35

Windows/Skylights Specification

5.38

Specifications from Elevation Drawings

5.42

Walls

5.45

Roofs

5.50

Windows/Skylights

5.51

Chapter 6.

Building Diagnositics and the Advisor

6.1

Components of the report

6.1

How to view the report

6.2

How to print the report

6.5

How to interpret the report

6.6

Improving energy performance

6.15

Thermographics

6.15

The Advisor

6.19

Custom reports

6.22

Chapter 7.

Menu Descriptions

7.1

Apple Menu

7.2

File Menu

7.2

Edit Menu

7.7

Options Menu

7.7

Define Menu

7.9

Rule-of-Thumb Menu

7.12

View Menu

7.13

Advisor Menu

7.17

Appendices

A.1

A.

Algorithms

A.2

Rule of Thumb for Windows

A.2

Overview of the Annual Energy Summary

A.7

Internal Heat Gain

A.9

Daylighting

A.10

Solar Heat Gains

A.18

Conductive and Convective Heat Flow

A.25

Heat Storage in Thermal Mass

A.30

Climate Data

A.38

B.

Default Building Data

A.41

C.

Allowable Input Ranges

A.46

D.

Thermal Resistance of Materials

A.48

E.

Shallow Well Water Temperatures

A.49

F.

Solar Savings Fraction Data

A.50

G.

Common Airport Data Format

A.57

H.

Clear Day Radiation Totals

A.58

Bibliography

B.1

Index

I.1

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Read This First!

What Makes Energy Scheming Special?

Energy Scheming's primary goal is to help you create an energy efficient building rather than to evaluate an already conceived one. Its user interface is designed to fit the mental processes, information structures, and graphic methods that a building designer uses at the beginning of the design process. This allows you to integrate technical issues while in the creative thinking phase of the design. The result is a building with architectural expression that is more likely to be a synthesis of energy, formal, and other concerns.

Energy Scheming is unique because it allows you to design with energy in mind right from the very beginning stage of the building design process all within the friendly confines of a Macintosh drawing environment. Your building data is input graphically from drawings rather than numerically. Even the energy report is presented graphically. You can view it on the drawing screen at the same time as you are modifying your building design, so you can quickly see the effects of design decisions on energy performance.

 

Why Is Energy Scheming Needed?

Because energy conserving opportunities are related to building form and organization, it is essential that the designer incorporate energy considerations right at the beginning of the design process when the form and organization of the building are first being considered. Usually, this doesn't happen until later, after these key decisions are made, especially if the designer is not an expert in energy analysis.

 

Who Uses Energy Scheming?

Energy Scheming is for experienced designers who want quick preliminary confirmation about the energy performance of schematic design ideas. They will find it convenient for making quick massing studies at the "napkin phase" as well as for making specific changes to one building element, such as the windows of the south elevation.

Energy Scheming is for beginning designers who will learn energy conscious design habits at the start of their design education, rather than having to incorporate energy concerns after their design habits have become set and consequently difficult to change.

 

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Before Installing Energy Scheming

Be sure that your Energy Scheming package is complete and that you have the equipment you need.

The Energy Scheming Package should contain two items:

After installation, the Energy Scheming 3.0 contains:

 

Minimum Hardware Configuration

Apple Macintosh II series or later
2.0 MB RAM for Energy Scheming
System 7
Printer
13" Color Monitor
 

Make a Backup Copy

You are authorized to make one backup copy of the application. Once you have made a copy, be sure to store the original in a safe place.

 

Companion Software

The following applications are needed in order to take advantage of all of the features of Energy Scheming 3.0:

Note that the hardware and software requirements for these programs are different from Energy Scheming.

 

Installing Energy Scheming

This installation procedure requires that your Macintosh have a disk drive capable of reading from high density (1.4 MB) diskettes. If you need 800 kB diskettes, call the Energy Studies in Buildings Laboratory, 541/346-5647.

  1. Insert your Energy Scheming diskette into the disk drive.
  2. Click on the "Energy Scheming 3.0 " folder and drag it to your hard disk. It can be put anywhere you would like on your hard disk.
  3. If you own ArchiCAD, locate and open your ArchiCAD folder, assuming you have previously installed it.
  4. Within this locate and open the folder "ArchiCAD Library."
  5. Locate and open the folder "08 Doors & Windows."
  6. Locate and open the folder "08600 Wood & Plastic Windows."
  7. Click on the Energy Scheming diskette icon again and open the folder titled "Put files in ArchiCAD Library ."
  8. Click and drag around the two files in this folder and drag them to the window "08600 Wood & Plastic Windows" which you located in your ArchiCAD folder. This will copy them to your hard disk and make them available to ArchiCAD.
  9. If you have not installed ArchiCAD you may copy the folder "Put files in ArchiCAD Library " into your Energy Scheming folder to hold until you install ArchiCAD.
  10. Drag the Energy Scheming diskette icon into the trash to eject the floppy disk and store the original in a safe place.

 

Using Energy Scheming 2.0 and 2.5 Files

Energy Scheming 3.0 can open building files created with earlier versions of Energy Scheming. However you cannot open Energy Scheming 3.0 files with Energy Scheming 2.0 or 2.5, nor save files in Energy Scheming 2.0 or 2.5 format from Energy Scheming 3.0.

 

 

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Before You Begin to Use Energy Scheming!

Read this section for

 

Checklist: Macintosh Conventions

Energy Scheming uses the Macintosh User Interface and is consistent with other applications you have used with your Apple Macintosh. If you are an experienced Macintosh user and familiar with graphics programs, you will find it easy to find your way around the program using the visual cues that you find on the screen.

If you don't know basic Macintosh conventions, we recommend you refer to the Apple Macintosh tutorials and help files that came with your computer. The Energy Scheming User Guide contains detailed information about features and procedures that are specific to Energy Scheming.

 

Checklist: Energy Analysis of a Building

The Energy Scheming User Guide is written with the assumption that you are familiar with the concepts for doing an energy analysis of a building.

Energy Scheming's energy reports are available in both numeric and graphic formats. The report tells you the amount of load your building will have for heating and cooling for up to four representative days in an analysis year. It calculates the heat flows for up to 24 hours in each day and gives you a breakdown by source. It will tell you, for example, how much of your heat loss is due to windows or how much of your heat gain is due to equipment.

Chapter 1, "Introduction," gives a brief overview of the energy analysis formulas used in Energy Scheming. Appendix A, "Algorithms," gives you a more rigorous technical explanation of these formulas.

If you are not familiar with energy analysis, consult the bibliography for references. There is no single overview of the methodology for doing an energy analysis. Sources in the bibliography are references for, rather than introductions to, energy analysis.

 

Checklist: Overview of the User's Guide

Chapter 1: "Introduction" explains the purpose of Energy Scheming, what makes it unique, its special features, its design concept, and is a general overview of the procedures and energy reports.

Chapter 2: "Guided Tour" introduces you to Energy Scheming by taking you on a brief tour through the basic procedures of the program.

Chapter 3: "How Energy Scheming Calculates Loads" explains how the program uses the information you put in to analyze your building's energy performance.

Chapter 4: "Input Requirements" explains the types of information that you can modify or add to the building's data base.

Chapter 5: "Procedures" explains the steps required to create drawings, specify various types of information about the building, and evaluate the building's performance.

Chapter 6: "Building Diagnostics and the Advisor" explains the graphic report, thermographic display and expert advice outputs and how to interpret and print results.

Chapter 7: "Menu Descriptions" describes the pull-down menus and the functions they initiate.

Appendices A-H: These are primarily for reference.

 
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To Get Started

For Novices

  1. Read through Chapter 1, "Introduction." This will give you an overview of what the program can do.
  2. Take the guided tour that will quickly introduce you to the main program features.
  3. Briefly look over Chapter 3, "How Energy Scheming Calculates Loads" This explains Energy Scheming's energy calculation procedures.
  4. Briefly look over Chapter 4, "Input Requirements." This explains the types of building information that you can add or change.
  5. Briefly review Chapter 7, "Menu Descriptions." You will probably return to this later for reference.
  6. Carefully go through Chapter 5, "Procedures." This is the heart of the User's Guide. Draw or paste in a simple building and use it to follow along with the explanations.
  7. Experiment with the Rule-of-Thumb for sizing windows, making sure that you understand the various parameter settings.
  8. Refer to "Energy Strategies" to familiarize yourself with the options available.
  9. Try a simple trial building on your own.
  10. Request an annual energy evaluation for your building using Chapter 6, "Building Diagnostics and the Advisor," as a guide.

Keep in mind that Energy Scheming can start calculating the energy report as soon as you have completed the Define Project sequence. In other words, even if you add no other information beyond this, you can view an evaluation report.

By now you are ready to do some serious energy design and evaluation.

 

For Experienced Energy Analysts

  1. Draw the building in schematic detail within Energy Scheming or draw it in another program and paste it into the drawing environment.
  2. Use the building default data or input new materials and schedule descriptions.
  3. Evaluate and redesign the building facade with the Rule-of-Thumb for window sizing.
  4. View the graphic report and thermographic display to understand how your building is performing.
  5. View the expert advice for improving performance
  6. Redesign and reevaluate the building until its loads are low and its other design considerations are satisfied.