The University of Texas at Austin Fall 2016

CAEE Department, Architectural Engineering Program

Course:

Energy Simulation in Building Design

Instructor:

Dr. Atila Novoselac

ECJ, 5.430
Office (512) 475-8175
e-mail: atila@mail.utexas.edu
http://www.ce.utexas.edu/prof/Novoselac

Office Hours:
Tuesday and Thursday 11:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m.

Lecture Objectives:

Discuss syllabus
Describe course scope
Introduce course themes
Address your concerns
Heat transfer review

Motivation for learning about

Energy Simulation in Building Design
Buildings:
Responsible for ~40% of total energy consumption in U.S.
Affect the CO2 emission
Building energy systems with the building envelope affect:
Energy consumption operation cost
First cost capital cost
Thermal comfort and IAQ

Energy analysis for

- Optimum balance between operational and capital cost

Motivation: Recognize inaccuracy in

energy related technology statements

What do you think about this

statement?

In the article an advertiser claim 30%

saving on electric bill.

Energy consumption in Austins

residential house
Miscellaneous

Cooling

Washer
Range
Refrigerator

2000
(15,600 kWh)
Including gas

Lighting

Dryer

Hot water

A well-insulated attic
Heating in Austin will only comprise
10% - 15% of the sensible
Cooling and Heating load.

Energy target value for a new house in

Austin
New single family 2262 sf, 2-story home
18000
Miscellaneous

15620 kWh

Washers

16000

Range
Refrigerator

14000

Lighting

12862 kWh
11304 kWh

12000

Dryer
Hot water
Heating
Cooling

10000
8000

7086 kWh

6000

4000
2000

0
2000

2006

2010

target (2015)

Student interested in
Sustainable Design
LEED - Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design
1) LEED Certification require that building has analysis
related to energy performance
2) All government buildings require energy analysis
- all new UT buildings require energy analysis

What is Energy Analysis ?

Samsung R&B Building

UT Solar Decathlon House 2007

Example of energy modeling for building optimization

Design iterations to optimize
shape and energy use
Architectural models

Energy-simulation models

Solutions:
passive shadings
positions and area of windows
insulation value
tightly sealed envelope
high-performance window
position of solar collectors

Design
iterations

Example of Solar Analysis for the

Pike Powers Commercialization Lab
Solar panels

Heat and mass transfer in buildings

Energy simulation software

Garbage IN

Simulation Software

Garbage OUT

Course Objectives
1. Identify basic building elements which affect building energy
consumption and analyze the performance of these elements using
energy conservation models.
2. Analyze the physics behind various numerical tools used for solving
heat and moisture transfer problems in building elements.
3. Use basic numerical methods for solving systems of linear and
nonlinear equations.
4. Conduct building energy analysis using comprehensive computer
simulation tools.
5. Evaluate performance of building envelope and environmental
systems considering energy consumption.
6. Perform parametric analysis to evaluate the effects of design choices
and operational strategies of building systems on building energy
use.
7. Use building simulations in life-cycle cost analyses for selection of
energy-efficient building components.

Prerequisites

ARE 346N Building Environmental Systems

ME 320 Thermodynamics
or similar courses

Knowledge of the following is beneficial:

- Heat transfer
- Numerical methods
- Programming

Textbook
Energy Simulation in Building Design
J A Clarke, 2002 (2nd Edn)
NOTE: Useful but not required !

References:
1) 2001 ASHRAE Handbook: Fundamentals.
IP or SI edition, hard copy or CD
2) Numerical Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow
S V Patankar, 1980
3) Solar Engineering of Thermal Processes
John A. Duffie, William A. Beckman, 1991
4) Design of Thermal Systems
W. F. Stoecker, 1998

Handouts
Copies of appropriate book sections
Book from the reference list
I will mark important sections
Disadvantage - different nomenclature and terminology
I will point-out terms nomenclature and terminology
differences

Journal papers
Related to application of energy simulation programs

Other books for reading

ASHRAE Fundamentals
Great and very complete reference about HVAC and heat transfer

Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning

Mcqusiton, Spittler, Parker (2000)
Basic knowledge about HVAC systems

Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer

Incropera, Witt, (2001)
Excellent reference and textbook about fundamental of Heat transfer

Energy simulation (ES) software

We are going to learn to evaluate:
importance of input data
effects of simplification and assumptions
accuracy of results

for each ES program

We are going to talk about several most commonly used
ES programs
Concentrate on eQUEST and EnergyPlus
for projects and homework's
http://www.doe2.com/equest/ , http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/energyplus/

Why eQUEST software

It is free - you can take it to your future company
It has user-friendly interface
It has built in functions for economic analyses
It is based on well tested DOE2 ES program

There are certain limitations

limited number of HVAC system

Energy Plus
Open Studio

BEopt

Moisture related problems

Moisture transfer software

WUFI

http://web.ornl.gov/sci/ees/etsd/btric/wufi/software.shtml

Topics
1. Course Introduction and Background
2. Fundamentals of energy mass transfer
3. Thermal analysis of building components
4. Numerical methods
5. Fundamentals of moisture transfer
6. Energy and moisture simulation tools
7. Introduction to modeling software
8. Building envelope analyses
9. HVAC System analyses
10. Parametric Analyses

0.5 wk
1.5 wks
2 wk
1 wk
1 wk
1 wk
1 wk
2 wks
2 wks
2 wks

Tentative Course Schedule

Date
08/25
08/30
09/01
09/06
09/08
09/13
09/15
09/20
09/22
09/27
09/29
10/04
10/06
10/11
10/13
10/18
10/20
10/25
10/27
11/01
11/03
11/08
11/10
11/15
11/17
11/22
11/29
12/01

Topics
Course introduction and terminology
Heat transfer review
Heat transfer review
Heat transfer review
Solar radiation
Weather boundary conditions
Thermal processes in building elements
Thermal modeling of basic building elements
Unsteady-state heat transfer
System of equations for the building systems
Numerical methods for solving system of equations
Internal and external heating/cooling load
Design condition vs. typical weather conditions TMY data
Simplified and detailed simulation techniques and programs
Moisture transfer fundamentals
Control of moisture transfer
Midterm project assignment
Review, for midterm test
Test
Introduction to parametric analysis
Final project assignment
Primary and secondary HVAC systems
HVAC and automatic control
Modeling the HVAC systems and equation solving
Interaction of building envelope and HVAC system
Building simulation as requirement for the LEED certification
Detailed energy simulations - Energy Plus and other tools
Energy modeling and life cycle cost analysis

Due date for

HW0

HW1a
HW1b

HW2

HW3

HW4
Test
Midterm project

Final project - prel. results

Final project

Grading
Test
Homework Assignments
Midterm Project
Final Project & Presentation
Classroom Participation

30%
25%
10%
30%
5%
100%

Grading
Undergraduate
> 90 A
80-90 B
70-80 C
60-70 D
< 60 F

Graduate
> 93 A
90-93 A86-90 B+
83-86 B
80-83 B< 80 C-, C, C+

Participation 5%
How to get participation points
Come to class
Participate in class
Come see me in my office

Midterm Exam 30%

October 30 (will be confirmed)
Problems based on topics cover in the first
part of the course

Homework 25%
Total 4
HW1: two parts Solar radiation problem
HW2 & HW3: Problems related to building
heat transfer modeling

HW4: Moisture transfer

Midterm Project 10%

Individual project
1) Use of eQUEST (or EnergyPlus)
simulation tool for building envelope
analysis
- Primary goal is to get familiar with the software

Final Project 30%

1) Use of simulation tool (commercially
available) or your model for detail energy
analysis
- Energy analysis of building envelope and HVAC systems
- Problems related to your future career
- Problems related to your internship

2) Problem related your future job or research

- You propose

Project seminar

Project Topic Examples

UT Solar Decathlon 2015

Envelope
HVAC systems
Solar collectors
http://www.utexas.edu/news/2014/02/17/studentscompete-solar-decathlon/

Facade Thermal Lab at UT SOA

Design and optimization of
thermal storage systems

Course Website
All course information:
http://www.ce.utexas.edu/prof/Novoselac/classes/ARE383/

Your grades and progress on Canvas

Look at assignments and handout sections
Class notes posted in the morning before the class

PLEASE LET ME KNOW ABOUT ERRORS

Units System
We will use both SI and IP unit system
Research: SI
HVAC industry including architectural and
consulting companies IP
First part of the course
Second part of the course

more SI
IP and SI

My Issues
Please try to use office hours for questions
problems and other reasons for visit
Please dont use e-mail to ask me questions
which require long explanations
Call me or come to see me

I accept suggestions
The more specific the better

Questions ?

Next class:
Short intro to PLUS by Leta Moser
This course got PLUS accreditation
Peer-Led Undergraduate Studying (PLUS)
assists students enrolled in historically difficult
courses by offering class-specific, weekly study
groups.
Students can attend any study group at any point in
the semester to review for an exam, discuss confusing
concepts, or work through practice problems.
http://www.utexas.edu/ugs/slc/support/plus

Assignment 0
Your motivation and expectation
Due on Tuesday

Review - Heat transfer

Convection
Conduction
Radiation

Example Problem radiant barrier

in attic