What is an Energy Model? - Self Study
About this course
In this free course, Chris Schaffner describes a variety of methods for modeling building energy consumption. He starts with simple energy estimating tools of increasing complexity, finally arriving at detailed energy simulations.
A few simple methods are described, and spreadsheets (listed below) built to use these methods are provided. The specific requirements of energy simulations are discussed, and the course concludes with a case study demonstrating the power of parametric energy simulations as a design tool.
Two excel documents included:
- Simplified Heat Recovery Calculator
- Simplified Ground Source Heat Pump Calculator
Learning Objectives
- Understand some of the reasons we use energy models
- Identify the key elements of an energy model
- Differentiate between energy simulations and other types of models
- Name different modeling and simulation software tools
Course outline
Module 1 • 3 assignments
Watch the "What is an Energy Model?" Lecture
- Lecture (37:11 minutes)
- Simplified Ground Source Heat Pump calculator (.xls)
- Simplified Heat Recovery Calculator (.xls)
Author
Chris Schaffner
The Green Engineer founder, Chris Schaffner, P.E., LEED Fellow, is a professional mechanical engineer registered in Massachusetts, California, and Vermont. Chris has been a member of the USGBC faculty since 2001, training more than 9,200 building industry professionals in the LEED rating system. He is a member of the USGBC's Curriculum Committee, and is on the Energy...
