Heating
and Cooling System Sizing
This
feature allows users to calculate whole-house, single-zone
winter and summer equipment loads (using ACCA's Manual
J methods) in order to accurately size air conditioning
and heating systems. System Sizing uses
Project Notebook data, user Preferences data and default
data and only rarely requires additional user edits.
An example of the System Sizing input screen is shown
below:
Once
the input screen is completed, the Calculate button
brings up the System Sizing Summary screen. The Summary
screen breaks down heating and cooling loads into
their component sources, and gives total heating and
cooling equipment loads for the home.
The
"Pie Chart" button provides a "quick" summary of the
load sources and the Reports menu on the top bar of
the screen provides access to printable Summary, Winter
Detail, Summer Detail reports.
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Improvement
Analysis
Improvement
Analysis (IA) allows users to manually create multiple
sets of improved buildings (for comparison to a given
"original" building). Each improved building,
or IA, is created by starting with the original building
inputs and modifying one or more fields. The
improvement package is then saved in a database table.
The Improvement Analysis Menu shown below is used
to access existing packages and create new packages.
Improvement
Analysis Mode uses component pages that are almost
identical to the Normal Mode screens, except that
only specific fields may be altered (editable fields
are highlighted). For example, in the Windows
page, only the "Type" and "Tint" fields may be edited,
but they may be altered for all windows simultaneously
through the "change all" option:
Improvement
Analysis Mode
Once
the desired improvements to the original building
are made, clicking on the Calculate menu from
IA Mode allows users to perform economic and financial
calculations using the built-in Energy Conservation
Measure (ECM) and Financial Tables. Clicking
on the Improvement Costs option brings up the Cost
Calculation Screen (shown below), which allows users
to make changes to the ECM and Financial tables and
generate economic and financial results. Clicking
on the Calculate button provides the improvement costs
and makes the Improvement Analysis Reports available.
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Features
Economic
Optimization
The
Optimization feature recommends energy-efficiency
upgrade packages based on user selected criteria.
These criteria include the financial Ranking Method,
the Energy Savings Goal and optional financial Limits
on first cost, first year cash flow and simple payback.
Optimization selects energy conservation measures
that best match the given criteria from a table of
Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) that is also selected
by the user. The results are made available
through a number of summary screens and financial
reports.
An
Optimization is performed by first completing the
Optimization Options screen (main Optimization screen).
This screen allows you to enter the desired optimization
criteria and ECM and Financial table options:
Main
Optimization Screen
The
ECM and Financial Table boxes near the bottom of the
Options screen access the editable conservation measure
and financial information databases. These tables
allow users to select from a supplied list of tables,
edit an existing table, or create new tables.
As many tables as the user desires may created, saved
and selected from the list. Only the first table
(EnergyGauge Default) is uneditable.
After
the preferred ECM and Financial tables have been selected
(or created), clicking on the Optimize button at the
bottom left of the main Optimization
screen will run the automated optimization analysis.
You
can then click on one of the Outputs buttons (Package
and Measures) at the bottom right corner of the main
Optimization screen to view and print summary
results from the analysis. The "Package" Output
screen is shown below. This screen lists each
of the selected energy conservation measures and compares
energy costs and other parameters of the improved
home with the original home:
A
full complement of economic and financial reports
are also available through the Optimization Reports
menu, with options to print results from economic
cost-benefit analysis, mortgage amortization and cash
flow schedules, estimated mortgage payments, and completed
forms required by Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac and FHA (HUD)
for Energy Efficient Mortgage applications.
Detailed results from stages of the analysis are also
available in table form for the accepted measures
and the first and the last runs of the optimization
analysis.
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