Lecture 6: Building Envelope

Description (Part II)

Material prepared by GARD Analytics, Inc. and University of Illinois

at Urbana-Champaign under contract to the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory. All material Copyright 2002-2003 U.S.D.O.E. - All rights reserved
Importance of this Lecture to the
Simulation of Buildings
Every building is different in many ways:
Location/exterior environment

Construction/building envelope

HVAC system

Building envelope/construction determines how a

building will respond to the exterior environment
Thermal simulation requires information about the
physical make-up of the building, where various
constructions are located and how they are oriented,
how the building is subdivided into zones, etc.
Thermal simulation requires information on the
building envelope to properly analyze the building
from an energy perspective

2
 Purpose of this Lecture

Gain an understanding of how to specify

the building construction
Groups of Surfaces (Zones) and Overall
Building Characteristics
Walls, Roofs, Ceilings, Floors, Partitions,
etc.
Materials and Groups of Materials
(Constructions)

3
Keywords Covered in this Lecture

Zone
SurfaceGeometry
Surface (all types)
Construction
Material:Regular
Material:Regular-R
Material:Air
4
Review of Envelope Hierarchy

Building

Zone Zone Zone more zones

Surface Surface Surface Surface more surfaces

Construction only one construction per surface

Material Material Material Material more materials

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 Keyword: Zone

IDD Description (shortened)

ZONE,
A1 , \field Zone Name
N1 , \field Relative North (to building)
N2 , \field X Origin
N3 , \field Y Origin
N4 , \field Z Origin
N5 , \field Type
N6 , \field Multiplier
N7 , \field Ceiling Height
N8 , \field Volume
A2 ; \field Zone Inside Convection Algorithm
Purpose: to define basic properties about a
thermal zone

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 Keyword: Zone

IDD Description (detailed)

ZONE, Keyword
\required-object
A1 , \field Zone Name User defined zone name
\required-field
\type alpha
\reference ZoneNames
N1 , \field Relative North (to building)
\units deg
\type real
\default 0 Allows rotation of the zone
with respect to the building;
see north axis for building
description

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 Keyword: Zone

IDD Description (detailed, continued)

N2 , \field X Origin
\units m
\type real
\default 0
N3 , \field Y Origin Origin for the lower
\units m southwest corner of the
\type real zone in Cartesian
\default 0 coordinates
N4 , \field Z Origin
\units m
\type real
\default 0

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 Keyword: Zone

IDD Description (detailed, continued)

N5 , \field Type
This is a placeholder for a
\maximum 1
future feature of the program
\minimum 1
\default 1 Used to represent
N6 , \field Multiplier similar zone without
\type integer having to input all of the
\minimum 1 data multiple times
\default 1
N7 , \field Ceiling Height
\units m
\type real Volume is used to calculate
\default 0 the amount of thermal
N8 , \field Volume capacitance in the zone air
\units m3 and has an impact on how
\type real quickly the zone air
\default 0 temperature changes 9
 Keyword: Zone

IDD Description (detailed, continued)

A2 ; \field Zone Inside Convection Algorithm
\type choice
\key Simple Determines the interior
\key Detailed convection correlation used
\key CeilingDiffuser by the program; optional
\key TrombeWall parameter
\note Simple = constant natural convection (ASHRAE)
\note Detailed = variable natural convection based
\note on temperature difference (ASHRAE)
\note CeilingDiffuser = ACH based forced and mixed
\note convection correlations for ceiling diffuser
\note configuration with simple natural convection
\note limit
\note TrombeWall = variable natural convection in an
\note enclosed rectangular cavity
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 Keyword Example: Zone

IDF Example
ZONE,ZONE ONE, 0.0, 6.096, 0.0, 0.0, 1, 1, 0.0, 0.0, Detailed;

or
ZONE,
ZONE ONE, !- Zone Name
0.0, !- Relative North (to building) {deg}
6.096, !- X Origin {m}
0.0, !- Y Origin {m}
0.0, !- Z Origin {m}
1, !- Type
1, !- Multiplier
0.0, !- Ceiling Height {m}
0.0, !- Volume {m3}
Detailed; !- Zone Inside Convection Algorithm 11
 Keyword: SurfaceGeometry

Three dimensional
(3D) Cartesian Z Axis
Building and/or Zone North Axis

coordinate system
Right hand
coordinate system
Y Axis
X-axis points east
Y-axis points north X Axis

Z-axis points up

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 Keyword: SurfaceGeometry
(contd)
Vertex-based
Specify 3D coordinates of each corner of a surface

World Coordinates
All coordinates refer to global origin

Building and Zone north axes ignored

Zone origins ignored (except for daylighting)

Relative Coordinates
Zones relative to building

Surfaces relative to zones

Subsurfaces relative to zones

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 Keyword: SurfaceGeometry
(contd)
Surface starting position, looking from outside
UpperLeft, UpperRight, LowerLeft, LowerRight

Order of vertex entry

Clockwise, Counterclockwise

Coordinate system
WorldCoordinateSystem, RelativeCoordinateSystem

IDF Example:
SurfaceGeometry,
UpperLeftCorner, !- SurfaceStartingPosition
CounterClockWise, !- VertexEntry
WorldCoordinateSystem; !- SurfaceGeometryKey

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 Relative Coordinate Options
Building North Axis True
Building North Axis
North
Relative to true north +30 degrees
Rotates about bldg origin

Zone North Axis Zone

Relative to building north North
Rotates about zone origin
Axis

Zone Origin
Relative to building origin
(0,0,0) (0,0,0)
Surface vertices in zone Building Origin
coordinates
Zone Origin (x, y, z)

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 Types of Surfaces

Surface:HeatTransfer
Surface:HeatTransfer:Sub
Surface:HeatTransfer:InternalMass
Surface:Shading:Detached
Surface:Shading:Detached:Fixed
Surface:Shading:Detached:Building
Surface:Shading:Attached

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 Heat Transfer Surface
Surface:HeatTransfer
Walls, Roofs, Floors, Ceilings
Inside environment is always a zone
Outside environment
Exterior with or without wind and sun

Another zone surface (interzone heat transfer)

Adiabatic (internal mass with geometry)

Other Side Coefficients (user control of exterior

surface temperature, ignores solar and sky
radiant)

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 Heat Transfer Surface
(contd)
Exterior surfaces cast
shadows
Shadows only cast in the
direction of the outward
facing normal
A roof extended beyond
the walls will not cast
shadows downward
Interior surfaces do not
cast shadows
All surfaces reflect solar
as diffuse inside zone

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 Heat Transfer Surface
(contd)
IDD Description (shortened)
Surface:HeatTransfer,
A1 , \field User Supplied Surface Name
A2 , \field Surface Type (FLOOR|WALL|CEILING|ROOF)
A3 , \field Construction Name of the Surface
A4 , \field InsideFaceEnvironment
A5 , \field OutsideFaceEnvironment
\note (OtherZoneSurface|ExteriorEnvironment|Ground|
\note OtherSideCoeff)
A6, \field OutsideFaceEnvironment Object
\note Used only if OutsideFaceEnvironment is
\note OtherZoneSurface or OtherSideCoeff
\note If OtherZoneSurface, specify name of
\note corresponding surface in adjacent zone or
\note specify current surface name for internal
\note partition separating like zones
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 Heat Transfer Surface
(contd)
IDD Description (shortened, continued)
A7 , \field Sun Exposure (SunExposed|NoSun)
A8, \field Wind Exposure (WindExposed|NoWind)
N1, \field View Factor to Ground
N2 , \field Number of Surface Vertex Groups
N3, \field Vertex 1 X-coordinate
N4 , \field Vertex 1 Y-coordinate
N5 , \field Vertex 1 Z-coordinate
N6, \field Vertex 2 X-coordinate
N7, \field Vertex 2 Y-coordinate
N8, \field Vertex 2 Z-coordinate
N9, \field Vertex 3 X-coordinate
N10, \field Vertex 3 Y-coordinate
N11, \field Vertex 3 Z-coordinate
N12, \field Vertex 4 X-coordinate
N13, \field Vertex 4 Y-coordinate
N14; \field Vertex 4 Z-coordinate 20
 Heat Transfer Subsurface

Surface:HeatTransfer:Sub
Windows, Doors, Glass Doors
Only windows and glass doors transmit
sunlight
Can have interior windows
Must be placed on a base surface
Cannot completely cover base surface

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 Door and Window Details
(a)
Outside reveal (b)
defined by Wall
window
vertices
Outside Inside Inside
Reveal Reveal Reveal
Surface Surface Outside Depth
WindowFrame Outside Inside Reveal
Depth
AndDivider
Reveal Reveal
Depth Depth
Glazing
specifies Glazing

details of Inside Sill

Depth
frame, sill,
Frame
Sill Inside Sill
Depth
inside reveal, Wall

etc.
Wall

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 Heat Transfer Subsurface
(contd)
IDD Description (shortened)
Surface:HeatTransfer:Sub,
A1 , \field User Supplied Surface Name
A2 , \field Surface Type (WINDOW|DOOR|GLASSDOOR)
A3 , \field Construction Name of the Surface
\note To be matched with a construction
\object-list ConstructionNames
A4 , \field Base Surface Name (that subsurface attached to)
A5, \field OutsideFaceEnvironment Object
\note Used only if Base OutsideFaceEnvironment is
\note OtherZone or OtherSideCoeff
\note If OtherZone, specify name of corresponding
\note subsurface in adjacent zone or specify current
\note subsurface name for internal partition
\note separating like zones
N1, \field View Factor to Ground
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 Heat Transfer Subsurface
(contd)
IDD Description (shortened, continued)
A6, \field Name of shading control
\note used for windows and glass doors only
\note If not specified, window or glass door has
\note no shading (blind, roller shade, etc.)
A7, \field WindowFrameAndDivider Name
\note Used only for exterior windows (rectangular)
\note and glass doors.
\note Unused for triangular windows.
\note If not specified (blank), window or glass door
\note has no frame or divider and no beam solar
\note reflection from reveal surfaces.
N2 , \field Multiplier

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 Heat Transfer Subsurface
(contd)
IDD Description (shortened, continued)
N3 , \field Number of Surface Vertex Groups
N4, \field Vertex 1 X-coordinate
N5 , \field Vertex 1 Y-coordinate
N6 , \field Vertex 1 Z-coordinate
N7, \field Vertex 2 X-coordinate
N8, \field Vertex 2 Y-coordinate
N9, \field Vertex 2 Z-coordinate
N10, \field Vertex 3 X-coordinate
N11, \field Vertex 3 Y-coordinate
N12, \field Vertex 3 Z-coordinate
N13, \field Vertex 4 X-coordinate
N14, \field Vertex 4 Y-coordinate
N15; \field Vertex 4 Z-coordinate

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 Shading Surface
Three types Upper Left Corner Vertex for
Overhang

Transmittance
schedule D
A

(default is C

always opaque)
Automatically B

mirrored to cast
shadows in
both directions (0,0,0)

Must specify
vertices
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 Shading Surface (contd)

IDD Description (shortened)

Similar for all three shading surface types:
Surface:Shading:Detached:Fixed
Surface:Shading:Detached:Building
Surface:Shading:Attached Detached shading
Surface:Shading:Attached, surfaces are not
A1 , \field User Supplied Surface Name associated with a
base surface
A2 , \field Base Surface Name
A3 , \field Transmittance schedule for shading device
N1 , \field Number of Surface Vertex Groups
N2 , N3 , N4 , \field Vertex 1 X, Y, Z-coordinates
N5 , N6 , N7 , \field Vertex 2 X, Y, Z-coordinates
N8 , N9 , N10, \field Vertex 3 X, Y, Z-coordinates
N11, N12, N13; \field Vertex 4 X, Y, Z-coordinates 27
 Construction

List material layers from outside to

inside
Convection coefficients (film layers) are
added automatically
IDF Example:
CONSTRUCTION,
CEILING39, !- User Defined Name
C5 - 4 IN HW CONCRETE, !- Outside Layer
E4 - CEILING AIRSPACE, !- Layer #2
E5 - ACOUSTIC TILE; !- Inside Layer

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Materials for Opaque Surfaces
Material:Regular
Has thermal mass

Thickness, conductivity, density, and specific heat

Material:Regular-R
Has no thermal mass

Specify only thermal resistance

Material:Air
Also no thermal mass, just resistance

Cannot be an outside layer, no absorptances

Otherwise, modeled same as Material:Regular-R

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 Material Example
MATERIAL:REGULAR, Options: VeryRough,
PLASTERBOARD-2, !- Name MediumRough, Rough,
Rough, !- Roughness Smooth, MediumSmooth,
0.01, !- Thickness {m} VerySmooth
0.16, !- Conductivity {W/m-K}
950.0, !- Density {kg/m3}
840.0, !- Specific Heat {J/kg-K}
0.9, !- Thermal Absorptance
0.6, !- Solar Absorptance
0.6; !- Visible Absorptance
Parameters Affecting:
ConvectionRoughness
ConductionThickness, Conductivity, Density, Specific Heat
RadiationAbsorptances
Material:Regular-R and Material:Air contain a subset
of the above information (see IDD for more details) 30
 DataSets for Materials and
Constructions
EnergyPlus\DataSets\
BLASTMaterials.idf BLASTConstructs.idf

DOE-2Materials.idf DOE-2Constructs.idf

WindowGlassMaterials.idf

WindowGasMaterials.idf

WindowShadeMaterials.idf

WindowConstructs.idf

WindowBlindMaterials.idf

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 Materials for Moisture
Transfer
MaterialProperty:Moisture:MTF
Moisture Transfer Function model
MaterialProperty:Moisture:EMPD
Effective Mean Penetration Depth model
\DataSets\MoistureMaterials.idf

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 Summary
In EnergyPlus
Buildings are made up of one or more Zones

Zones are made up of one or more Surfaces

Zones are thermal zonesbasis of the heat

balance solution
Surfaces are defined by a Construction

Constructions are made up of one or more

Material layers
Accuracy of simulation results directly related
to accuracy of input data

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