Software Tools
These software packages are displayed on the internet. SiGBA will not be held liable for the contents of the referenced items nor the omission of documents.
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DOE Building Energy Software Tools Directory
This directory provides information on 317 building software tools for evaluation energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainability in buildings. The energy tools listed in this directory include databases, spreadsheets, component and systems analyses, and whole-building energy performance simulation programs. A short description is provided for each tool along with other information including expertise required, users, audience, input, output, computer platforms, programming language, strengths, weaknesses, technical contact, and availability.
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DOE EnergyPlus Simulation Software
EnergyPlus is a building energy simulation program for modeling building heating, cooling, lighting, ventilating, and other energy flows. While it is based on the most popular features and capabilities of BLAST and DOE-2, it includes many innovative simulation capabilities such as time steps of less than an hour, modular systems and plant integrated with heat balance-based zone simulation, multizone air flow, thermal comfort, and photovoltaic systems.
EnergyPlus is a stand-alone simulation program without a 'user friendly' graphical interface. EnergyPlus reads input and writes output as text files.
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DOE- Environmental Design Guide For Engineers (EDGE)
Version 3.1 of the Environmental Design Guide for Engineers (EDGE) is a software tool designed to help engineers and designers incorporate sustainability measures into the design of facilities to reduce life-cycle costs and increase materials and energy efficiency. In addition, the software can be applied to processes and procedures. EDGE is a project-related software tool that provides more than 250 opportunities to incorporate sustainable design into projects. Each opportunity is supported by examples, pictures, and references to help you evaluate the applicability and potential benefits to your project. Built-in filters narrow the focus to only the opportunities that apply, based on project size and design stage.
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Green Building Advisor
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Green Building Advisor 1.1 (GBA) ($49./00) is an innovative, interactive CD-ROM-based software tool that helps users identify design strategies that can be incorporated into specific building projects. You enter information about a project and--based on those inputs--GBA generates a list of strategies relevant to the project, organized into categories for easy review.
GBA is a brainstorming tool that can save you hours of research. Linked screens describe each strategy in detail, provide information on relative costs, describe when in the design phase to consider the strategy, explain interrelationships between strategies, identify sources for more information, and show--through case studies--how actual projects have used the strategy.
The software also includes useful overview information on green building design, an extensive green products database (based on GreenSpec), and a bibliographic guide to other green building resources. Very simply, GBA is a brainstorming tool for anyone wanting to reduce the environmental impacts of a particular building or renovation project.
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Radiance- For Lighting Design & Rendering
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RADIANCE is a highly accurate ray-tracing software system for UNIX computers that is licensed at no cost to users for non-commercial use; commercial use licenses including distribution rights are available for a fee.
Radiance was developed with primary support from the U.S. Department Of Energy and additional support from the Swiss Federal Government. It is copyrighted by the Regents of the University of California.
Radiance is a suite of programs for the analysis and visualization of lighting in design.
Input files specify the scene geometry, materials, luminaires,time, date and sky conditions (for daylight calculations). Calculated values include spectral radiance (ie. luminance + color), irradiance (illuminance + color) and glare indices. Simulation results may be displayed as color images, numerical values and contour plots.
The primary advantage of Radiance over simpler lighting calculation and rendering tools is that there are no limitations on the geometry or the materials that may be simulated. Radiance is used by architects and engineers to predict illumination, visual quality and appearance of innovative design spaces, and by researchers to evaluate new lighting and daylighting technologies.
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RETScreen Clean Energy Project Analysis Software
The RETScreen International Clean Energy Project Analysis Software is a unique decision support tool developed with the contribution of numerous experts from government, industry, and academia.
The software, provided free-of-charge, can be used world-wide to evaluate the energy production, life-cycle costs and greenhouse gas emission reductions for various types of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies (RETs). The software also includes product, cost and weather databases; and a detailed online user manual.
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Sustainable Buildings Industry Council Energy 10 Software
ENERGY-10 Version 1.7 is here!
ENERGY-10 software analyzes-and illustrates-the energy and cost savings that can be achieved by applying up to a dozen sustainable design strategies. Hourly energy simulations quantify, assess, and clearly depict the benefits of:
Daylighting
Passive solar heating and cooling
Natural ventilation
Well-insulated building envelopes
High-performance windows
High-performance lighting systems
High-performance mechanical equipment
ENERGY-10 helps professionals routinely deliver high-performance buildings that will operate with, on average, 20-30% lower energy costs. Using climate data that is site-specific, see how different combinations of materials, systems, and orientation yield lesser or greater results, based on energy use, comparative costs, and reduced emissions.
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Washington State University Database of Solar Design Tools
They offer design tools for solar and passive design, water heating, geometry, and much more.
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Lifecycle Assessment Software Tools
These software packages are displayed on the internet. SiGBA will not be held liable for the contents of the referenced items nor the omission of documents.
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