“What is an Energy Model?”
In this brand new free course, P.E. and LEED Fellow Chris Schaffner explains.
Chris describes a variety of methods for modeling building energy consumption. He starts with simple energy estimating tools of increasing complexity and finally arrives at detailed energy simulations.
A few simple methods are described, and spreadsheets built to use these methods (listed below) 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
Enroll in “What is an Energy Model” for free!
About Instructor Chris Schaffner, P.E., LEED Fellow – Principal and Founder, The Green Engineer, Inc.
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 and Atmosphere Technical Advisory Group (TAG).
Want to keep learning about energy modeling? Enroll in Chris’ Energy Modeling in EQuest course and master eQUEST, the free “Quick Energy Simulation Tool” developed by the U.S. Department of Energy and other industry leaders.
