DOE Releases EnergyPlus, Successor to DOE-2

energy simulation software. For many years, DOE-2 has been the standard energy modeling tool for large buildings and the benchmark against which other simulation tools are tested. It has some weaknesses, however, including being notoriously time-consuming to use and failing to model parameters such as airflows due to natural forces. EnergyPlus is built from scratch to address some of these shortcomings, and it can dynamically model the interactions between thermal loads in a building and the mechanical systems working to meet those loads. The program currently requires some sophistication to run, but it should eventually become quite easy to use as user-friendly interfaces, such as that of Energy-10, are developed. More information and a free software download are available at:

www.eren.doe.gov/buildings/energy_tools/energyplus/.