Building load and energy simulation programs and the design process

Several building simulation programs have been developed for design, analysis and prediction of the distribution of temperature, airflow and heat transfer between the inside and outside of a building, and/or between different zones of the building. These programs are categorized as mono-zone models (e.g. AIDA and Type 19 of TRNSYS), multi-room models (e.g. HOT2000, DOE, Type 56 of TRNSYS, EnergyPlus, COMIS and CONTAMW), zonal models (e.g. POMA and CWSZ), Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models (e.g. EXACT3, FLUENT, FLOVENT, PHOENICS, and STAR-CD), and multi-zone models (e.g. ESP-r). The number of computer programs cited here, for illustration, continues to increase with each reflecting different objectives and concerns. Some of these computer programs are dedicated to research and others to design and auditing. However, none of them automatically translates the design process as performed by design companies. This paper addresses the various simulation program categories and approaches developed through the decades and the physical phenomena encountered within buildings. A suggested design process is addressed to be used as a platform for proposing a new generation of energy and load simulation programs.