Energy Modeling Laboratory Buildings

With OpenStudio
Summary: OpenStudio® is a whole-building energy modeling software platform used to model complex
interactions between the building envelope, plug loads, daylighting, lighting, and heating and cooling
equipment. OpenStudio software is available to download for free and offers an intuitive graphical user
interface with the EnergyPlus® engine that helps the user navigate through different inputs for the
energy model. A unique feature of OpenStudio is that it provides the capability to quickly implement
different energy efficiency and energy conservation strategies using a set of programmatic instructions
called “measures.”

Prototype building models have been developed in OpenStudio to represent the majority of the
commercial building stock in the United States, including a laboratory building. The prototype building
model can be customized to represent the 16 climate locations in the United States, as well as one
international location (New Delhi, India). With robust documentation and well-supported inputs and
assumptions, the prototype building models are useful as starting points for modeling new or existing
buildings and can be easily modified by the user in OpenStudio.

This guide provides instructions for creating a laboratory building model using the OpenStudio
Application and laboratory prototype building.

Authors: Amanda Kirkeby, David Goldwasser, Rachel Romero, and Otto Van Geet
National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Release Date: September 2021

Contents
Acknowledgements............................................................................................................................2
Installing the OpenStudio Application .................................................................................................2
Creating a Model Using the DOE Laboratory Prototype Measure .........................................................4
1. Launch a new OpenStudio Model File .............................................................................................. 4
2. Apply the “Create DOE Prototype Building” Measure ...................................................................... 5
3. Run a Simulation and View Results ................................................................................................. 10
Climate Zone Reference Table ............................................................................................................ 12
Downloading Measures Directly From the Online Building Component Library................................ 13
Next Steps and Helpful Resources ....................................................................................................15
Apply Additional Measures ................................................................................................................. 15
Change the Prototype Geometry ........................................................................................................ 15
Use the Parametric Analysis Tool to Simulate Multiple Design Alternatives ..................................... 15
Additional Resources .......................................................................................................................... 15

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Energy Modeling Laboratory Buildings With OpenStudio

Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge the many people whose efforts contributed to the energy modeling
guidance for laboratory buildings outlined in this guide. A special thank you to Kaiyu Sun at Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory for leading the development of the laboratory prototype building model
and to Amy Allen at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for supporting this effort.

We thank the vast number of current and past NREL employees who have contributed to the
development, testing, and analysis of OpenStudio and associated measures that form the basis of the
laboratory prototype building model. We are grateful to all those who helped sponsored the
development of this resource, especially the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy Federal Energy Management Program.

Installing the OpenStudio Application

1. Go to https://github.com/openstudiocoalition/OpenStudioApplication/releases.
2. Under “Assets” at the bottom of the page, you will see three options for
“OpenStudioApplication-1.2.0.”
Select the appropriate installer for your computer:
a. Windows installer ends with “Windows.exe”
b. Mac installer ends with “Darwin.zip.”
3. Run the installer. Ensure all OpenStudio components are selected as shown below.

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Energy Modeling Laboratory Buildings With OpenStudio

4. Once the installation wizard is complete, search for the folder titled “openstudioapplication-
1.2.0” on your computer hard drive.
5. Navigate to the folder titled “bin” and search for “OpenStudioApp.exe.” Double-click to launch
the OpenStudio application.

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Energy Modeling Laboratory Buildings With OpenStudio

Creating a Model Using the DOE Laboratory Prototype Measure

With the OpenStudio Application successfully installed, follow the instructions below to create a
laboratory building model using the measure “Create DOE Prototype Building,” with default inputs that
can be adjusted to specific project parameters as needed.

1. Launch a new OpenStudio Model File

a. Launch the OpenStudioApplication-1.2.0 and check that the application loads the model with
version 3.2.0 of OpenStudio.

b. The OpenStudio Application runs simulations with the inputs entered by the user following a
sequential workflow, as described in the image below.

1. Inputs are entered to create the original OpenStudio Model (OSM).

Measures can be applied directly to the original model.

2. The simulation workflow is created. Measures can be added to the

simulation workflow to adjust the original OpenStudio Model (OSM) inputs
during a simulation, without making permanent changes to the model itself.

3. After a simulation is run, results will appear here.

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c. Before making any changes, save the file in a designated folder on your machine.

Note: It is recommended that files are saved directly onto your machine. Using shared drives or
cloud-based storage locations significantly slows down simulations and may cause the
OpenStudio application to crash unexpectedly.

2. Apply the “Create DOE Prototype Building” Measure

There are two methods for applying measures in OpenStudio, with directions for each linked below:
a. Apply measure directly via “Apply Measure Now.”
This method immediately populates the OpenStudio Model (OSM) with the inputs of the
measure, directly altering the original OSM file.
Suggested for initial use as it allows the user to inspect the resulting model within the
OpenStudio Application and understand the assumptions included for the DOE Laboratory
Prototype.
b. Add the measure in the simulation workflow via the Measures tab.
This method makes adjustments to the model inputs when the user runs a simulation. Measures
are applied in the order they appear in the workflow and do not make any permanent
adjustments to the model file itself.
Best used for preserving the original OSM file model inputs while investigating the impact of
multiple improvement measures. Once the user is familiar with the assumptions for the DOE
Laboratory Prototype building, this method is suggested to apply energy efficiency measures.

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Energy Modeling Laboratory Buildings With OpenStudio

a. Apply Measure Directly via “Apply Measure Now”

To gain more insight into the constructions and other parameters included in the DOE Laboratory
Prototype measure, the measure can be applied directly to the model using “Apply Measure Now.”
1. In the OpenStudio Application, navigate to the “Components & Measures” tab and choose
“Apply Measure Now.”

2. Select “My Create DOE Prototype Building” Measure and enter the appropriate inputs for your
facility. Refer to Climate Zone Reference Table for guidance on Climate Zone selection.

3. Click “Apply Measure.” This will automatically populate the model with parameters included in
the DOE Laboratory Prototype measure. This may take a few moments to process. When
finished, a window will appear with Model Outputs; there will be a few warnings that will not
affect the simulations. Click “Accept Changes. ”

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4. The model is now populated with prototype schedules, construction sets, and geometries for a
standard laboratory building. To view model inputs, click through the tabs in the OpenStudio
Application and adjust inputs to better reflect your laboratory facility.

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b. Add the Measure in the Simulation Workflow via the Measures Tab.
1. In the OpenStudio Application, navigate to the Measures tab. At the right-hand side of the
window, there is a library of measures that allow the user to adjust model parameters.
2. Navigate to “Whole Building” and select Space Types.
3. Click on the measure titled "Create DOE Prototype Building" and drag to OpenStudio Measures.

Note: If no measures are available, click on “Find Measures on BCL” at the bottom of the window.
Search for “Create DOE Prototype Building” under Whole Building measures and download.
Additional measures can be downloaded in the future from this Building Component Library (BCL).

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Energy Modeling Laboratory Buildings With OpenStudio

4. Click on the new line just created, labeled “Create DOE Prototype Building.” Under Inputs, select
“Laboratory” for Building Type and other appropriate inputs for your lab facility.
• For Template, select version of ASHRAE 90.1 or DOE Reference building that is most relevant
to the building being modeled.
• For Climate File, select “Not Applicable” for Climate File.
• For Climate Zone, refer to the Climate Zone Reference Table for guidance.
Note: If there is no option for laboratory available, please see SectionDownloading Measures
Directly From the Online Building Component Library for detailed instructions.

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3. Run a Simulation and View Results

After the “Create DOE Prototype Building” measure has been applied using either method described
above, the model is now ready to run simulations.
1. Navigate to the Measures tab. In the Measures Library under Reporting, select “OpenStudio
Results” and drag to Reporting Measures. This will generate a readable report of results.

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2. Navigate to the Run tab and click “Run.” This will run simulations based on the inputs included in
the “Create DOE Prototype Building” Measure.
The report will read “Completed” when the simulations have finished successfully.

3. To view results of the simulation, navigate to the Results Tab.

Refer to the Next Steps and Helpful Resources section for additional guidance.

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Climate Zone Reference Table

Table 1. Each building location in OpenStudio corresponds to a climate zone and associated weather file.
Climate Zone Building Location EnergyPlus Weather File
0A* Hanoi VNM_Hanoi.488200_IWEC.epw
0B* Abu Dhabi ARE_Abu.Dhabi.412170_IWEC.epw
1A Honolulu USA_HI_Honolulu.Intl.AP.911820_TMY3.epw
1B* New Delhi IND_New.Delhi.421820_ISHRAE.epw
2A Tampa USA_FL_MacDill.AFB.747880_TMY3.epw
2B Tucson USA_AZ_Davis-Monthan.AFB.722745_TMY3.epw
3A Atlanta USA_GA_Atlanta-Hartsfield-Jackson.Intl.AP.722190_TMY3.epw
3B El Paso USA_TX_El.Paso.Intl.AP.722700_TMY3.epw
3C San Diego USA_CA_Chula.Vista-Brown.Field.Muni.AP.722904_TMY3.epw
4A New York USA_NY_New.York-J.F.Kennedy.Intl.AP.744860_TMY3.epw
4B Albuquerque USA_NM_Albuquerque.Intl.AP.723650_TMY3.epw
4C Seattle USA_WA_Seattle-Tacoma.Intl.AP.727930_TMY3.epw
5A Buffalo USA_NY_Buffalo-Greater.Buffalo.Intl.AP.725280_TMY3.epw
5B Aurora USA_CO_Aurora-Buckley.Field.ANGB.724695_TMY3.epw
5C Port Angeles USA_WA_Port.Angeles-William.R.Fairchild.Intl.AP.727885_TMY3.epw
6A Rochester USA_MN_Rochester.Intl.AP.726440_TMY3.epw
6B Great Falls USA_MT_Great.Falls.Intl.AP.727750_TMY3.epw
7 International Falls USA_MN_International.Falls.Intl.AP.727470_TMY3.epw
8 Fairbanks USA_AK_Fairbanks.Intl.AP.702610_TMY3.epw
* Climate Zone 1A will be assigned for weather files in Climate Zones 0A, 0B, and 1B. This is to support AEDG measures that do not
have recommendations for those climate zones.

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Energy Modeling Laboratory Buildings With OpenStudio

Downloading Measures Directly From the Online Building Component Library

Many measures can be downloaded from the Building Component Library within OpenStudio.
In some cases, recent measure updates are not translated in the initial download of the OpenStudio
Application. For the “Create DOE Prototype Building” measure, if the option for laboratory is not
available under the dropdown menu for Building Type:
a. Navigate to the online Building Component Library and download the updated measure by
following this link: Create DOE Prototype Building.

b. Navigate to Downloads and right-click on the file labeled “components.zip.”

Select “Extract all” and save in a unique directory on your machine title “My BCL.”

c. Return to the OpenStudio Application.

d. Under “Preferences,” choose “Change My Measure Directory.”
e. Select the folder directory in which you saved the “Create DOE Prototype Building” measure.

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f. Navigate to the Measures tab. Under Space Types, choose the option “My Create DOE Prototype
Building” and drag to the OpenStudio Measures. The laboratory option should now appear
under Building Type.

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Next Steps and Helpful Resources

Apply Additional Measures
Now that a baseline model has been created, energy conservation measures can be applied to the
model to see their impact on total energy consumption.
Search through the Building Components Library for measures to apply, such as simulating different
system types or window-to-wall ratios by facade, and follow the process outlined in Section 2b for
adding the measure in the simulation workflow via the Measures tab.
Change the Prototype Geometry
Geometry of the laboratory building being modeled can be adjusted within the OpenStudio Application
using the FloorspaceJS Plug-in or uploading an existing geometry. Navigate to the Geometries tab for
more instructions.

Use the Parametric Analysis Tool to Simulate Multiple Design Alternatives

The Parametric Analysis Tool is useful when comparing multiple design alternatives.
Refer to Parametric Analysis Tool Documentation for more information.

Additional Resources
• The OpenStudio Coalition
• ASHRAE Zero Energy Design Guides
• UnmetHours: An online forum for troubleshooting energy modeling issues.

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