How to reduce amount of zones,

[kokaka]

Hello Phil,

I am facing a strange problem in IES software. Recently i am working on quite a number of projects in IES 5.9.0.1 version. My problem is all my projects are very big in size some time it would end up over 500 rooms with in single project itself. Once i finish tracing those 500 rooms i am running get SBEM and EPC results. Apparently its simple display loads of warnings in error log file and doesn’t let me go any further.

I contacted the IES technical support team they mention that each room I created was converted into each zone. For instant if I trace 500 rooms IES automatically assuming as 500 individual zones. Due to large number of zones in Model IT, SBEM does taking large amount of system resources and causing large amount of system resource when its running and it’s not freed up in time for BRUKL or EPC to use. unfortunately we dont have any weather file where i can get APACHESIM-EPC.

Same problem occur more often in my recent projects and delay my issue dates. Could some one let me know how I can reduce the amount of zones from the existing rooms that I can avoid the such unwanted problem.


Cheers
Kiran.Tati

[JosephG]

My opinion is that a building with 500 rooms should not be done in SBEM, and you should do it by DSM in Apache SIM, and your company should invest in the weather file to do it. The cost of the weather file pales in comparison to your salary for the time you'll waste in SBEM trying to get it to work. SBEM is for simple buildings, 50 rooms, maybe 80 rooms max, and it does a lot of simplifying assumptions that are not justifiable for a large complex 500-room building, and I wouldn't believe its results.

That being said, the SBEM method recommends reducing room number counts, but I strongly disagree with them and believe they're rubbish. The method recommends grouping similar rooms and rooms with a similar function together, which you can do in IES using "connect spaces". Trouble is that you will not have the correct thermal mass of the building and that's a big component of your energy consumption during a day.

[Jonnymac]

I am running v6.2 I have apache sim and VE compliance and Model IT. How do I run an Apache sim EPC?

[PCully]

You need a license to run Apache simulation EPC runs, you will have access to the SBEM and SBEM EPC runs as we do not charge for SBEM.

Phil

[Jonnymac]

Tracey from IES has sent me the manual Part L2 Apache sim user guide, so with any luck I'm good to go.

Once I have used the Apache sim wizard.