Creating thermal templates, avoiding use of NCM data

[Terence]

One mistake we commonly see is users setting up their Real Building thermal templates using the NCM template information when this data should only be used in VE Compliance view for UK building regulations. Most of the time this is a direct result of users creating copies of the NCM templates and assigning them as thermal templates to their Real Building in ApacheSim (click here for more information on Real, Actual & Notional buildings).

This can be a problem, not just because users will most likely not get a true representation of how the building will perform in reality but it will also give users problems as the NCM template information will be removed from the project by the software when the user exits VE Compliance. This can result in a situation where a user is referencing 200 or more NCM Profiles in their thermal templates but as they have left VE Compliance they are removed from the projects profiles database. If this happens then typical errors a user can expect to see come simulation time are:

Error: no definition found for profile NCMW00001
Error: Too many percentage day profiles
Invalid profile references

To avoid these pitfalls it is very important that users create their own thermal templates so they are not referencing the NCM Data directly in their projects. This can be done using the Tabular Building Template Manager.



To create more thermal templates select New Template



If you are going to run a simulation in VE Compliance using either ApacheSim (DSM) or VE-SBEM then now is the time to select the NCM Building Type...



and then NCM Activity for each template you create.



you can also select appropriate Apache Systems.



and set up your Room Conditions for each template (Heating, Cooling profiles, Setpoints, Internal gains etc..)



Once your thermal template have been set up you can then assign them to rooms in Apache or VE Compliance view. To do this highlight all the rooms and then select Tabular Room Data and make sure the General tab is selected.



Now your thermal templates are assigned you can run a simulation in Apache or VE Compliance.

If running in ApacheSim view you will be simulating your Real Building so all data from the thermal templates you just created will be used. If in VE Compliance then the NCM Building type & Activity will be picked up from your thermal template assignment and the NCM data associated with those activities will be used in the Actual Building.

[jerry]

Thanks Terence
Could it be that the reason you see this problem a lot, is that IES has not previously fully explained this procedure (and the pitfalls of not following it) to new users who are coming to the software for the first time to use it as a compliance tool (i.e. are not familiar with the whole process of setting up their own profiles) ?

Though this method is "bomb-proof", an awful lot of work seems to be necessary selecting the relevant NCM profiles in each case (not to mention the potential for picking the wrong one, given that several often seem to exist with the same name), when the obvious thing to do (at least to me), is to copy the NCM templates which contain all the correct profiles. BRE has done the hard work, so why duplicate the effort? Maybe I misunderstand your last sentence, "If in VE Compliance then the NCM Building type & Activity will be picked up from your thermal template assignment and the NCM data associated with those activities will be used in the Actual Building."

regards
Jerry

[digitalworkshed]

Very helpful and precise guide man! Thanks!