Paper Conference

Proceedings of SimBuild Conference 2010: 4th conference of IBPSA-USA

     

VisualEPlus: A Chinese Interactive Graphical User Interface (GUI) for EnergyPlus

Yiqun Pan, Qiqiang Li, Hui Zhou, Zhizhong Huang, Zongjian He, Joe Huang
Tongji University, Shanghai, China
Shandong University, China
China Academy of Building Research, China
White Box Technologies, USA

Abstract: In order to make EnergyPlus easier to use in China, VisualEPlus, a Chinese graphical user interface for the program, has been developed. VisualEPlus is designed to be generic, so that it can be used in any country, as well as be linked to other modeling tools and interfaces for EnergyPlus. VisualEPlus has three main modules: (1) a Building Loads Module for defining the building geometry, envelope, and space conditions that has been adapted from an existing DOE-2 interface (DOE2IN); (2) a HVAC System Module with a drag-and-drop feature for defining the HVAC system; and (3) a View Report Module with a reporting and visualization tool for EnergyPlus reports and outputs. This paper presents the background and development of VisualEPlus, describes its main functions and features as compared to other existing interfaces for EnergyPlus, and discusses plans for the further development of VisualEPlus.
Pages: 126 - 133
Paper:
simbuild2010_TS03B-01-Pan