The objective of this project is to give electric utility ratepayers an easy and intuitive way to accurately describe their home to the computer. This will allow the program to more precisely predict the building's performance and the energy cost savings of the ratepayer's various design or remodeling changes. Windows are the most critical architectural elements influencing a building's energy consumption, yet they are also the most tedious to describe. Therefore we developed this new graphic user interface (GUI) using intuitively simple "drag-and-drop" data input screens to make it easy (and even fun) for homeowners to provide this critical information. This new software package incorporates as its computation engine a whole-building hourly heat balance simulation program, Solar-5. It allows homeowner's to easily test various designs alternatives including passive solar options such as window shading, thermal mass, night ventilation, and movable night insulation. Usability studies conducted with a group of typical ratepayers evaluated the effectiveness of this tool. Among the features they especially appreciate are being able to quickly draw in their own floor plan, drag and drop their actual windows onto each facade, and easily rotate their home to its correct orientation.
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