PC Screening Tools for Commercial Building Technologies

摘要

The Customer Systems Division at the Electric PowerrnResearch Institute (EPRI) is developing materials to enhancernthe adoption of advanced electric technologies. Among inrnthese materials are a number of software programs. COMTECHrnand CooLAiD are two of these programs, which allow technicalrnand non-technical analysts to answer questions aboutrnadvanced end-use technologies, energy impacts, and utilityrnbills for individual customers.rnThese programs require information about customerrnenergy -use patterns, utility rates, equipment cost andrnperformance and operating strategy. The provide estimatesrnof utility bills, energy use, peak demand and equipmentrncosts.rnThe strengths of these programs are summarized as follows.rnThey have all the features we have come to expect from goodrnPC software. They are visual and interactive. Graphics arernavailable throughout the program to illustrate input data andrncalculation results. Finally, they execute quickly, whichrnallows users to conduct what-if analyses easily.rnThis paper describes the features and uses of thesernprograms.