Localized Actual Meteorological Year File Creator (LAF): A tool for using locally observed weather data in building energy simulations

Journal Article · Tue Aug 06 00:00:00 EDT 2019 · SoftwareX

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.softx.2019.100299· OSTI ID:1571898

Bianchi, Carlo ^[1]; Smith, Amanda D. ^[2]

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1. Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
2. Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States)

The Localized Actual Meteorological Year File Creator (LAF) application provides web-based access to real meteorological data and processes it into a weather file suitable for building energy modeling. Building energy consumption is affected by what is inside the building (such as occupants, appliances, HVAC systems, etc.) and by what is outside: the weather conditions the building is exposed to. However, freely available weather data files are limited to a number of specific locations, usually airports, which are often located away from city centers where buildings are concentrated. The authors have developed a new tool that supports the investigation and quantification of micro-climate conditions on building energy consumption. LAF is built on the Python open-source programming language and has a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that allows users to create custom weather data files for building energy simulations. Many sets of actual meteorological year weather data for long time periods are publicly available online (such as the MesoWest database) for thousands of locations in the US. LAF selects weather data according to user specifications and automatically processes it through an API across multiple weather stations and multiple time periods. The user may easily select a specific location, time frame, and time step that best meets their needs. This article presents a useful tool for energy modelers, building designers and operators to assist with building performance analysis and optimization.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC36-08GO28308
• OSTI ID: 1571898
• Report Number(s): NREL/JA--5500-75241
• Journal Information: SoftwareX, Journal Name: SoftwareX Journal Issue: C Vol. 10; ISSN 2352-7110
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
EnergyPlus
building energy modeling
meteorological year
microclimate
weather data