In-Depth Analysis of Simulation Engine Codes for Comparison with DOE s Roof Savings Calculator and Measured Data

Technical Report · Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1185535· OSTI ID:1185535

New, Joshua Ryan ^[1]; Levinson, Ronnen ^[2]; Huang, Yu ^[3]; Sanyal, Jibonananda ^[1]; Miller, William A. ^[1]; Mellot, Joe ^[4]; Childs, Kenneth W. ^[1]; Kriner, Scott ^[5]

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1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
2. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
3. White Box Technologies, Salt Lake City, UT (United States)
4. The Garland Company, Cleveland, OH (United States)
5. Green Metal Consulting, Inc., Macungie, PA (United States)

The Roof Savings Calculator (RSC) was developed through collaborations among Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), White Box Technologies, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), and the Environmental Protection Agency in the context of a California Energy Commission Public Interest Energy Research project to make cool-color roofing materials a market reality. The RSC website and a simulation engine validated against demonstration homes were developed to replace the liberal DOE Cool Roof Calculator and the conservative EPA Energy Star Roofing Calculator, which reported different roof savings estimates. A preliminary analysis arrived at a tentative explanation for why RSC results differed from previous LBNL studies and provided guidance for future analysis in the comparison of four simulation programs (doe2attic, DOE-2.1E, EnergyPlus, and MicroPas), including heat exchange between the attic surfaces (principally the roof and ceiling) and the resulting heat flows through the ceiling to the building below. The results were consolidated in an ORNL technical report, ORNL/TM-2013/501. This report is an in-depth inter-comparison of four programs with detailed measured data from an experimental facility operated by ORNL in South Carolina in which different segments of the attic had different roof and attic systems.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Building Technologies Research and Integration Center (BTRIC)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
• DOE Contract Number: DE-AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1185535
• Report Number(s): ORNL/TM-2014/218; BT0201000; CEBT105
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English