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Issue Extracting Data from ESO files and CSV-to-EPW Conversion Using Python

asked Apr 15

walk_er's avatar

updated Apr 15

I've been attempting to automate some workflows using Python in combination with EnergyPlus. Specifically, I'm facing two main issues:

1.ESO file extraction: I'm trying to extract data from ESO files generated by EnergyPlus and convert them into CSV format using Python. However, all my attempts either result in empty CSV files or complete extraction failures.

2.CSV-to-EPW conversion: I have custom weather data in CSV format and need to convert these to EPW files for simulation use. After converting them with Python scripts, EnergyPlus simulations consistently fail.

I suspect the problems might be related to the specific Python libraries I've been using. Could anyone recommend reliable Python libraries or workflows that have worked successfully for these tasks?

Any guidance or examples would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

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I presume that you are aware that the utilities that you are developing are replacements for utilities that already exist and are packaged with EnergyPlus? ReadVarsESO does (1) and Weather does (2). ReadVarsESO is executed as part of normal workflows.

JasonGlazer's avatar JasonGlazer  ( Apr 15 )

Thank you for your comment. I'm aware that ReadVarsESO and WeatherConverter are the standard tools provided with EnergyPlus, and I’ve already attempted to use both in my workflow. However, despite multiple attempts, I consistently encounter issues—such as blank output files from ReadVarsESO, or errors during simulation when processing custom weather files.

These issues persist even when following the expected workflow, and I haven’t been able to identify the root cause. I’ve reviewed the official documentation, but it lacks the troubleshooting depth needed for these cases.

If you’re aware of

walk_er's avatar walk_er  ( Apr 15 )

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answered Apr 15

A few considerations that may help you:

  1. Newer versions of EnergyPlus can produce native CSV (rather than producing ESO, which is converted to CSV). You can enable this by using OutputControl:Files,Yes; in your IDF. See here for example for more information.

  2. You might consider using an existing EPW generation tool. For example, there is Elements and also several python products -- pyepw (it hasn't been updated in a while but there are some recent forks like here), diyepw, and epw.

Maybe other users will provide additional suggestions.

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thank you a lot

walk_er's avatar walk_er  ( Apr 16 )

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Asked: Apr 15

Seen: 77 times

Last updated: Apr 15