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Hello to all of the members on here. I just joined, because I have been searching the internet for information on energy modeling programs to use with Revit. I am currently an architect, but also formerly an electrical engineer with an MEP firm, and I am basically starting from the ground floor when it comes to energy modeling - at my MEP firm, the mechanical engineers did what little energy modeling we performed.

My firm designs all projects using Revit. I have been looking for the best way to take this geometry, starting in the SD phase, and run energy simulations. I'll mostly be using this to evaluate the effectiveness of building envelope components and orientation, though I also intend to carry the energy model through the design process so that I can verify actual building usage against my model after construction.

I've looked into a number of programs, starting with Revit's integrated software, Insight. Although I may be doing something wrong, Insight seems to be very conceptual - simply slider bars indicating potential savings from changing the entire building average R-value, for instance. I'm looking for something where I can break down energy use room by room, and see where shading can be most effective, or other targeted solutions. I have downloaded EQuest, but it seems to only accept imported 2d CAD geometry, not 3d. Trane Trace looks pretty powerful, but I don't really have thousands of dollars to spend. The other program that I have tried is Open Studio, which seems promising. However, it does not accept gbxml files from Revit as well as it does files generated directly in sketchup. In the project that I am starting on, I have dozens of surfaces generated in rooms that should be fairly simple.

Does anybody have any thoughts on the best program/workflow? I know it's an open ended question, but any advice would be appreciated. Also, if you know of any good training materials, or online college classes, for the best program, or for energy modeling in general, it would be very helpful. I've asked a couple former colleagues and current MEP consultants, but they are mostly using Trace energy modeling for the bare minimum required on occasional LEED projects, and didn't have much in the way of guidance. I'm very interested in sustainability, and in design verification, but I don't really know where to start.

Thanks, Ryan

Hello to all of the members on here. I just joined, because I have been searching the internet for information on energy modeling programs to use with Revit. I am currently an architect, but also formerly an electrical engineer with an MEP firm, and I am basically starting from the ground floor when it comes to energy modeling - at my MEP firm, the mechanical engineers did what little energy modeling we performed.

My firm designs all projects using Revit. I have been looking for the best way to take this geometry, starting in the SD phase, and run energy simulations. I'll mostly be using this to evaluate the effectiveness of building envelope components and orientation, though I also intend to carry the energy model through the design process so that I can verify actual building usage against my model after construction.

I've looked into a number of programs, starting with Revit's integrated software, Insight. Although I may be doing something wrong, Insight seems to be very conceptual - simply slider bars indicating potential savings from changing the entire building average R-value, for instance. I'm looking for something where I can break down energy use room by room, and see where shading can be most effective, or other targeted solutions. I have downloaded EQuest, but it seems to only accept imported 2d CAD geometry, not 3d. Trane Trace looks pretty powerful, but I don't really have thousands of dollars to spend. The other program that I have tried is Open Studio, which seems promising. However, it does not accept gbxml files from Revit as well as it does files generated directly in sketchup. In the project that I am starting on, I have dozens of surfaces generated in rooms that should be fairly simple.

Does anybody have any thoughts on the best program/workflow? I know it's an open ended question, but any advice would be appreciated. Also, if you know of any good training materials, or online college classes, for the best program, or for energy modeling in general, it would be very helpful. I've asked a couple former colleagues and current MEP consultants, but they are mostly using Trace energy modeling for the bare minimum required on occasional LEED projects, and didn't have much in the way of guidance. I'm very interested in sustainability, and in design verification, but I don't really know where to start.

Thanks, Ryan