andrea.botti's profile - activity

@Chandan Sharma thanks, that solved it. I am now encountering issues with custom EMS code calculating comfort metrics, w

Hello, upon upgrading energyplus from 8.5 to 8.7 and running a jeplus project, I received the following error.

   ** Severe  ** ZoneCapacitanceMultiplier:ResearchSpecial="1.0" invalid Zone or ZoneList Name="1.0" not found.
   ** Severe  ** GetStagedDualSetpoint: Errors with invalid names in ZoneControl:Thermostat:StagedDualSetpoint objects.
   **   ~~~   ** ...These will not be read in.  Other errors may occur.
   **  Fatal  ** Errors getting Zone Control input data.  Preceding condition(s) cause termination.

I never crerated Zone="1" and not sure whether ZoneCapacitanceMultiplier is a feature of version 8.7. Any advice?

Severe errors when "migrating" jeplus job from energyplus 8.5 to 8.7 Hello, upon upgrading energyplus from 8.5 to 8.7 an

Hello, I am trying to integrate CIBSE TM52 adaptive criteria.

My idf files are generated through a combination of jeplus parameters and epmacro scripts that collect input from separated idf files. As I cannot copy the whole idf files in a post, I have tried to extract the objects that are relevant for the CIBSE TM52 assessment (done via an EMS program). The schedules referenced by B1_People are all existing (although not copied here).

!- SCHEDULES
Schedule:Compact,
    Always On,               !- Name
    Fraction,                !- Schedule Type Limits Name
    Through: 12/31,          !- Field 1
    For: AllDays,            !- Field 2
    Until: 24:00,            !- Field 3
    1.0;                     !- Field 4

Schedule:Compact,
    Dwell_DomBed_Occ_B1_TM52,       !- Name
    Fraction,                       !- Schedule Type Limits Name
    Through: 12/31,                 !- Field 1
    For: AllDays,                   !- Field 2
    Until: 24:00,                   !- Field 3
    1;                              !- Field 4

!- PEOPLE
People,
    B1_People,                      !- Name
    B1_Zone,                                !- Zone or ZoneList Name
    1_Bd-People 24hr Modified,      !- Number of People Schedule Name
    People,                         !- Number of People Calculation Method
    2,                              !- Number of People
    ,                               !- People per Zone Floor Area
    ,                               !- Zone Floor Area per Person
    0.3,                                !- Fraction Radiant
    AutoCalculate,                  !- Sensible Heat Fraction
    Activity Schedule 78,           !- Activity Level Schedule Name
    3.82e-08,                       !- Carbon Dioxide Generation Rate
    No,                             !- Enable ASHRAE 55 Comfort Warnings
    ZoneAveraged,                   !- Mean Radiant Temperature Calculation Type
    ,                               !- Surface NameAngle Factor List Name
    Work efficiency,                !- Work Efficiency Schedule Name
    ClothingInsulationSchedule,     !- Clothing Insulation Calculation Method
    ,                               !- Clothing Insulation Calculation Method Schedule Name
    ,                               !- Clothing Insulation Schedule Name
    AirVelocitySchedule;            !- Air Velocity Schedule Name

and then:

! EMS SENSORS
EnergyManagementSystem:Sensor,
    Adaptive_Model_Temperature,             !- Name
    B1_People,                          !- Output:Variable or Output:Meter Index Key Name
    Zone Thermal Comfort CEN 15251 Adaptive Model Temperature;  !- Output:Variable or Output:Meter Name 


! EMS ACTUATOR
EnergyManagementSystem:Actuator,
    B1_EMS_Actuator_TM52_OCC,   !- Name
    Dwell_DomBed_Occ_B1_TM52,   !- Actuated Component Unique Name
    Schedule:Constant,          !- Actuated Component Type
    Schedule Value;             !- Actuated Component Control Type

and:

! OUTPUT VARIABLES
Output:Variable,
    B1_People,
    Zone Thermal Comfort CEN 15251 Adaptive Model Temperature,
    daily,
    Always On;

Output:Variable,
    B1_People,
    Zone Thermal Comfort CEN 15251 Adaptive Model Running Average Outdoor Air Temperature,
    runperiod,
    Always On;

Output:Variable,
    B1_People,
    Zone Thermal Comfort CEN 15251 Adaptive Model Running Average Outdoor Air Temperature,
    runperiod,
    Always On;

I receive the following error:

   ** Severe  ** Invalid Output:Variable or Output:Meter Name =ZONE THERMAL COMFORT CEN 15251 ADAPTIVE MODEL RUNNING AVERAGE OUTDOOR AIR TEMPERATURE
   **   ~~~   ** Entered in EnergyManagementSystem:Sensor=RUNNING_AVERAGE_OUTDOOR_AIR_TEMPERATURE
   **   ~~~   ** Output:Variable Name not found
   ** Severe  ** Invalid Output:Variable or Output:Meter Name =ZONE THERMAL COMFORT CEN 15251 ADAPTIVE MODEL TEMPERATURE
   **   ~~~   ** Entered in EnergyManagementSystem:Sensor=ADAPTIVE_MODEL_TEMPERATURE
   **   ~~~   ** Output:Variable Name not found
   ** Severe  ** Invalid Actuated Component Unique Name =DWELL_DOMBED_OCC_B1_TM52
   **   ~~~   ** Entered in EnergyManagementSystem:Actuator=B1_EMS_ACTUATOR_TM52_OCC
   **   ~~~   ** Component Unique key name not found 
   **   ~~~   ** Use Output:EnergyManagementSystem object to create .edd file for valid component names.
   ** Severe  ** Invalid Actuated Component Control Type =SCHEDULE VALUE
   **   ~~~   ** Entered in EnergyManagementSystem:Actuator=B1_EMS_ACTUATOR_TM52_OCC
   **   ~~~   ** Control Type not found
   **   ~~~   ** Use Output:EnergyManagementSystem object to create .edd file for valid component control types.
   **  Fatal  ** Errors found in processing Energy Management System input. Preceding condition causes termination.

I am struggling to understand why each of those 3 severe errors occur. Thanks, Andrea

Ok, I may have come to a solution:

import os
from eppy.modeleditor import IDF
import sys
import math
from geomeppy import IDF

def make_adiabatic(c):
        print('converting %s into adiabatic' %c)
        c.Outside_Boundary_Condition = 'Adiabatic'
        c.Sun_Exposure = 'NoSun'
        c.Wind_Exposure = 'NoWind'
        print('done\n')


# path to E+ idd file (required by eppy)
iddfile = os.path.join(sys.argv[4], 'Energy+.idd')
IDF.setiddname(iddfile)

# path to energyplus input file within each simulated folder
idf = os.path.join(sys.argv[2], 'in.idf')

# assigns reads parameter from jeplus
jeplus_floor = str(sys.argv[3])

# read idf file to eppy
idf = IDF(idf)

# Convert horizontal surfaces to adiabatic depending on the value of the jeplus parameter 
floors = idf_New.getsurfaces('Floor')
ceilings = idf_New.getsurfaces('Ceiling')
roofs = idf_New.getsurfaces('Roof')

if jeplus_floor == 'Ground_Floor':
    adiab_ceilings = make_adiabatic((c) for c in ceilings)
    adiab_roofs = make_adiabatic((c) for c in roofs)
elif jeplus_floor == 'Top_Floor':
    adiab_floors = make_adiabatic((c) for c in floors)
else:
    adiab_floors = make_adiabatic((c) for c in floors)
    adiab_ceilings = make_adiabatic((c) for c in ceilings)
    adiab_roofs = make_adiabatic((c) for c in roofs)

I look forward to receive your feedback on this!

eheheheheh I felt incredibly daft for about half an hour trying to figure out how to run variable attributions in python with ep-macro if statements...and within python for cycles!

@Jamie Bull thanks very much for your reply! I am trying to figure out how I can make your suggested snippet work, given that # would make eppy ignore the code line.

Hi, I am setting up parametric simulations for residential buildings to be done with jeplus. For a given plan form (say a single-aspect 1bedroom flat) representing one unit, I am willing to create 2 'branches' in a parameter tree, representing: - 3 scenarios with regards to the location of the 1bed flat in a building, i.e. ground, mid-floor or top-floor. - 2 scenarios with regards to the location of the 1bed flat on a floorplate (middle or end of the floorplate).

In energy-plus terms, this could be done 'manually' in Open Studio, by creating standard external constructions (SU plugin) and setting them to be adiabatic. However, this would result in a high number or IDF file to be fed into jeplus for further parametric sims.

Hence, I would to do this using eppy - amending one IDF file containing baseline external constructions to replace external surfaces to adiabatic depending on the combination of two jeplus parameters (which could be @@layout@@ and @@floor@@). The latter approach is more elegant, but also more complicated to achieve. I wrote some eppy code (https://codeshare.io/2EB8ew), which: - replaces all floors and ceilings with adiabatic surfaces loops through

• loops through walls to sub-select those which do not host windows (party walls or walls to corridors) - and who may thus be changed to adiabatic.

Could you advise on how this eppy code could be used in conjuction jeplus?

Hello again, I am commenting on this (old) topic as I am having trouble bringing the 2 suggested scripts together, that is:

• Jamie's script allows to create a new WINDOW object on each surface to replace the corresponding FENESTRATIONSURFACE:DETAILED (to create a vertically-centred strip window),

• Ivan's script applies WWR to each and every WINDOW object present in an IDF file taken from a @@wwr@@ jeplus parameter (as per jeplus 1.7 example file).

  My question is: how to I bring the two together? In other words, how should I amend Ivan's script to look for FENESTRATIONSURFACE:DETAILED objects, rather that WINDOW objects?

Is it just a matter of replacing the line:

window_objects = idf.idfobjects['Window'.upper()]

with:

window_objects = idf.idfobjects['Fenestration:Detailed'.upper()]

?

Hello there, I am trying to set up a workflow for performing parametric simulations for residential buildings, based on a discrete number of plan forms (aka flat archetypes).

So far (and thanks to the help I received on this forum), I have managed to set up a flow that includes:

1. building geometry in SU
2. naming zones and surfaces in OS (through SU plugin + OS stand-alone)
3. exporting an IDF file (file_os.idf)
4. use python + eppy to extract objects in classes: zones and buildingsurfaces:detailed from the file_os.idf and copy them into a new idf file
5. use python + eppy to populate the newly created idf file with data on everything else (schedules, constructions, output, EMS etc.)
6. save as file_je.imf
7. open file_je.imfin jeplus and run simulations. The above flow will be repeated for each input (unique plan form)

One of the issues I am encountering is setting up of ##include commands in order to pick classes definitions. Some of these are invariable for the whole 'project' (i.e. VERSION, SIMULATIONCONTROL, RUNPERIOD, SITE:LOCATION etc.) and are embedded into the new idf file using python (using crude text prepending - during step 5). Some others depend on the type of input: for instance if the input corresponds to 10 plan forms, I could have:

• no2 1B2P (1bedroom, 2 people),
• no3 2B3P
• no3 2B4P
• no2 3B5P.

All these plan forms will have one or more type of rooms (thermal zones) in common but not all of them.

I am envisioning 2 approaches:

1. Manual approach (safe and tedious): create one subfolder per each type, where the number and name of zones is tailored for each .idf file to be called. This would then mean calling: ##fileprefix mainfolder/subfolder_1B2P, then ##include all relevant classes/objects
2. Smart approach (more elegant and harder to set up): setting up one subfolder like a project database ( ##fileprefix mainfolder/subfolder_for_all_types) , with all classes/objects (including all possible redundancies) using eppy to iterate through all zones (at step 4) to create a sub-selection list of rooms/thermal zones to pick up, based on a naming structure that will be used to cherry pick from all classes/object those relevant for the particular plan form.

What would you recommend? Thanks

PS Apologies for the long message, I just can't be brief!!

@Jamie Bull, I have updated the question to include another issue I came across

Hello, I am trying to write a piece of Eppy code to:

1. open an IDF (created with designbuilder or openstudio)
2. list all windows in the idf file (under FenestrationSurface:Detailed)
3. extract the Building Surface Name parameter from these windows
4. create “Window” objects for each surface in the list generated by the previous step
5. apply fields Construction_Name and Building_Surface_Name to the newly created windows

6. assign:

   • Starting_X_Coordinate (x0) = host wall's XCOORDINATE (X0) + WWR formula [could it be x0 = (X2-X0)/2*sqrt(WWR) ?]

   • Starting_Z_Coordinate (z0) = host wall's ZCOORDINATE (Z0) + WWR formula

   • window length (x2-x0) = sqrt(WWR)*(X2-X0)

   • window height (z2-z0) = sqrt(WWR)*(Z2-Z0)

There is some guidance on that on the jeplus manual

My code looks show a tentative attempt to create a loop but I could not get far. Can anyone help?

## DELETES FENESTRATION SURFACES AND CREATES WINDOWS WITH SAME HOSTS, SAME MATERIALS AND WWR @@LABEL@@
old_fen = idf1.idfobjects['FENESTRATIONSURFACE:DETAILED']
new_win = idf1.idfobjects['WINDOW']

#for w in new_win:
    #print w.objls      # useful to understand what IDF fields can be called

for w in old_fen:
    #print w.objls
    old_fen_name = w.Name
    new_win1 = idf1.newidfobject('window'.upper())      # the key for the object type has to be in upper case
    new_win1.Construction_Name = w.Construction_Name
    new_win1.Building_Surface_Name = w.Building_Surface_Name
    print new_win1.Building_Surface_Name
    # find "new_win1.Building_Surface_Name" (the surface hosting the window) among surfaces
    # gather XCOORDINATE and ZCOORDINATE of those host surfaces
    # new_win1.Starting_X_Coordinate = XCOORDINATE (host)
    # new_win1.Starting_Z_Coordinate = ZCOORDINATE (host)

EDIT: Combining the script suggested by Jamie Bull:

for f in old_fen:
    base_wall = idf1.getobject('BUILDINGSURFACE:DETAILED', f.Building_Surface_Name)
    w = idf1.newidfobject('WINDOW', f.Name,
        Building_Surface_Name=f.Building_Surface_Name,
        Construction_Name=f.Construction_Name,
        Starting_X_Coordinate=0,
        Length=base_wall.width,
        Starting_Z_Coordinate="#[%s * #[1 - #[@@wwr@@ / 2.0]]]" % base_wall.height,
        Height="#[%s * @@wwr@@]" % base_wall.height,
        )
    idf1.removeidfobject(f)

with another, aimed at replacing a given ceiling height with a jeplus-compatible label @@ch@@, (also suggested by Jamie Bull) :

## PRE-PROCESSING FOR JEPLUS - REPLACES ZCOORDINATE WITH CEILING HEIGHT @@LABEL@@
ceiling_height = '@@ch@@'
walls_and_roofs = [s for s in surfaces if s.Surface_Type in ['Wall', 'Roof']]
for s in surfaces:
    max_z = max(pt[2] for pt in s.coords)
    for field in s.objls:  # or "for field in s.objls:" if using version <= 0.5.2
        if 'ZCOORDINATE' in field.upper() and s[field] == max_z:
            s[field] = ceiling_height

Then the Starting_Z_Coordinate and Height of the parametric windows refer to the original wall heigth - which does not account for the @@ch@@ parameter. This results in windows created with the wwr parameter being too big and going outsite the existing walls. Any idea on how to fix this Jamie? :P

now we have peanut butter everywhere! I love it. Santos, that does indeed answer my question!

I am trying to pre-process an IDF file (exported from DesignBuilder or OpenStudio) to use it with jEPlus. Thanks to the help I received on this forum I have managed to replace selected parameters with jEPlus variables, which is great.

My next step is to 'assemble' an IDF file, by:

• extracting objects from an IDF files
• saving them as a separate IDF files (or INP input file) to be subsequently called by EP-macro, within jEPlus.

For instance, I would like to use the geometry built with DesignBuilder - by extracting idf.idfobjects['BUILDINGSURFACE:DETAILED'] - and copy this in a new file where all other objects are called through EP-macro (i.e. schedules, materials, output variables etc).

Also, could these objets be exported in a different format, (i.e. CSV) in order to visualise them? I have tried to use the commands .saveas() and .to_csv in eppy but neither of those seem to work.

Hello, I am trying to pre-process an IDF file (exported from DesignBuilder or OpenStudio) to use it with jEPlus.

As I am trying to 'assemble' a custom IDF file, using bits and pieces from different sources, I would like to manipulate an IDF, exported from DB, to combine it with objects that have customised names.

For surfaces, I managed to replace each surface name with a simpler name, the latter including the name of the zone, the type of surface and its azimuth.

The code:

s_names_azm = [(sf.Name, sf.azimuth) for sf in surfaces]
for name, azimuth in s_names_azm[:5]:
    print '\n', name, azimuth
    name = name.split(':',1)[1]
    name = name.split('_',2)[0] + '_' + name.split('_',2)[1] + '_' + str(azimuth)
    print name

returns:

Block1:B1_GroundFloor_0_0_0 0.0
B1_GroundFloor_0.0

Block1:B1_Roof_1_0_0 0.0
B1_Roof_0.0

Block1:B1_Partition_2_0_0 90.0
B1_Partition_90.0

Block2:LR_Partition_4_0_10000 270.0
LR_Partition_270.0

Block1:B1_Wall_3_0_0 0.0
B1_Wall_0.0

which is what I wanted.

However, you all know that names are always cross referenced in a IDF file, thus what I am after is really a script capable of running a find and replace function throughout the IDF file.

Is there a way to run the string.replace(old_name, new_name) for an entire IDF file? My aim is that every string 'Block*:' is replaced with '' (so effectively deleted).

Thanks, Andrea

EDIT: The code:

surfaces = idf1.idfobjects['BUILDINGSURFACE:DETAILED']
s_names_azm = [(sf.Name, sf.azimuth) for sf in surfaces]
for name, azimuth in s_names_azm:
    name = name.split(':',1)[1]
    name = name.split('_',2)[0] + '_' + name.split('_',2)[1] + '_' + str(azimuth)

does achieve the renaming I am after (where the input happens before Jamie Bull's substitution function).

However it does not seem to modify any object in the idf file (even though a saveas command is included at the end of the script). Why??