Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
249904 Building and Environment 2008 10 Pages PDF
Abstract

This paper presents the testing of a dynamic on-line whole-building energy calculator. The tool consists of a web-based interface for user inputs; an application to create the simulation input files from these user inputs; a simulation engine; and an application for passing the simulation engine output back to the interface and user. A detailed test protocol, composed of three parts, was developed as part of the software development process for quality assurance purposes.This paper will present the tasks specific to the development of the simulation engine, including, the definition of the required user inputs, the creation of default house archetypes, and the definition of the results to be presented to the user. It will also investigate the three parts of the test plan as well as the task automation tools developed to facilitate the testing. The use of these tools proved very useful given the large number of combinations of user inputs at the web interface and input files to the simulation engine. The findings show the importance of having a detailed and comprehensive test protocol during the software development phase.

Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Energy Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
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