AutoBEMGen

Generating energy models from scratch is a costly and time consuming task. A detailed energy model can have thousands of input parameters that are necessary for a complete simulation of a building. A solution to this problem is the AutoBEMGen framework. This Python-based framework requires a user supplied data file, currently in comma separated variable format, that defines a subset of building properties and parameters to quickly and easily generate a building energy model. This building properties include building type, 2-D footprint, number of floors, window-to-wall ratio, and more. AutoBEMGen then uses OpenStudio and EnergyPlus, two of DOE's flagship energy modeling tools, to create and simulate an OpenStudio model and EnergyPlus input file. Additionally, the AutoBEMGen framework is scalable to any number of user supplied buildings in the data file by leveraging multi-threading built into the Python programming language. By leveraging a small subset of building inputs required from end users, AutoBEMGen is able to generate complete building energy models in a fraction of the time compared to generating them from scratch.