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New Horizons in Retrofit Modeling...
- Flexible QA/QC system
- Multi-stage projects: support any number of project phases, including audit, test-in, job-progress testing, test-out, M&V analysis, and second phase projects
- Incorporate strict workflows and validation: user-configurable QA/QC process and validation
- Customized interface for reviews: user-configurable review interface optimizes review process by gathering every input that must be reviewed in a compact view
- Logging and tracking of multi-stage audit/retrofits
- Customized steps in QA/QC process
- HPXML generation for each audit phase, linked to HPXML EventType
- PV module release and upgrade for multiple existing and added systems
- Detailed PV generation analysis
- Panel and inverter databases
- Reports
- Added Home Facts page to comply with new HPwES requirements
- Added page in report for integration of Bid Form in report
- Improved memory handling for Image Picker and Annotator
- <p">PDFVIEWER viewer modified so that it resizes whenever the dialog is resized
- Support for multipage tables
- Signature collection
- Allows multiple signatures
- Allows signature Instructions
- Signature window properly resizes when program resizes
- HPXML generation: industry leading generation of HPXML standard data exchange files
- CAZ: revised CAZ interface for better clarity
- Wizard: add embedded Design Loads tab to Wizard
- Pool pump calculation improvements
- Windows: adjust winter Attenuation Coefficient
- Rate Structures
- TOU and variable rate plans: generate usage and savings estimates for a variety of rate plans, and compare savings potentials under various plans.
- Support for up to six different unique rate periods.
- Each period supports up to six energy rate tiers and one demand rate.
- Each period can be assigned a time of use by month, hour and weekday/weekend designation.
- Bid Form improvements:
- Moved Bid tab so it comes after Improvement
- Added support for Slabs separate from Basements
- Added page in report for integration of Bid Form in report
- Improved selection of rows and columns
- Modified [>] buttons on each improvement to access the Bid Form with rows and columns showing to facilitate editing of the section of the Bid Form for that improvement.
- Added [Bid Added Items] and [Bid - All] buttons on Custom and Cost tables to access the Bid Form with rows and columns showing for final review of the Bid Form.
- Added Print Preview button to view preview printed Bid From with default content or custom selection of columns and rows
- Added improvement lookup rows with descriptions for Dishwashers, Clothes Washers and Pools
- Added improvement lookup rows with labels only for Heating Tapes, De-Icing Cables, and Block Heaters
- Added cost formulas to crawl vapor barrier and crawl condition on bid form
- Removed Compare feature
- Proposal Form:
- Formatted list of improvements with bullets (previously just a semicolon-separated list).
- General improvements in appearance
- Weather data: repaired / replaced September 2013 weather delayed and partially released because of government shutdown
- Modeling
- Added support for Slabs separate from Basements.
- Updated all default efficiencies for existing Heating, Cooling, and DHW systems to comply with BPI-2400 input constraints.
- Updated default window U-values to comply with BPI-2400 input constraints.
- Changes to some envelope assembly tables for compliance with BPI-2400
- Interface
- Moved Bid tab so it comes after Improvement
- Added Window counts for HPXML compatibility
- Change default roof color to "All Others" for more realistic solar loads
- Status bar: display wider text on list; fix issue losing descenders with zoom.
- Custom Table changes
- Change Custom Table to make Cost for Added Items editable, and not on Cost, so Added items can be entered on Custom without going to Cost
- Change Preview to show custom column selection without changes in formatting for printing. Change name from Preview => Custom. Change ToolTip
- Changed columns that show to simplify table
- Cost Table changes
- Change Custom Table to make Cost for Added Items editable, and not on Cost.
- Changed MIRR to show >100% if cost is negative, instead of blank (-).
- Utility bill analysis features
- Estimated bills handling: estimated bills can be flagged, and automatically handled properly
- Vacation bills handling: vacation or unusual bills can be marked and removed from the utility bill analysis
- Auto-outlier bill identification: automatic flagging of unusual bills prevents them from distorting utility bill analysis
- Auto-bill date correction: when only the month of utility bills are entered, the most likely bill date can be automatically identified and used to improve utility analysis
- Automated calibration to utility bills: model is adjusted so the model agrees with utility bills, automatically correcting or identifying errors in model specification
- Support for delivered fuels: support for delivered fuels for any delivery period, with model calibration to delivered fuel usage
- Support for multiple heating fuels: support for up to 7 common delivered fuels in any combination
- Wood and pellet heating: support for wood and pellet heating with or without other heating sources
- Wizard: simplifies audits and automates utility bill calibration
- Utility calibration via expert system: expert system uses data collected during audit and analysis of utility bills to adjust model based on expert knowledge and utility calibration
- Simplified audits via Wizard: Wizard guides auditor through simplified inputs focusing on all important building characteristics
- Tablet features
- Signature capture: ability to capture customer or auditor signatures on-site directly on pdf forms on tablet
- Touch-optimized: interface resizes automatically to optimize tablet interface, including special inputs designed to improve the Windows touch experience
- Advanced modeling features
- Window overhangs
- Window interior/exterior shading
- Reflective barriers
- Dishwasher and clothes washer EnergyStar model database: complete list of EnergyStar dishwasher and clothes washers to enter model, EF and MEF with one click
- Detailed pool pump analysis (with optimization routine for variable speed pumps): three levels of pool pump analysis, from one click, simple selection, to detailed pump specification analysis
- Heating and cooling design loads: detailed design load calculations
- PV modeling with panel and inverter databases: detailed modeling of PV generation
- Customizable report generation
- Prefilled forms: generation of any form without double entry
- Signature capture: capture signatures directly to pdf forms - eliminates need to scan
- Estimates and proposals
- Fully editable proposal form: automatic generation of proposal fully customizable by user
- Data exchange
- Database integrator imports & exports: easy-to-use Database Integrator allows novice user to send and receive data from your database (variety of online and local databases supported)
- OptiMiser Commercial and Industrial
- Modeling speed and accuracy via building energy signature: building energy signature computed from utility bills and minimal inputs provides insights without expensive modeling
- Detailed utility calibrated model: automated model calibration to utility bills
- CEBCS regession modeled benchmarking: disaggregated loads generated from detailed regression analysis of Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CEBCS)
- Works with or without utility bill calibration: maximum insights from bills when available, or CEBCS disaggregated loads when bills are not available
- Instantly calculate savings from hundreds of built-in or custom measures: tables of available improvements easily modified, adding improvements, picking defaults, limiting available improvements, and setting costs
- Incorporate rebates: simple or detailed rebates and incentives stored in improvement tables for quick application
- Custom reports: completely customizable reports
New PDF report generation
- New report generation system produces beautiful vector-quality pdfs
- Report system is more stable
- Reports are more compact and durable
- Report customization is simplified
Additional incentive processing
- Up to 5 incentives for each improvement can be entered
- Incentive can be labeled and percentages saved as defaults
- Loans can be computed with or without incentives
- Payback (SIR) can be computed with or without incentives
Detailed reporting of heating and cooling savings by system
- Financial analysis can be input for each heating and cooling system
- Custom table reports analysis for each heating and cooling system
Savings reported by total energy, therms and kWh
- Detailed and Custom tables provide user control savings reported
- Savings reported by MBtu, therms and kWh, and percentage of each
Simplified Package creation
- Added option to specify 4 customizable cost caps for improvement packages (in addition to previous option of 10 packages with caps at regular intervals)
Model vs. Bills expert system
- Detailed graphing of utilty bills vs. default model
- Expert system diagnoses annalies in bills prior to audit
- Tabular report from expert system indicates potential issues to investigate
Numerous interface improvements
- Accordion frames maximize use of space.
- Improved and simplified control arrangement.
Re-engineered Status reporting system
- Status messages change dynamically to reflect the current system state.
- Status summary displaying the number of tips and error messages is constantly updated.
- Dynamically triage issues during the audit process to list only the highest priority issues.
- Icons, color coding and order indicate issue severity.
- Hyperlinks navigate directly to issue resolution area.
- Checkbox to manually dismiss issue.
New Streamline system minimizes audit data entry.
- Auditor selects improvements to be analyzed.
- Decision matrix identifies improvements requiring data entry and building components where data entry is unnecessary.
Streamline uses adequate utility data to reduce required data entry.
- Streamline decision matrix incorporates interactive building components.
- The streamline display graphically illustrates which building components require data entry.
- Streamline feeds decision matrix results automatically to the workflow.
Dynamic customizable work flow
- Streamline results are used to eliminate unnecessary steps in workflow
- The instructions for workflow steps change to reflect streamline simplification.
- Workflow messages change dynamically to reflect the current system state.
- Workflow summary displays the current workflow step on the button bar.
- Checkboxes, icons, and text indicate progress on each step.
- Hyperlinks navigate directly to the user interface for that step.
- Checkbox to manually signify step completion.
- Previous and Next buttons on the button bar provide one click navigation through the workflow.
- Workflow step descriptions can be customized by the user.
NREL database improvements, energy characteristics and costs
- OptiMiser incorporates NREL's National Residential Efficiency Measures Database (NREMD) into OptiMiser and are using it as our primary source of costs. (http://www.nrel.gov/ap/retrofits/) The NREL database represents the first well maintained national database that is aimed specifically at energy retrofit measures.
- The OptiMiser database includes hundreds of improvement selections, and is augmented by miscellaneous line items required by home performance contractors.
- Every item includes energy characteristics and low, average and high cost estimates for labor and materials.
- Improvement characteristics are easily selectable using one control.
The user editable improvement selection database
- Users can add items to the improvement database customizing the description, energy properties and the cost.
- Users can customize the description, energy properties and the cost.
- Adjacent to every improvement property list box is a button provided to add and use new database entries on the fly.
Database of existing building characteristics derived from RESNET and NREL Building America standards
- Existing building characteristics are easily selectable using one control.
- Users can add items to the existing building characteristics database.
- User can customize the description and energy properties.
- Adjacent to every building property list box a button is provided to add and use new database entries on the fly.
Customized items and cost libraries can be imported and exported
- All custom items can be imported and exported by Templates.
- Customizable libraries automatically maintain unique IDs to simplify merging libraries.
Templates simplify and standardize audits
- Templates allow the user to define multiple selections of items and costs.
- Templates can be used to standardize audits for different projects, regions or subcontractors.
- When a new Template is created, improvement item costs can be instantly adjusted via current regional cost adjustment factors.
- Templates can be imported and exported to exchange standardized improvements, libraries and costs.
Existing building property options now editable.
- User can now add custom options to database of existing building properties
Simplified selection of improvement properties
- Each improvement property can be defined by a selection from one list box showing only the items included in that template.
- By controlling the selections available, simplifying the selection process, audit efficiency and standardization is improved.
- Simplified improvement specifications reduce training requirements.
New user customizable graphical report:
- 20+ pages of customizable graphic content
- Report automatically merges content from audit and analysis
- Improved photo selection interface
- Report can be saved and edited as a Word document!
- User customizable report template
Transfer sheet technology allows users to integrate their own workbook reports and analysis:
- Any spreadsheet file can be loaded in the OptiMiser program
- OptiMiser variables and table values can be inserted into users’ spreadsheets via links to the Transfer sheet
- Makes major customizations rapid, low cost, and doable in-house
Dynamic status report displays constantly updated:
- Total percent energy savings for the current improvement selection.
- Estimated cost of the selected improvements.
- Current elapsed time spent on the audit.
- Total errors and tips.
Expanded window and skylight options:
- Up to 6 types of windows analyzed
- Up to 4 types of skylights or glass doors analyzed
New mass wall analysis
- Models a wide variety of masonry, log and straw bale mass walls
- Incorporates improved thermal characteristics due to mass per IECC
New detailed analysis of major additional loads like pools, hot tubs, and large TVs:
- Detailed load analysis for pools and hot tubs by energy source
- Detailed electrical load analysis including all common small applicances
Improved and expanded tables and graphs including:
- Chart Gallery for utility bill regression analysis that provides regression, model and utility plots for both heating and cooling simultaneously
- Utility usage and costs for variable billing periods and for different fuel and electric bill periods
- Pie charts for loads and utility costs
New customizable report table includes:
- Numerous user-selectable columns reporting energy and financial analysis.
- User editable item descriptions.
- User editable item headings.
- Expandable section of additional improvements beyond the standard energy improvements.
New user editable bid sheet
- The bid sheet is accessible to the user as an Excel file that can be edited and revised.
- Multiple bidsheets can be saved and edited.
- Users can create and customize bid sheet templates.
Multi-family analysis
- Users can more easily model single units in a multi-family building.
- Simple “% shared” controls allow user to specify which envelope components are shared adiabatically with other units.
Detailed duct loss analysis
- Full ASHRAE 152 duct loss analysis available for more accurate efficiency calculations
Improved infiltration interface
- Automatic conversions between CFM50, NACH, ACH50, ELA, and SLA
- NACH N-factor calculated from user inputs
Improved mechanical ventilation analysis
- Allows for intermittent fan cycling
- Provides inputs for HVI performance data for more accurate modeling
Improved attic heat transfer analysis
- Accounts for venting, radiant barriers, and roof color.