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EnergyPlus is a new building load simulation program that was used in designing the house. In everyday terms, this program takes into account all of the electrical loads placed upon the house and then determines what the energy consumption of the house will be based on heat load calculations. EnergyPlus builds on the most popular features and capabilities of BLAST and DOE-2 but includes many innovative simulation capabilities such as variable time steps, multi-zone air flow simulation, thermal comfort models, plant integrated equipment and systems, and photovoltaic systems.

EnergyPlus uses historical weather files and the user-defined input file to perform its heat load mass balance transfer calculations on the house. For our simulation, the team used TMY2 weather files for the Sterling, VA to predict the performance of the house during the competition. One of the main advantages of EnergyPlus is its ability to predict heating and cooling loads which are typically the largest loads placed on a building.

While the program is not exactly user-friendly, the user does have the option of using a graphical interface or a text file to define the parameters of the building. Almost every aspect of the building, from the HVAC to the activity level of people inside to the shading on the windows, can be defined in the input file. Thus, the user can get as specific as necessary in order to accurately represent the building and the systems within it.