Whole-Building Energy (WBE) Module
The Whole-Building Energy (WBE) module tracks energy uses at the whole-building level, such as whole-building total electric energy, whole-building total thermal energy, HVAC-other-than-chiller electric, and chiller or package unit energy. It presents results as an Energy Consumption Index (ECI) for each day. The ECI is the ratio of actual energy consumption to expected energy consumption. The values of excepted energy consumption are generated by empirical models of the building and systems, which are generated automatically by the WBE module. In general, the models use time of day, day of the year, day of the week, outdoor-air dry-bulb temperature, and relative humidity as independent variables. Other independent variables, such as process and plug loads, can also be added to the model by advanced users for buildings dominated by other loads.
Key features of the WBE include:
- Graphically provides alarms and a record of building energy performance over time
- Enables the user to quickly and easily identify major changes in energy consumption
- Automatically adjusts for variations in weather (i.e., weather-normalizes consumption) and occupancy schedules
- Establishes baselines with empirical models for whole-building and end-use energy consumption