Home energy rating system building energy simulation test (HERS BESTEST): Volume 1, Tier 1 and Tier 2 tests user's manual

The Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Building Energy Simulation Test (BESTEST) is a method for evaluating the credibility of software used by HERS to model energy use in buildings. The method provides the technical foundation for ''certification of the technical accuracy of building energy analysis tools used to determine energy efficiency ratings,'' as called for in the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (Title I, subtitle A,l Section 102, Title II, Part 6, Section 271). Certification is accomplished with a uniform set of test cases that facilitate the comparison of a software tool with several of the best public-domain, state-of-the-art building energy simulation programs available in the United States. This set of test cases represents the Tier 1 and Tier 2 Tests for Certification of Rating Tools as described in DOE 10 CFR Part 437 and the HERS Council Guidelines for Uniformity (HERS Council). A third Tier of tests not included in this document is also planned.