Development of a Simplified Simulation Tool for High Performance K-5 Schools in Hot and Humid Climates

During the design process, the energy analyst is often included too late to influence the outcome of the design, leaving little opportunity for engineers to collaborate with architects in the design of energy efficiency aspects of the building envelope and systems that affect heating, cooling, and ventilation loads. The authors of this paper have developed several modeling and graphical techniques to optimize building envelope and system components early on in the design process. During this early collaboration the emphasis is especially on factors affecting choices of window glazing and shading, solar heat gain coefficients, and wall insulation to enhance energyefficient architecture. More importantly, the presentation of results supported by meaningful visual representations has shown itself to be an effective way to to communicating key recommendations to design team members.