This tool aims to provide designers, engineers, and manufacturers a quick and easy way to calculate energy savings from the application of different heat pump HVAC technologies early in the design process. Specifically, the tool supports analysis of air-source heat pumps (ASHP), water-source heat pumps (WSHP), and variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems. The spreadsheet was developed by the University of Idaho Integrated Design Lab (UI-IDL) with funding from Idaho Power Company. To learn more about the development of the tool, please visit the UI-IDL’s website here - idlboise.com.
The tool provides the means for detailed input of a custom building, geometry, and program, while using pre-cooked, whole-building simulations to aid in HVAC energy calculations. The tool always compares a baseline condition to a proposed condition. The baseline condition can represent a new construction code baseline, or could be used to define an existing building.
The spreadsheets contain color coded cells that represent different functionalities. All cells, except for those that require user input, are locked to avoid confusion. However, the cells can be unlocked without a password for custom manipulation or for further insight into equations used for calculations. See below for the various cell's color-coded instructions and their specific descriptions:
