SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT HISTORY - Evolution of the HOT2000 and HOT3000 Simulation Software:

The HOT2000 program for residential energy analysis grew out of the National Research Council’s HOT-CAN program. HOT-CAN used a monthly heat-balance model whereas the current version of HOT2000 utilizes the bin method. The main motivators for a bin-based model - as opposed to a true simulation model - were the costs for CPU speed and disk-storage. For these reasons, the CanmetENERGY research centre in Ottawa developed a time-step simulation-based engine for HOT2000, the Next-Generation HOT2000 Simulator project.

As hardware and memory costs decreased, the bin model could no longer be justified. Additionally, developing new models for bin programs is generally more difficult and expensive as these are often based on regressions of data generated from multiple parametric runs using more powerful modeling systems.

Project Stage -- Phase One (completed February 1998):

The methodologies for the Next-Generation HOT2000 Simulator were defined and the most appropriate existing computer code to use as a starting point was selected. The work was structured under three tasks:

1. Building loads,
2. Heating, cooling, and ventilation equipment (HVAC), and
3. 'Starting points'. A license for the starting point program - ESP-r from the University of Strathclyde (Scotland) - has been finalized. We have completed many of the required technical enhancements. These include porting the simulator from a UNIX operating system to Windows, and the inclusion of air infiltration, ground heat transfer, and HVAC models that are required to simulate Canadian housing accurately.

For each task, topic-area experts met in workshop to discuss and debate alternatives and to draw conclusions on the most appropriate methods and existing computer code for the simulation project. For more details, you can download:

1. Building Loads: Includes Description of Building Loads Workshop, Literature review on Building Loads, Summary of Building Loads Workshop  
2. HVAC: Description of HVAC Workshop; and Summary of HVAC Workshop.  
3. Starting points: Approach for Screening Starting Points (4-page PDF); Final Report on Survey of Starting Points (139-page PDF); and Selection of Starting Point (5-page PDF).

Project overview (9-page pdf): Defining the methodologies for the HOT2000 Simulator.

Development History:

The first project to develop a specialized tool based on the HOT3000 simulator was the Residential Fuel Cell Modeling Capabilities (2001). Working with industry partners, Fuel Cell Technologies (FCT) and Kinetrics, CanmetENERGY developed a model to simulate fuel cell cogeneration for residential applications. It has been incorporated into the ESP-r/HOT3000 simulation engine resulting in an R&D tool which enables researchers and manufacturers to examine the effectiveness of these co-generation systems for various climate zones, house types, and electrical demand profiles. It can also be used to optimize HVAC integration and control strategies.

On-going Development:

Research on the modelling of fuel cell cogeneration systems continues at CanmetENERGY. A new project under the International Energy Agency is being initiated by our Buildings Group to coordinate this work with other research organizations across the world.

We are developing models for the ESP-r/HOT3000 simulation engine to simulate thermally activated cooling (TAC) technologies. The Thermally Activated Cooling Model within HOT3000 is a joint effort between the Buildings and Community Energy Systems groups. The current project will consider an ammonia absorption cycle and an ejector refrigeration cycle. The TAC models will work in conjunction with the fuel cell model previously developed by Buildings Group to enable the assessment of space cooling driven by the fuel cell's thermal output.