ENERGY-10: The making of a design tool

The ENERGY-10 computer program, released in June 1996, is a design tool, distinct from other energy-evaluation programs. Energy performance simulation, based on an hourly time step through a year of typical data, is an essential part of the process, however, ENERGY-10 goes far beyond this to facilitate the integration of energy efficiency into the design process of a building, ENERGY-10 incorporates time-saving features, AutoBuild, APPLY, RANK, and KEEP, and produces a rich graphical output. The program was described in a paper, The ENERGY-10 Design Tool Computer Program, presented at the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) conference, Solar 95, in Minneapolis, MN, and in a Solar Today article, ENERGY-10, Saving Energy by Design, by Rick Clyne (May/June 1996, pp 24-27). This paper describes the origins of ENERGY-10. It evaluates how well the approach has succeeded and describes proposed remedies to shortcomings. The purpose is fourfold--to expand on the rationale for the design of the program, to describe enhancements that are planned for future releases of the program, to evaluate user feedback, and to discuss ENERGY-10 as a tool for getting new strategies into the marketplace.