1.6 Advanced Design Features

The long-term goal of this manual is to define modeling rules and procedures for all conceivable design features that may be incorporated in buildings. The authors recognize, however, that this goal cannot be fully achieved due to limitations in the development of energy simulation algorithms, and due to the natural lag time between the introduction of an advanced energy efficiency measure or device and the development of algorithms to simulate its performance.

The goal of the manual is to provide methods that are as flexible and accurate as possible. This goal can best be achieved if the manual is a ‘living document,’ changing and growing as increasing amounts of information and better modeling methods become available.

A separate section of the COMNET website has advanced modeling tips, but these are not incorporated into these guidelines since they do not affect the specification of the baseline building.