EnergyPlus: The Merger of BLAST and DOE-2

EnergyPlus Version 1.3.0 - May 1, 2006

Official site http://www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/energyplus/

"EnergyPlus is a new Department of Energy-supported project that will merge two major building energy simulation programs, DOE-2 and Building Loads Analysis and System Thermodynamics (BLAST). Development of both software tools began in the 1970s, when the U.S. Department of Defense began funding the software that became BLAST and the Department of Energy began funding the DOE-2 program. At the time, it was not clear which effort, if either, would produce a usable building energy analysis program. Each has hundreds of subroutines designed to solve specific building-design problems, and each has been used successfully by building designers. The goal of EnergyPlus is to take the best features of DOE-2 and BLAST and unite them in a single program. EnergyPlus will also offer new analysis tools for building technologies that are too new to have been incorporated in the older software. The table below shows which elements of BLAST and DOE-2 will be present in EnergyPlus."

2005-10.17: "The newest version of EnergyPlus (1.2.3) was released on October 9, 2005 and is now available in versions for both the Windows and Linux operating systems. You can download EnergyPlus at no cost from the EnergyPlus web site: www.energyplus.gov." --http://eetd.lbl.gov/newsletter/cbs_nl/nl18/energyplus.html

DOE--Department of Energy

"The Department of Energy's overarching mission is enhancing national security. Responsibility for accomplishing this mission is shared between four principal program lines."




Building Energy Databook - DOE

"provide a current and accurate set of comprehensive buildings- and energy-related data."




Simulation program: BLAST

Building Systems Lab, University of Illinois Info on EnergyPlus and BLAST