The Roof Savings Calculator Suite, which won a 2016 R&D 100 award, was developed as an industry-consensus roof savings calculator for commercial and residential buildings using whole-building energy simulations. It is built upon the Department of Energy’s (DOE)-2.1E engine for fast energy simulation and integrates the ASTM protocol AtticSim for advanced modeling of modern attic and cool roofing technologies. An annual simulation of hour-by-hour performance is calculated for the building properties provided, based on weather data for the selected location.
Annual energy savings reported are based on heating and cooling loads, and thus this calculator is only relevant to buildings with a heating and/or cooling unit. The primary objective of this project was to deploy a web-based tool with which users could easily estimate the annual energy cost savings achievable by installing cool roofing products (i.e., those with higher-than-normal albedo, or reflection coefficient) on the most common residential and commercial building types in the United States.
Each year for more than 50 years, R&D Magazine has honored the 100 best innovations in research and development. We are currently accepting applications for the 2017 R&D 100 Awards. Innovators with an exceptional product developed between January 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017 should apply. Submissions close April 14, 2017
For information on the 55th Annual R&D 100 Awards and to enter visit http://www.rd100conference.com
