Building Energy Simulation with PHI

The Passsive House Institute designs and builds super efficient housing for low income families. They achieve affordability by making the house so efficient that a heating system is not required.

The EWB-PHI Collaboration project would aim to study and improve the accuracy of the PHI software (PHPP) without sacrificing any of its usability.  This will be accomplished by a team of people comparing the software to EnergyPlus, a more established, complicated and well validated energy simulation. The project tasks will include:

1. Learn about passive house design and construction.
2. Learn Energy Plus modeling.
3. Learn Excel-based simplified building performance and economic software.
4. Learn Passive House building performance software.
5. Select a house construction to model with all three simulation models.
6. Optimize (economically) and explore the design of a house.

A background in heat transfer and thermodynamics is preferred, but the most important attribute is to be motivated and committed. There is already an advisor willing to facilitate the use of this project to fulfill technical elective requirements. Contact Luis Martinez, whose email address is above, to get involved.