IDA Indoor Climate and Energy
3.0
Introduction
The user interface is divided into three levels: Wizard, Standard
and Advanced, with different levels of support and flexibility.
The image shows the IDA Room wizard, for heating and cooling load
calculations for single zones. Click on the image for a full
resolution version.
IDA Indoor Climate and Energy (ICE) is a new generation tool
for simulation of thermal comfort, indoor air quality and energy
consumption in buildings. It has more than 900 registered users,
mostly HVAC designers but also educators and researchers.
The first version was released in May 1998. Version 3.0, released
in November 2001, marks a major development step with several
significant improvements.
New breed of building
performance simulation tools
The mathematical models are described in terms of equations in a formal
language, NMF. This makes it easy
to replace and upgrade program modules. For the end user, this means
that new capabilities will be added more rapidly in response to user
requests and that customized models and user interfaces are easily
developed. Advanced users can use IDA Simulation
Environment in conjunction with IDA ICE to tailor models and user
interfaces according to their own needs.
The original development of IDA ICE was requested, specified and
partly financed by a group of thirty leading Scandinavian AEC companies.
The mathematical models were originally developed at the Royal Institute
of Technology in Stockholm (KTH) and at Helsinki University of Technology,
now both part of the ICE academic network. All models are available as NMF
source code. The models are not tailored to Scandinavian needs but seek
to capture the international state-of-the-art in building performance
modeling. Whenever appropriate, models recommended by ASHRAE
(American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-conditioning Engineers)
have been used.
In the standard level, a case is most easily specified by importing
a CAD model in the IFC format. Each zone in the ICE model is automatically
created by selecting a single or multiple IFC spaces. Windows, doors and
wall constructions may also be imported, should they be available.
Usability by non-experts
The user interface has been designed to support an infrequent user
as well as the company simulation expert. Wizards provide easy access
to key input fields for common simulation tasks such as sizing of
cooling equipment. Such a simulation can be carried out from scratch
in just a few minutes. Tailored editors are used to describe 3D building
and zone geometry. Advanced database features support model reuse.
3D CAD in the standardized IFC format can be directly imported.
ICE development rests on three corner stones:
- State-of-the-art building performance simulation in a package accessible for practitioners
- Openness and transparency; managing customized versions and many features
- Validation; "trust in the results"; best engineering model for every physical process
