ArchSmarterEnergyModelingCourse DStine-1554561630495

Dynamic Energy Optimization
using Autodesk Revit and Insight

®
Daniel John Stine
©2018 Stine Page 1 of 131

Dynamic Energy Optimization using Autodesk Revit and Insight
Dan StineLHB
Copyright 2019 Daniel John Stine
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Dan StineLHB
Course Description:
With so many design teams utilizing Autodesk® Revit® today, there is an often-underutilized opportunity
to run energy simulations in conjunction with Autodesk Insight at multiple project phases. This presentation
aims to highlight the simplicity, accuracy and power of this workflow and how it can be worked into a
firm’s standard practice. This handout is supporting reference material to accompany the videos.
About the Author:

Daniel John Stine AIA, CSI, CDT, is a registered architect with over twenty years of experience in the field
of architecture. He is the BIM Administrator at LHB, a 250-person full service design firm. In addition to
providing training and support for four offices, Dan implemented BIM-based lighting analysis using
ElumTools, early energy modeling using Autodesk Insight, virtual reality (VR) using the HTC Vive/Oculus Rift
along with Fuzor & Enscape, Augmented Reality (AR) using the Microsoft Hololens, and the Electrical
Productivity Pack for Revit (sold by CTC Express Tools). Dell, the world-renowned computer company,
created a video highlighting his implementation of VR at LHB.
Dan has presented internationally on BIM in the USA, Canada, Ireland, Denmark, Australia and Singapore.
He was ranked multiple times as a top-ten speaker by attendees at Autodesk University, RTC/BILT, Midwest
University, AUGI CAD Camp, NVIDIA GPU Technology Conference, Lightfair, and AIA-MN Convention. By
invitation, he spent a week at Autodesk’s largest R&D facility in Shanghai, China to beta test and brainstorm
new Revit features in 2016.
Committed to furthering the design profession, Dan teaches graduate architecture students at North
Dakota State University (NDSU) and has lectured for interior design programs at NDSU, Northern Iowa State,
and University of Minnesota, as well as Dunwoody’s new School of Architecture in Minneapolis. As an
adjunct instructor, Dan previously taught AutoCAD and Revit for twelve years at Lake Superior College.
Dan is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Construction Specifications Institute (CSI),
and Autodesk Developer Network (ADN), and is a Construction Document Technician (issued by CSI). He
has presented live webinars for ElumTools, ArchVision, Revizto and NVIDIA. Dan writes about design on his
blog, BIM Chapters, and in his textbooks published by SDC Publications:
• Residential Design Using Autodesk Revit 2019
• Commercial Design Using Autodesk Revit 2019
• Design Integration Using Autodesk Revit 2019 (Architecture, Structure and MEP)
• Interior Design Using Autodesk Revit 2019 (with co-author Aaron Hansen)
• Residential Design Using AutoCAD 2019
• Commercial Design Using AutoCAD 2013
• Chapters in Architectural Drawing (with co-author Steven H. McNeill, AIA, LEED AP)
• Interior Design Using Hand Sketching, SketchUp and Photoshop (also with Steven H. McNeill)
• Google SketchUp 2013 for Interior Designers; Just the Basics
Social Media:
Students can use social media, such as Twitter and LinkedIn to start developing professional contacts and
knowledge. Follow the author on social media for new articles, tips and errata updates. Consider following
the design firms and associations (AIA, CSI, etc.) in your area, this could give you an edge in an interview!
Author’s Blog: http://bimchapters.blogspot.com/
Twitter
@DanStine_MN
LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/danstinemn

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Handout Table of Contents Video Table of Contents

1. Create the Revit Model 6 1. Introduction
2. Energy Settings 11 2. Quick Overview
3. Create/Delete Energy Model 14 3. Alternate Location
4. Visually Review Energy Model 16 4. Alternate Location; More Detail
5. AIA 2030 DDx 33 5. Massing Options
6. Optional Settings & Workflows 37 6. Massing with Building Elements
7. Reference Material 44 7. Building Elements
8. Relate Blog Posts 48 8. Inputs in Revit

a) Revit 'Energy Settings' Tip – Avoid 9. Future Addition
Masses Only Setting 48
b) gbXML Certification and Validation 52 10. Export to AIA 2030 DDx
c) Energy Analysis Inputs in Revit – Insight
EUI versus EnergyPlus Loads 54 11. Complex Building; Massing
d) Insight Energy Analysis - Elevator Load 12. Complex Building; Building
Automatically Included for Multi-Story Elements
Buildings 56
e) Autodesk Climate Server 58 13. Team Involvement
f) ASHRAE 90.1 Baseline - Revit + Insight 60
g) Autodesk Insight 360 - Walls; Part 1 66 14. Scalable Workflow and Beyond
h) Autodesk Insight 360 - Walls; Part 2 70
15. Conclusion
i) Autodesk Insight 360 - Walls; Part 3 76
j) Autodesk Insight 360 - Walls; Part 4 80
k) Autodesk Insight 360 - Walls; Part 5 83
l) Autodesk Insight 360 - Walls; Part 6 86
m) Autodesk Insight 360 - Walls; Part 7 92
n) Autodesk Insight 360 - Floors; Part 1 94
o) Autodesk Insight 360 - Floors; Part 2 98
p) Autodesk Insight 360 - Floors; Part 3 99
q) Autodesk Insight 360 - Floors; Part 4 102
r) Insight Utility Data 104
s) Thermal Resistance in Revit 106
t) Revit Energy Settings - HVAC Systems
Defined 116
u) ASHRAE Standard 209-2018 -- Energy
Simulation Aided Design for Buildings 120
v) Licaso Has Arrived! Annual daylight
simulation software for AGi32 and
ElumTools 121
w) Tally - Life Cycle Assessment - By
KieranTimberlake 123

Note: Most of the material in this handout is from my textbook; Autodesk
Revit 2019 Command Reference, Published by SDC Publications, USA.
Copyright 2018 Daniel John Stine.
The following information is offered in addition to the specific commands outlined on

the analysis tab. This information provides a broader overview of the energy simulation
options and workflows within Revit and Insight 360. Some of this information will overlap
the command specific items previously covered in this chapter. However, those
interested in energy simulation will benefit from this detailed overview.
The built-in ability to run an energy simulation within Revit represents the most
democratized opportunity for design professionals and students – period. If you or your
firm have Revit, you have access to this feature. There are no add-ins or additional
software costs. This is not to say it is free—Revit has to be on subscription, as the
simulation itself is actually run in the Cloud using Autodesk’s GBS engine. However,
subscription is becoming the norm with Autodesk’s new sales model.
Energy simulations and Insight 360 do not require cloud credits at this time.
The example image below shows two scenarios being compared within Insight 360.
Figure 7.3-1 Comparing scenarios within Insight 360
When getting started with the energy simulation features, you may wonder where to
begin given all the settings and related commands.

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Here is a basic overview of the workflow:
1. Create a Revit model using masses, building elements, or both
2. Energy Settings dialog (Analysis tab)

o Set Location
o Review Energy Analytical Model settings
o All other settings are optional
3. Create Energy Model

o Views created: 3D Energy Model, Analytical Spaces (Schedule), Analytical
Surfaces (Schedule)
o Use this tool to delete and recreate the Energy Analysis Model (EAM)
anytime the Revit model changes
4. Visually Review Energy Model
5. Launch Insight 360 for interactive project exploration
6. AIA 2030 Commitment Firms: Upload results to DDx
7. Optional Settings and Workflows
Following these steps will provide super-fast access to estimated Energy Cost and
Energy Use Index (EUI) information at any phase in a project. Next, we will take a
detailed look at each of these steps. Understanding ‘what Revit wants’ will facilitate
efficient and accurate use of this tool.
The image below (Figure 7.3-2) shows the Energy Optimization tools found on the
Analyze tab in Revit. Also shown is the Insight panel, which is a download provided by
Autodesk at https://insight360.autodesk.com—click the Support  Downloads option.
Figure 7.3-2 Energy Analysis tools, plus the Insight 360 add-in.

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Creating the Revit Model
1 The obvious first step is to create the model. The ideal design process would be
to start with massing, quickly studying how shape and orientation impact
performance. As the project develops, Revit building elements can be added to
the mix for known aspects of the design, for example, curtainwall, windows,
sunshades, etc. At some point, the mass elements are abandoned in favor of a more
detailed model based solely on Revit building elements.
Here are a few things to keep in mind concerning Revit model creation.
Massing
When using masses, be sure to select the mass and specify the floor levels as shown in
the image below—using the Mass Floors tool (Figure 7.3-3). Also, use masses to define
external shades such as adjacent buildings; just don’t specify a mass floor for them. The
Revit project must have at least one mass with mass floors assigned to create a valid
Energy Analysis Model (EAM).
Figure 7.3-3 Masses must have ‘mass floors’ specified to create a valid EAM.
Combined Massing and Building Elements

The next image (Figure 7.3-4) is an example of using massing and building elements
together. This example makes the glazing size and locations explicit rather than being
generically based on a percentage of surface area and fixed sill height.

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Figure 7.3-4 Masses and Building Elements used together in energy analysis
Another example might be to use masses to study future expansion in the context of an
existing Revit model (Figure 7.3-5). When you get to the point in the design where you
need to add masses to create sloped walls (e.g., using the Wall by Face tool), then it is
time to stop using masses in the energy analysis. It is not possible to include some
masses and exclude others.
Figure 7.3-5 Masses and Building Elements used together in energy analysis

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Building Elements
Most Revit models can be used to create a decent Energy Analytical Model (EAM). The
elements listed in the image below (Figure 7.3-6), when set to Room Bounding, are used
in the EAM creation.
Figure 7.3-6 Building elements used in EAM creation; some sub-categories are not included
The tricky thing is dealing with aspects like sun shades as they are often modeled as
Generic Model. As seen in the list above, this category is not used, as it could contain
any number of irrelevant items.
The EAM will also include elements, set to Room Bounding, contained within linked models—
as long as the linked model itself is set to Room Bounding in the host model—an Edit
Type property.

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Energy Settings The Energy settings essential to a valid
2
Energy Simulation are:
In the Energy Settings dialog,
which has been streamlined
• Location
in Revit 2019, there is one
critical setting related to The Energy settings essential to creating
running the simulation and a few more a valid Energy Analysis Model (EAM):
that must be considered to generate a

• Analysis Mode
valid EAM. To study the real-time
• Ground Plane
impact on overall performance, all
• Project Phase
other inputs can be adjusted in the • Analytical Space Resolution
cloud later. • Analytical Surface Resolution
• If using masses (separately or in
In Revit 2019, these important conjunction with building
parameters have been separated from elements)
the secondary options. The Energy o Perimeter Zone Depth
Settings dialog is now split into two. The o Perimeter Zone Division
first dialog shown, see the image to the
right (Figure 7.3-7), presents the more
essential parameters, while the Other
Options “Edit…” button opens the
secondary dialog where optional settings
can be adjusted.
Now let’s take a look at each of these

settings to better understand what they
do and why they are important.
Location
The Location setting provides localized
weather and utility data which is vital in
creating a legitimate energy simulation.
There are two steps involved in
accurately specifying location: Project Figure 7.3-7 Energy Settings
Address and Weather Station. di l
Project Address specifies the project location on earth. This can be a city, a specific
postal address or Lat/Long values. If the project site does not have an address, enter
the City name and then drag the Project Location Pin (red) to the desired location on
the map. You can zoom and pan in this map view as well as make the dialog larger.
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Once the geographic location has been specified, the Weather Station options should
be evaluated. Revit will automatically select the closest option, but this may not always
be the best selection. Consider the example shown in the image below (Figure 7.3-8). In
this author’s location, two of the closest stations have an 800 foot elevation difference.
Additionally, depending on project location in this area, one of the two buoy-based
weather stations may be closest—which would not be ideal (this is the largest
freshwater lake in the world).
FYI from Autodesk’s help page:
“Weather stations include ‘actual year’ virtual weather stations and typical
year weather stations (TMY2 and other formats) based on 30-year averages
of weather data, typically taken from airport locations.”
Don’t bother to change anything on the Weather tab as this data only relates to Revit’s
built-in, and older, Heating and Cooling Loads feature.
Figure 7.3-8 The Location Weather and Site dialog

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Analysis Mode
Analysis Mode determines if Revit should use Masses, Building Elements, or both to
create the EAM.
These are the Analysis Mode options:
• Use Conceptual Masses (never select this option!)
• Use Building Elements
• Use Conceptual Masses and Building Elements (new in Revit 2016)
As it turns out, the “Use Conceptual Masses” only option uses an older internal
algorithm, so don’t use that one. Rather, use the combined option which will work on
mass-only models.
Never use the Use Conceptual Masses option.
Ground Plane
Properly setting the Ground Plane parameter ensures that spaces which occur below
this level are understood to be below grade by the cloud-based GBS calculation
engine. For masses, the EAM will not generate glazing below the ground plane and a
different construction can be selected for underground exterior walls. Keep in mind,
when using Building Elements the toposurface elements are NOT used.
Project Phase
For projects with phasing—e.g., existing, new construction, phase demolished—be sure
this is set correctly. The phase settings for the 3D Energy Model view have no impact on
the EAM created.
EAM Creation Level of Detail

These two properties control the accuracy of the EAM when it is created:
• Analytical Space Resolution (default: 1’-6”)
This allows small gaps to exist in the model—both exterior and interior. Remember, Revit ignores
elements in several categories such as Generic Model and In-Place families, so gaps are not uncommon.
• Analytical Surface Resolution (default: 1’-0”)
This setting works in conjunction with the Analytical Space Resolution setting to control the accuracy of
the surface boundaries.
If portions of the Revit model are complex and not coming out right in the EAM, these
values can be lowered. It is recommended that both of these values be adjusted
proportionally. Lowering these values will result in a more accurate EAM but will take

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longer to create—the simulations will take more time to process as well. Large projects
may require these values to be increased.
Automatic Thermal Zoning Settings

These two properties control the inclusion of space sub-divisions in the EAM:
• Core Depth (or Perimeter Zone Depth)
The distance to measure inward from the exterior walls to define the core zone.
• Divide Perimeter Zones (or Perimeter Zone Division)
Check this box to divide the perimeter into multiple zones.
These settings are used to divide large spaces into smaller subdivisions for more
accurate simulations. These settings used to only work on masses, but, new to Revit 2016
R2, they now also apply to large spaces defined by building elements. For example, my
firm recently worked on a 200,000sf office and warehouse building. The large
warehouse space would have benefited from this subdivision feature.
When creating the EAM for building elements, the interior walls are typically sufficient to
naturally ‘zone’ the model. In these situations, set the Zone Depth to zero and uncheck
the Zone Division option.
For Building Element-based analysis, set the Zone Depth to zero and uncheck the Zone Division
option.

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Create/Delete Energy Model
3 Clicking this tool creates the analytical model,

resulting in three related views created in the
Revit model:
•
•
3D Energy Model
Analytical Spaces (schedule)
• Analytical Surfaces (schedule)
This is a newer feature added back in Revit 2016 and, as covered in the next section,
allows the designer to visually validate model fidelity prior to running a simulation.
As mentioned, the analytical energy model is created from Room Bounding elements
within the Revit model. The result is a simplified model consisting of surfaces somewhat
analogous to a SketchUp model. By selecting surfaces and adjusting the 3D Energy
Model view’s visibility, the designer can make sure there are no anomalies before
starting a simulation.
The next image (Figure 7.3-9) shows the categories and sub-categories in the Analytical
Model Categories tab of the Visibility/Graphics Overrides dialog, automatically turned
on in the 3D Energy Model view. All other categories on this tab are related to structural
analysis and can be ignored.
As more analysis tools like this become available, it is important that models are
created correctly. For example, ceilings should not be used for floors or floors for
countertops. If thin floors are used for finishes on top of a structural floor, they should
have Room Bounding unchecked.
The analytical model can actually be seen in any view by adjusting the
Visibility/Graphic Overrides. However, the 3D Energy View provides dedicated and
instant access. The Hide/Show Analytical Model toggle on the View Control Bar, in the
lower left corner of each view, will toggle the Analytical Model Categories on or off for
the current view.
This tab used to be exclusively for structural analytical visibility control
It is important to understand that the analytical surfaces do not update automatically

as the model changes. When the Revit model changes, the EAM must be deleted and
recreated.

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A few of the Analytical Surfaces sub-categories may be confusing. Revit Windows are
translated to an analytical surface called Operable Windows even though they may
not actually be operable, and Curtainwall walls are all called Fixed Windows.
Figure 7.3-9 Analytical Spaces and Surfaces in Visibility/Graphic Overrides dialog for 3D
Energy Model view

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Visually Review Energy Model
4 It is important to visually validate the Energy Model prior to running a

simulation to ensure valid results. If there are problem areas, the Revit model
needs to be adjusted and the EAM recreated. The analytical surfaces
cannot be modified directly in any way.
In the 3D Energy Model view, some of the Model Categories are turned on (and set to
be partially transparent). It may be helpful to turn these off to clean up the view (Figure
7.3-10).
Figure 7.3-10 Hiding transparent model categories in 3D Energy

d l i
Things to look for are missing spaces and excessive shade surfaces. In the 3D Energy
Model view, the sub-categories can be adjusted to isolate these items, or the
Hide/Isolate feature can also be used. The next image (Figure 7.3-11) shows just the
Analytical Spaces: both occupiable spaces and plenum spaces (i.e., above ceilings).
There are no large missing spaces within the building so all is well. Remember, the
Analytical Space Resolution aims to simplify model complexity and, as such, some
smaller spaces may be omitted.

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Figure 7.3-11 3D Energy Model view adjusted to show only Analytical

S
The next image (Fig. 7.3-12) shows just the Exterior Walls, Fixed Windows and Operable
Windows analytical surfaces. The Function setting (i.e., Interior vs. Exterior) for walls does
not matter as the EAM algorithm automatically determines this. Notice that three
interior curtainwall Walls appear due to their close proximity to the exterior.
Figure 7.3-12 3D Energy Model view adjusted to show only analytical surfaces for Exterior
ll d i d

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Review the Analytical Surfaces schedule to

verify the right mix of surface types (Figure
7.3-13). If there are only shades and/or no
windows, that would be a "red flag.”
The Analytical Spaces schedule can be

used to verify rooms and areas (Figure 7.3-
14). The rows without a room name are
void/shaft and plenum spaces. Splitting the
screen to show both the Analytical Space
schedule and the 3D Energy Model view Figure 7.3-13 Analytical Surfaces Schedule
facilitates highlighting a space in the 3D
view by selecting a row in the
schedule.
Due to the voids and plenum spaces,

don’t expect the total square
footage (SF) to match the total in a
typical Revit room schedule.
These two schedules are based on

the Analytical Surfaces and
Analytical Spaces categories. Don’t
get confused by the title Analytical
Spaces—the term “Spaces” does not
relate to Room versus Space Figure 7.3-14 Analytical Spaces Schedule
elements. showing rooms and areas
If using Design Options, note that only elements in the Main Model and the Primary
Options are used in the EAM. If you want to use Design Options, the desired design must
be set as Primary before creating the EAM. This should be fine early in the design
process, but later (e.g., bid alternates), changing the primary designation can mess up
construction document views.

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Generate (or Generate Insight)

This tool will send the energy analysis model (EAM) to the Autodesk A360 cloud for
simulation. Although not required, the EAM should be created and reviewed prior to
selecting this option. If this tool is selected prior to creating and validating the EAM, the
Generate Insight command will create one and send it to the A360 cloud; however, in
this case, the EAM will not be visible within Revit. If the EAM does exist, it will
automatically be updated when the Generate Insight command is selected.
Prior to selecting this command, select Location, specify Energy Settings and
Create/Validate the energy model.
An email will be sent indicating that the analysis process has started (Figure 7.3-15).
Figure 7.3-15 Email from Autodesk indicating the Insight

project has been received
Insight 360 automatically varies building design inputs resulting in high and low possible
annual energy costs with approximately +/- 10% accuracy. Inputs can then be
adjusted, e.g., glazing properties, to see instant feedback on performance impacts.
Once the simulation is complete, another email will be sent with a link to the project
(Figure 7.3-16). You must sign in to Autodesk A360 to access the information.

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Figure 7.3-16 Email from

Autodesk indicating the Insight
project simulation is complete
Optimize (Open Insight 360)

Once an analysis has been performed, the results can be seen by clicking the link in the
email or selecting the Optimize tool within Revit. Additionally, results from Insight can be
pushed to the AIA DDx by firms participating in the AIA 2030 Commitment.
Let’s take a closer look at what we can do with Insight 360. When the EAM is ready,
simply click the Optimize command in Revit. Once the analysis is complete, the results
can be accessed in the cloud in one of two ways: clicking the Insight360 tool within
Revit or browsing to the website per the URL mentioned above (Chrome, Firefox or
Safari browsers only). The browser option allows the window to be resized and will not
close if Revit is closed.
The next image is the initial view of the project in Insight 360 (shown in Chrome). Right
away, we see the energy cost in the upper left (red circle). This value will change as we
adjust inputs. Speaking of inputs, they have all been varied across all possible values.
Thus, looking at the Benchmark Comparison tile, we see the high and low possible cost
range—this means the best and worst possible scenarios based on energy usage.
Let’s take a minute to look at the User Interface (UI). There are several interesting
aspects of the UI that should be understood to fully leverage this new tool. They are
marked in the image below (Figure 7.3-17) and discussed subsequently.

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Figure 7.3-17 Initial project view in Insight 360
1. Saved Scenarios Slide-out Panel

View saved scenarios in this slide-out panel. A saved scenario is a snapshot of a specific arrangement of
input settings. This allows for quick comparison between specific or combined variations.
2. Energy Cost
Lists the current annual energy cost per m2 or ft2. Adjusting the inputs will instantly change this value. You
can click this graphic to toggle between energy cost $/m2/yr or EUI kBtu/ft2/yr.
3. Location
Clicking here will toggle the EAM preview to a location map. Click the weather station icon to see
historical weather data graphs (Figure 7.3-18).

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Figure 7.3-18 Weather data for local site
4. EAM Toolbar
The basic navigation tools on the left are generally self-explanatory. The center tools facilitate applying a
section cut to the model and exploding the elements to better visualize complex conditions in the EAM
(Figure 7.3-19 & 20). The tools on the right provide access to element information and general settings.
See some examples in the next few images (Figure 7.3-21).
By default, drag with Left mouse button to orbit and right button to pan.
Spin the mouse wheel to zoom.
5. Scenario Creation and Comparison

Use these icons to save and compare scenarios. The Visualize tool provides access to solar, lighting and
H/C analysis tools from within Insight 360.
6. Input Adjustment Tiles

Each tile represents a specific design element. The initial view shows a generic image and the current
(default) range. For example, the Daylighting and Occupancy Controls tile ranges from
“none” to “Daylighting and Occupancy Controls” (aka worst to best). Clicking this tile allows the designer
to refine the range, or even select something very specific if known. More on this in a moment.
Figure 7.3-19 EAM view shown with section cut applied

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Figure 7.3-20 EAM shown exploded
Figure 7.3-21 The Object Browser and Properties Palette provide a look

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Now let’s take a look at the most significant feature: insight into your design and the
interrelated results based on making various adjustments. This is analogous to a mixing
board in a music recording studio—the combination of several adjustments produces a
unique result.
First, we can see that adjusting some aspects of the design, such as orientation and
location in this case, have minimal impact on overall performance (see image below –
Figure 7.3-22). Clicking the Building Orientation tile reveals the relatively flat graph
shown below. If the building orientation will not change, the range can still be adjusted
to reflect this known bit of information. Note that the “0” position relates to the current
orientation in the Revit model, which is also marked by a triangle.
Figure 7.3-22 Cost range based on building
When we contrast the Building Orientation with another metric such as Lighting
Efficiency, we see a more significant opportunity to affect the overall building
performance, as shown below (Figure 7.3-23).

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Tip: The current setting from

Revit is represented, by a
triangle, and where the
Figure 7.3-23 Cost range based on lighting
Clicking on the graph opens the cost range view. If

we want to see the relative change to the Energy
Cost Mean by designing to the upper 1/3 range, we
see about a ten percent change. Similar to the
building’s orientation, if we get to the point where
we know exactly what the lighting efficiency is, we
can adjust the sliders to select a specific input. You
can hover your cursor over the graph for additional
information as shown in Figure 7.3-24.
As the inputs are adjusted, the Energy Cost Mean

value continues to update. While the performance is
below the ASHRAE 90.1 threshold, the circle is
colored red as seen in all images previously. Once in
the “middle” range, the color changes to orange.
Once the Architecture 2030 benchmark has been
reached, the circle turns green as shown in the next
image (Figure 7.3-25).
Figure 7.3-24 Cost range

adjustment for lighting

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Figure 7.3-25 Insight with several high performance selections made, resulting in
To save scenarios, make changes to the cost range values and then click the Add
Scenario icon in the upper right. These can then be used to compare the various
effects of multiple sets of input adjustments. The example below (Figure 7.3-26) shows a
comparison between a medium and high-performance scenario.

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Figure 7.3-26 Comparing saved
Insight Collaboration
The Insight 360 project can be saved with other Autodesk A360 users! Not only that, but
when two people are looking at the same project they both see any changes in real-
time via their browser (Figure 7.3-27).
Figure 7.3-27 Sharing an Insight project with another user

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The Insight home screen has an indicator to remind you that the project is shared with
others. Right now there are no user rights controls. On a related note, notice the project
image can be customized (Figure 7.3-28).
Figure 7.3-28 Indication that a project has been shared with others
Saved scenarios can be applied to all models within a project as shown in the next
image (Figure 7.3-29). This allows for super-fast comparison of various massing
configurations. Additionally, when scenarios are made a favorite that scenario can be
accessed from any project – just click the start.
Figure 7.3-29 Saved Scenarios can be applied to multiple projects within the

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Glazing Properties used in Insight

This question has come up a number of times, so I am sure this will be helpful to those
who want to understand what is going on under the hood; here are the factors used
relative to the glazing options in Insight.
Name Glazing Type-Northern, U-Value U-value BTU/hr- SHGC VLT

Southern, Eastern, Western W/m^2K ft2-F
Walls
No No change No No No
Change change change change
Sgl Clr Single Clear 6mm 6.17 1.09 0.81 0.88
Dbl Clr Dbl Clear 6/13 Air 2.74 0.48 0.7 0.78
Dbl LoE Dbl Low-E (e3=0.2)Clear 3/13 Air 1.99 0.35 0.73 0.74
Trp LoE Trpl Low-E (e2=e5=0.1) Clr 1.55 0.27 0.47 0.66
3mm/6mm Air
Quad LoE Quadruple LoE Films (88) 0.66 0.12 0.45 0.62
3mm/8mm Krypton

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Settings
Each project has a few high-level settings as seen below (Figure 7.3-30). Sorting by
“importance” means the Lighting Efficiency is going to be listed before Building
Orientation using the previous examples. The Utility Rates can be adjusted from the
default derived based on location. This is required for European locations as Autodesk
does not have access to public data as they do in North America.
Figure 7.3-30 Insight 360
Figure 7.3-31 Insight 360 utility rates

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Additional EAM Validation

The next several images show how one might use the EAM 3D view to filter the
analytical categories for visual validation.
Analytical Surfaces – Slab on Analytical Surfaces – Exterior Walls
Analytical Surfaces – Interior Floors Analytical Surfaces – Windows
Analytical Surfaces – Roofs Analytical Surfaces – Ceilings

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Insight Heating and Cooling

Loads - EnergyPlus
Running the Heating and Cooling
loads, from within Revit, can be
helpful as it provides additional
information, such as peak
heating and cooling loads, and
uses EnergyPlus (rather than
DOE2). The image to the right
(Figure 7.3-32) shows a partial
view of the results—the building
summary and the first room. This
tool is not meant to be used to
size HVAC equipment at this time.
Running H&C with Insight 360

provides a more graphical result
as shown below (Figure 7.3-33).
Selecting a room in the model
preview provides loads.
Figure 7.3-32
Results from EnergyPlus heating and
Figure 7.3-33 Results from EnergyPlus heating and cooling analysis within

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AIA 2030 Commitment Firms; upload to DDx
5 Firms participating in the AIA 2030 commitment are now able to push data
from Insight directly into the AIA 2030 Design Data Exchange (DDx).
What is the AIA 2030 Commitment (from the AIA website)?
The AIA 2030 Commitment is a growing national initiative that provides a

consistent, national framework with simple metrics and a standardized
reporting format to help firms evaluate the impact design decisions have
on an individual project's energy performance.
For more information on this AIA initiative: http://www.aia.org/practicing/2030Commitment/
The next four images describe the process from within Insight:
Figure 7.3-34 Verify AIA DDx service is turned
Figure 7.3-35 Turn AIA 2030 DDx service off and then on to get login dialog

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Figure 7.3-36 Insight dialog to enter AIA firm and user id
Figure 7.3-37 Push current energy analysis data to AIA 2030 DDx

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The following image (Figure 7.3-38) shows the exact information that will be sent to the
AIA site. Notice the inputs with drop-down arrows allow information to be changed prior
to clicking “send.”
Figure 7.3-38 Review Insight data to be pushed to AIA 2030 DDX
The last image in this section (Figure 7.3-38) shows the results as seen when logged into
the AIA site. Most of these inputs can be modified here as well if needed.

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Figure 7.3-39 Review data on the AIA 2030 DDx website portal

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Optional Settings and Workflows
6 The remainder of this chapter section will cover optional settings and
workflows related to energy simulation in Revit.
Advanced Energy Settings

All other settings, in the Energy Settings
dialog (Figure 7.3-40), not mentioned yet
do not have to be set prior to creating the
EAM or running a simulation. These inputs
are all automatically varied over the
possible ranges and can be adjusted in
Insight 360 to see instant feedback on
performance impact.
Rooms or Spaces are not required, but

when they are present some additional
information is used (more on this later).
Revit 2019 changes the way Thermal
Properties data is prioritized and used in
the energy analysis. The order they are
listed here relates to priority: Conceptual
Types (lowest) to Detailed Elements
(highest). If Detailed Elements is checked,
the thermal properties saved in the
building elements (e.g. walls, floors, etc.)
Figure 7.3-40 Advanced Energy Settings
will be used. If no thermal properties exist
then any Schematic Type overrides are used, and if no overrides, the Conceptual Types
settings are used.
For combined mass and building elements where the building elements define all glazing (like
the combined example shown previously in Figure 7.3-4), set the Target Percentage
Glazing to 0%.

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The Conceptual Types dialog shown below (Figure 7.3-41) defines the construction
defaults, assuming vertical surfaces are walls, top horizontal surfaces are roofs, etc.
Again, it is no longer important to adjust these prior to running a simulation.
Figure 7.3-41 Define generic
The Schematic Types dialog shown below (Figure 7.3-42) has more detailed options
from which to choose. When a category is checked, the defaults selected in the
Conceptual Constructions dialog are overridden. Again, it is no longer important to
adjust these prior to running a simulation.
Figure 7.3-42 Use generic overrides based on element category

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The image above, for a Minnesota project site, shows how changes to the Conceptual
Constructions affect the results with Insight; remember the graph intersects “0” at the
BIM setting. The image below shows we can override just the walls, in this example, with
a super insulated wall.
Notice how the graph changes for

a different project site:
Edit the Conceptual Constructions in your firm’s Revit template to align with your state’s
minimum energy code requirements.
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One final comment about building elements is that their Thermal Properties, assigned
via materials, can be used in the energy simulation. For layered system families, such as
walls, floors and roofs, the thermal properties are calculated for all layers (e.g., brick, air
space, insulation, etc.). Notice highlighted Resistance (R) and Thermal Mass properties
for the selected wall assembly in the image below (Figure 7.3-44). However, applying
and/or using building element thermal properties is not required. Generic assembly
overrides can be applied, as just discussed,
which is great as this would be putting the
“cart before the horse.” We are using this
process, partly, to determine what the
thermal properties should be! Figure 7.3-43 Use detailed elements
As the model develops to the point where building elements in Revit have the correct
thermal properties, check the Detailed Elements in the Energy Settings dialog (Figure
7.3-43).
Figure 7.3-44 Thermal properties associated with building elements can be used in the
energy simulation

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Irrelevant Settings
Some settings have no impact on the
Energy Simulation. Revit 2017 removed
these irrelevant settings from the Energy
Settings dialog. The image to the right,
Figure 7.3-45, shows the Revit 2016 dialog
with all the omitted parameters
highlighted. Helpful information if you
are still using Revit 2016.
These omitted settings are specific to the

old room/space based gbXML export
and heating/cooling loads and they are
still present in those dialogs.
Figure 7.3-45 Parameters not used in Energy
Design Options Simulation
Revit’s Design Options feature partially works for energy modeling in the preliminary
design phase. The EAM is defined by elements in the Main Model and the Primary
design option. To study another option, use the Make Primary command in the Design
Options dialog, and recreate the EAM.
If using design options for construction documents, e.g., a deduct alternate, it is not possible to
change the primary options as annotations will get messed up.
Don’t make a copy of your project and work in a separate file—it is not very BIM-like.
There are always exceptions, but the energy analysis workflow is designed to work
within the context of an active project.
Rooms and Spaces Not Required

It is helpful to understand that Rooms or Spaces are not required when using the Use Building
Elements analysis mode. If they exist, some information is used. However, the EAM is
generated from Room Bounding elements. Additionally, Area and Volume
Computations does not have to be set to calculate volumes.
Just in case these two terms are not clear, understand that Rooms are typically placed
by Architects and Interior Designers, while Spaces are placed by MEP designers. These
two elements are placed and look the same in the model, but Rooms contain
parameters like Department and Wall Finish while Spaces have engineering data such as Electric
Loads and Heating/Cooling Loads (Figure 7.3-46). Also, when a Space exists within the same enclosed

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area as a Room (even when the Room is in a linked model), it has the ability to read the
Room Name and Number.
When Rooms/Spaces exist, these are the parameters used:
• Rooms
1. Room Name and Number
• Spaces
1. Space Name and Number
2. Occupancy; number of people
3. Lighting and Equipment Loads
4. Plus
1. Building Construction (via Energy Settings dialog)
2. Zones (i.e. collections of Spaces w/ set points)
Use the Space Naming Tool add-in to make the Space names match the Room names
(subscription benefit and built into Revit 2019.1).
Selecting and then using Spaces does allow for more detailed inputs, as just seen in the
list above. Additionally, when Energy Settings > Export Categories is set to Spaces, the
Building Construction option becomes available (see next section for more on this). Just
remember, Rooms or Spaces are not required to start getting useful information on the
performance potential of a design.
Figure 7.3-46 Additional properties embodied in EAM when Spaces are used
Spaces also have the ability to be grouped into Zones. These allow things like Outdoor
Air Information and Heating / Cooling set-points to be entered as shown below (Figure
7.3-47).

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Figure 7.3-47 Additional properties embodied in EAM when Spaces and Zones are used
Going Further
Green Building Studio (GBS) is the web service that runs DOE 2.2 and EnergyPlus
simulations used by Revit’s Energy Simulation tool and by Insight 360. Use GBS to define
custom settings for the analysis, such as currency, unit costs for electricity and natural
gas, and the utility bill history with historical weather data. Once a Revit Energy
Simulation has been run, it can be opened in GBS as seen below (Figure 7.3-48).
Figure 7.3-48 An example of the GBS cloud service

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Reference Material
7 When it comes to energy modeling, it is important to understand the required

inputs and desired outputs, or results. The following information may be helpful
to those just getting started in the “art” of energy modeling.
Results
Autodesk Insight 360 provides the primary results in either EUI or Cost. Having a feel for
the actual EUI of existing buildings can be helpful. The graph below is based on
research EPA conducted on more than 100,000 buildings. We obviously want to do
better than these numbers…
Source: https://www.energystar.gov/buildings/facility-owners-and-managers/existing-
buildings/use-portfolio-manager/understand-metrics/what-energy
Firm Reference Material

The following lists all the inputs available in Insight 360 and some comments (italicized
text) added to help guide staff in a design firm. The comments are tips and specific
requirements based on that firm’s local energy code. These comments are not meant
to be used directly, but as a guide to setting up one’s own standards in a design firm.

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Insight 360 Inputs and Comments

Firm specific comments for staff reference (not official)
Building Orientation Rotates a building clockwise from 0 degrees, e.g., 90 degrees
rotates the North side of the building to face East.
45 degree increments 0 degrees equals True North position in Revit
Wall Window Ratio (for N, E, S, W) Window-Wall-Ratio (glazing area / gross wall area) interacts
with window properties to impact daylighting, heating &
cooling.
0% In the Energy Settings dialog, 'Target percentage glazing'
15% is set to 0% as Insight 360 will vary for all options. Once
30% windows or curtainwall are added, the Revit setting will
be the point where the graph crosses 0 in Insight for
40%
Window-Wall-Ratio for each direction.
50%
65%
80%
95%
Window Shades Shades can reduce HVAC energy use. The impacts depend on
other factors, such as window size and solar heat gain
properties.
No Change Can also model sun shades in Revit. Use floor element in
1/6 Win Height secondary Design Option. Set to Primary prior to
1/4 Win Height generating Energy Analysis Model (EAM) in Revit. Switch
back to secondary right after EAM creation. FYI: Revit
1/3 Win Height
ignores the Generic Model category.
1/2 Win Height
2/3 Win Height
Window Glass Glass properties control the amount of daylight, heat transfer
& solar heat gain into the building, along with other factors.
Sgl Clr Zone 6 (non-residential): U .55, curtainwall U .45
* Dbl Clr Zone 7 (non-residential): U .45, curtainwall U .40
Trp LoE
Dbl LoE
Quad LoE
Wall Construction Represents the overall ability of wall constructions to resist
heat losses and gains.
Uninsulated http://www.dli.mn.gov/CCLD/codes15.asp
R2 CMU Reference: 2015 MN Energy Code --> ASHRAE 90.1 --> 5.
R13 Metal Building Envelope --> Tables 5.5-1 thru 5.5-8 (depending
R13 Wood on climate zone)
R13 + R10 Metal
14-inch ICF Zone 6 (non-residential): R13
12.25-inch SIP (approx. R40) Zone 7 (non-residential): R15.2
R38 Wood

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Roof Construction Represents the overall ability of roof constructions to resist

heat losses and gains.
Uninsulated http://www.dli.mn.gov/CCLD/codes15.asp
R10 Reference: 2015 MN Energy Code --> ASHRAE 90.1 --> 5.
R15 Building Envelope --> Tables 5.5-1 thru 5.5-8 (depending
* R19 on climate zone)
10.25-inch SIP Zone 6 & 7 (non-residential): R20
R38
R60
Infiltration The unintentional leaking of air into or out of conditioned
spaces; often due to gaps in the building envelope.
2.0 ACH If building pressurized (values from Trane Trace defaults):
1.6 ACH 0.3 Average construction (LHB typical)
1.2 ACH 0.5 Poor construction
0.8 ACH If not pressurized (neutral):
0.4 ACH 0.6 Average
0.17 ACH 1.0 Poor
2.5 Loose
Lighting Efficiency Represents the average internal heat gain and power
consumption of electric lighting per unit floor area.
1.9 W/sf ASHRAE 90.1 (2010), Table 9.5.1
1.5 W/sf Retail Office 0.9 W/sf
1.1 W/sf Mfr Facility
0.7 W/sf Dormitory
0.3 W/sf Parking Garage
Daylighting & Occupancy Controls Represents typical daylight dimming and occupancy sensor
systems.
None
Daylighting Controls
Occupancy Controls
* Daylighting & Occ Ctrls
Plug Load Efficiency The power used by equipment, i.e., computers and small
appliances; excludes lighting or heating and cooling
equipment.
2.6 W/sf Varies widely based on building type and use.
2.0 W/sf
1.6 W/sf
1.3 W/sf
1.0 W/sf
0.6 W/sf
HVAC Represents a range of HVAC system efficiency which will vary
based on location and building size.
ASHRAE Package Terminal Heat * = Typical options for education projects
Pump
ASHRAE VAV
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ASHRAE Heat Pump

High Eff. Heat Pump *
High Eff. VAV *
ASHRAE Package System *
High Eff. Package System
High Eff. Package Terminal AC
Operating Schedule The typical hours of use by building occupants.
24/7
12/7
12/6
12/5
PV - Panel Efficiency The percentage of the sun's energy that will be converted to
AC energy. Higher efficiency panels cost more, but produce
more energy for the same surface area.
16% We typically spec Suniva OPT250 which has 15.4 to 16.33
18.60% eff
20.40%
PV - Payback Limit Use the payback period to define which surfaces will be used
for the PV system. Surfaces with shading or poor solar
orientation may be excluded.
10 yr
20 yr
* 30 yr
PV - Surface Coverage Defines how much roof area can be used for PV panels,
assuming area for maintenance access, rooftop equipment
and system infrastructure.
0%
60%
75%
90%

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Related BIM Chapters Blog Posts
8 I have written several post which get into a high level of detail on the Revit +
Insight workflow. I have copy/pasted many of them into this handout for your
convince. Please note that this section has not been formatted for printing.
Revit 'Energy Settings' Tip - Avoid Masses Only Setting

I wrote a post a while back about Autodesk's work with gbXML.org on Level 3
Certification and Validation. That post talks about Revit's ability to create a more
accurate energy model automatically. This new workflow supplants the previous
method which resulted in special mass elements, in some cases, required rooms/spaces
to be created. This post highlights the fact that the old way is still in Revit for legacy
reasons, but should be avoided to leverage the latest and greatest features in this area.
First, there is what Revit help says on the topic:
Revit offers 2 methods for exporting to gbXML:

• Use energy settings: This method exports the energy analytical model created
by Revit.
The energy analytical model is composed of analytical spaces and analytical surfaces,
which are created based on parameters defined in the Energy Settings dialog. The
exported data provides an accurate energy model for analysis. Before using this
method, define parameters in the Energy Settings dialog and create an energy
analytical model.
• Use room/space volumes: This method uses volumes defined in the building
model based on rooms or spaces in the model. These volumes may not be as
accurate as those created using energy settings. Before using this method, add
rooms or spaces to the model.
The resulting gbXML file contains energy information for the model according to the
gbXML file structure, which is based on a gbXML schema. The gbXML schema was
created to help building designers get information about the energy consumption
characteristics of their building projects. For more information about the gbXML
schema, visit http://www.gbxml.org.
Next, I will quickly show the two methods and the resultant energy model in Revit.
The New Way...

In Revit's Energy Settings dialog, select either Use Conceptual Masses and Building
Elements or Building Elements.

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Now, when an energy model is created in Revit, the result is analytical

surfaces and spaces with thermal zoning as showing in the next two images.
All of the analytical elements are controlled via the Visibility/Graphics Overrides dialog.

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The Old Way...

In Revit's Energy Settings dialog, select Use Conceptual Masses.
The result in Revit, after creating an energy model, is a special type of mass element
which contains extended data as shown here.

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The visibility of these special mass elements is controlled from the Masses & Site tab as
shown here. FYI: With the new workflow, these second two mass visibility options are
never used.
Exporting gbXML files directly from Revit

Related to all of this is the export to gbXML option from Revit. This may be a little
confusing, but the "new way" is represented by the Use Energy Settings option, and the
"old way" by Use Room/Space Volumes.
I have seen MEP firms with a refined workflow using the 'old way' to get into Trane Trace
600, and that is fine. But for Autodesk's Revit + Insight workflow and to leverage the
newer, more accurate gbXML export you will want to use the "new way."

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gbXML Certification and Validation

Autodesk is helping to define a new, more accurate, gbXML schema to improve the
way industry is documenting and sharing data; specifically: geometry descriptions,
envelope descriptions, schedules and systems.
"gbXML is an industry supported schema for sharing building information between
disparate building design software tools."
As a "research partner" with gbXML, Autodesk is helping define the Level 3 compliance
requirements and compliance tests.
This standard and validation process...

will give gbXML Authors (e.g. Revit) and Consumers (e.g. You) a higher level of
confidence in the data. I was in a presentation recently in Toronto, Canada, at BILT
North America, I listened to a mechanical engineer present and voice his concern over
the quality of gbXML from various Authors.
A few examples; Level 2 tests checks for the accuracy of spaces, such as a simple
gable roof. Level 3 verifies below grade walls are defined relative to a slab on grade
and can include things a sloped floors and bottom of walls.
I recently did a series of posts which highlight the way Revit automates the creation of
the energy model, which is in the spirit of Level 3 compliance:
• Autodesk Insight 360 - Walls; Part 1
• Autodesk Insight 360 - Floors; Part 1
The next three images show how Revit is able to divide the roof and floor so the
balcony is a shade surface, same for the top of the wall, which defines the parapet.
Also, note the sloped floor, plus "slab on grade" versus "interior floor".

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Typical Revit model
Section; floor and roof extend outside of building + sloped floor
Energy model filter to floors an shade surfaces
Authoring tools that pass certification will be listed here on the gbXML
website: http://gbxml.org/Software_Tools_that_Support_GreenBuildingXML_gbXML.
Currently, the only certified software is Open Studio at Level 2. Autodesk should be listed
as "In Progress" for Level 3.
For a great overview of all of this, I encourage you to watch this recorded webinar by
gbXML and my friend Ian Molloy from Autodesk; Click here to watch the recording.

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Energy Analysis Inputs in Revit - Insight EUI versus

EnergyPlus Loads
Revit HVAC Zone Settings for Cooling & Heating set point (see image to right) are
exported to the gbXML file and are used by DOE2 to calculate the supply air flow rate
required to meet design-day heating and cooling loads for the zone. These settings
impact the Insight Energy Cost Ratio and the EUI for Insight.
However, these settings are not exported to Energy Plus when calculating the
Insight loads calculations. And, they are ignored by Insight loads calculations. The
Energy Plus default values can be found in the Insight Loads Report and are: Cooling
Setpoint 75F; and Heating Setpoint 65F.
Below are two exports from within Insight, raw DOE2 and gbXML formats respectively,
showing that the values set in Revit are propagated to Insight. In order to set these
values in Revit and subsequently have them used in Insight, you must use Spaces (not
Rooms) and HVAC Zones as well as select to export Spaces data in the Revit Energy
Settings dialog.
It is unfortunate that, when present, the H/C set points and moisture control settings are
not used by EnergyPlus loads calc. This is what our engineers expect and do in Trane
Trace 600. But, in any case, understanding this is very helpful... thus, the reason for this
post.

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Insight Energy Analysis - Elevator Load Automatically

Included for Multi-Story Buildings
When a multi-story Revit model, based on mass or building elements, is exported
to Autodesk Insight, a basic elevator load is included automatically. Read on to learn
more...
To see this is the case, you can Export a gbXML file from within Insight as follows. FYI: This
also allows you to export raw DOE2 and EnergyPlus files.
Using an XML viewer, notice the ExtEquip electric load and "2 typical elevators" label.
This section will not exist for single story buildings.
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Within Insight, the added load can be recognized in the Plug Load Efficiency tile. If you
open Green Building Studio (GBS) you can also see this in the monthly electricity chart
as Ext Usage (see image below). This section is not present in a single story building.

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Autodesk Climate Server
The Location setting provides localized weather and utility rates data which is vital in
creating a legitimate energy simulation. There are two steps involved in accurately
specifying location; Project Address and Weather Station.
Project Address specifies the project location on earth within Revit. This can be a city, a
specific postal address or Lat/Long values. If the project site does not have an address,
enter the City name and then drag the Project Location Pin (red) to the desired
location on the map. You can zoom and pan in this map view as well as make the
dialog larger.
Once the geographic location has been specified...

the Weather Station options should be evaluated. Revit will automatically select the
closest option, but this may not always be the best selection. Consider the example
shown in the image below. In my location, two of the closest stations have an 800 foot
elevation difference. Additionally, depending on project location in this area, one of
the two buoy-based weather stations may be closest—which would not be ideal (this is
the largest freshwater lake in the world, by surface area).

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A common question is: where does this weather data come from? The answer to this
question can be found via the links below. Even if you have not considered this
question, I recommend you read through this information to familiarize yourself with the
inter-workings of the entire energy modeling workflow and feature set
in Revit, Insight and Green Building Studio!
Insight blog post: Climate Server: A Hidden Gem in GBS
Autodesk Knowledge Network (AKN):

• Weather Data Sources and Methodology
• Selecting a Weather Station for your Project
Here are a few quotes from Autodesk’s help pages:

“Weather stations include ‘actual year’ virtual weather stations and typical year
weather stations (TMY2 and other formats) based on 30-year averages of weather
data, typically taken from airport locations.”
"The Autodesk Climate Server is a distribution channel that aggregates and delivers
climate and weather data from several sources, using several methodologies:"
"Climate Server is an Autodesk-maintained database of over a million virtual weather
stations that are based on sound meteorological science and research. This is the data
that drives energy analysis in Green Building Studio, Revit, and Vasari. Most of this data
can also be downloaded from GBS." DJS - Note that Vasari does not exists anymore.
The weather data includes the following fields, for each hour of the year:
• Global horizontal radiation (Wh/m2, amount of energy striking a horizontal
surface during the hour)
• Direct normal radiation (Wh/m2, perpendicular to the sun's rays)
• Diffuse Horizontal Radiation (Wh/m2)
• Total sky cover (tenths covered, visual estimate of proportion of cloud covering
the sky)
• Dry bulb temperature (deg C)
• Dew point temperature (deg C)
• Relative humidity (%)
• Pressure (mb)
• Wind direction (degrees)
• Wind speed (m/s)
This list is from this AKN link: Weather Variables and File Formats
Monthly Temperature and Windrose Speed Data

Within Insight, you can click on the Location tile next to the 3D view of the EAM (see first
image below). Clicking on any of the visible weather stations will reveal Monthly
Temperatures and Windwrose Speed data as seen in the last two images.

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ASHRAE 90.1 Baseline - Revit + Insight

When performing early stage energy analysis it is helpful to compare your results against
a baseline, such as ASHRAE 90.1 and Architecture 2030. In this post I will show how this is
done in the Autodesk Revit and Insight workflow... and in just minutes.

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What is ASHRAE 90.1?

The acronym stands for American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-
Conditioning Engineers.
From the ASHRAE 90.1 web-page:

"Standard 90.1 has been a benchmark for commercial building energy codes in the
United States and a key basis for codes and standards around the world for more than
35 years."
Autodesk Insight is hardwired to use the ASHRAE 90.1 2010 standard. Below is a map
showing which version of this standard is adopted by state, here in the
USA: Commercial Energy Code Adoption by State.
In Revit:
For this example I created a single story 50k SF (4645.152 M²) Revit mass element.
ASHRAE has three "reference building models" that are close to this size; Medium Office,
Outpatient Healthcare and Warehouse. So, a second goal here is to just show that
Revit's Building Type selection, in the Energy Settings dialog, impacts the resultant EUI.
In this example everything is the same for three runs, with the exception of the Building
Type; even though some things like HVAC system would likely be different.
The first step in Revit is to specify your location on Earth. Notice the weather stations only
show up if you are logged in to your Autodesk account. BTW, everything I am showing
in this post is free if you have Revit (no cloud credits required).

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The closet weather station is not always the best option. Especially when there are
major elevation changes or large bodies of water (we have both where I live). Here are
three weather stations the exact same distance from the project with 7 degree delta
in design heating temperature. One station has a 500 foot elevation change (152 M)
and another is near the largest freshwater lake in the world.
In Revit's energy settings dialog you have options for thermal zoning (watch for another
post about this soon,) Window to Wall Ratio (WWR) and Building Type to name a few,

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Here I set WWR to 40% and Building Type to Office.
Next, create an energy model... notice is includes the requested WWR and thermal
zoning. Finally, within Revit, push your model out to Insight via the Analysis tab.

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Everything just done in Revit took about 10 minutes.
In Insight:
Insight is Autodesk's cloud-based DOE 2.2 energy analysis platform (Energy Plus engine
available upon request). This tool is ASHRAE 140 validated, which is a standard energy
modeling software validation test where the results must be published; click here for
Autodesk's published results.
Within Insight, best viewed in a modern browser such as Chrome, we can see my three
runs. By default it is in "tile" view... clicking the toggle pointed out in the image below
switches to a "list" view. Here we can change the three columns to show different
information.
Here are all the column options... just click on one of the column headings to see this
list.

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Notice, I changed the third column from floor area to the Arch 2030 baseline.
Once you open the run you can also see the two baselines listed in the Benchmark
Comparison tile as shown here for the warehouse building type. And, if you are not
familiar with Insight, it's magic lies in the fact that it automatically calculated a wide
range of options for EVERY input. So, with an un-insulated roof and other terrible design
decisions (for an average building on this planet) the EUI is super high at 297.1... but with
more careful choices we could achieve a high-performance low of 9.9.

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Once the calculations where done, the effort in Insight took 5 minutes. Thus, in 15
minutes I was able to start from an empty file, create a model for three building types
and derive the ASHRAE 90.1 and Arch 2030 benchmarks for a specific project site.
Autodesk Insight 360 - Walls; Part 1

Autodesk Insight 360 is a powerful energy modeling tool in conjunction with a Revit
model. To help realize it's full potential, I thought I would offer up a series of short posts
which focus on specific elements of Revit, Insight and energy modeling. You may be
surprised at how simple, yet powerful, this feature set can be!
I plan on writing a few short posts to cover just walls in the content of energy modeling. I
will start with these three topics:
• Massing
• Revit walls
• Window to Wall Ratio (WWR)
For this post, I want to highlight how Revit defines exterior wall construction, from mass
elements, when generating the Energy Analytical Model (EAM).
We can perform an energy analysis against simple Revit massing. In the images below I
created a super simple mass. This mass extends below level 1 to define a basement
area. I selected the mass and used the Mass Floors button on the Ribbon to
specify Basement and Level 1 for this specific element.

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• FYI: If I did not specify Mass Floors, the entire element would be seen as a shade
surface. This is helpful when representing adjacent buildings.
Before we get to Insight we need to create an EAM in Revit. There is a lot of cool stuff
happening here. For now, given our "wall" focus, we will notice from the next two
images that the EAM understands above grade and below grade walls. In the next post
we will see it even understands parapet walls when using Revit elements (i.e. not
massing).
EAM with an exterior wall selected
EAM with below grade wall selected
The thermal properties of a wall are defined in the Energy Settings dialog. In the Other
Options sub-dialog, there are three successive options; Conceptual Types, Schematic
Types and Detailed Elements. By default, Revit uses the Conceptual Types settings as
we will see...

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The image below shows an extreme example of no insulation so it is super clear what is
happening when we get into Insight. Notice, this is set in Conceptual Types.
Exterior walls set to uninsulated in Conceptual Types

When we get to Insight we see the "BIM setting" (triangle symbol) for wall construction is
aligned with the uninsulated end of the spectrum per our selection within Revit.
• FYI: I used to think the "BIM setting" replaced the input it aligned with on the Cost
Range slider, but as you can see below it is just positioned along side it; notice
Uninsulated is still a separate option even though it is the same value as the "BIM
setting".
Wall construction result in Insight
If we apply an override in Schematic Types, this takes precedent over the Conceptual
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Types setting... but just for the categories selected. In the example below, only walls are
overriding the Conceptual Types settings. Here I go towards the other end of the
spectrum with an R38 wall construction.
Wall value override selected in Schematic Types
Back in Insight we see the "BIM Setting" has moved accordingly.
Wall construction result in Insight
The Conceptual Types options are somewhat limited, Schematic Types have a lot more
options, and when we get to using Revit materials to define thermal properties there is
no limit to the number of options we could have (as we will see in a later post).
I was working with one of our architects this week and she noticed that Schematic
Types even has a Straw Bale option as seen in the image below!
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Straw bale wall construction option within Schematic Types
The great thing about Insight is we can dynamically modify these inputs apart from the
Revit model. However, this information is helpful to understand so you can set some
baseline inputs, e.g. based on your state's energy code or ASHRAE 90.1, within your
template. And, as the project progresses and decisions are made, those decisions can
be captured within the BIM.

Following yesterday's discussion, Autodesk Insight 360 - Walls; Part 1, on how Revit
determines analytical walls from mass elements, I will now shift our attention from mass
elements to wall elements.
As seen in the first image below, I created the same "award-wining design" in this post,
based on the massing in the previous installment, Notice that this more developed
design has parapets, which are defined by a single wall extending from Level 1 up a
certain distance above the roof plane.

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Revit model created with wall, floor and a roof elements.
When the Energy Analytical Model (EAM) is created in Revit, we see similar results when
compared to the previous massing exercise. We have Exterior Walls and Underground
Walls.
Exterior Walls element selected in the EAM

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Underground Walls element selected in the EAM
If you are paying close attention and comparing the wall area numbers with the
previous post you may have noticed the area for the same exterior wall is not quite the
same. The reason is that the parapets are automatically omitted from the "exterior
walls" equation. The image below shows the EAM has converted the parapet walls
to Shade surfaces. This is perfect!
• It is not as accurate to simply take the literal wall, floor and roof areas and plug
them into an equation.
Shading element selected in the EAM
BTW, we can control the visibility of the various parts of the EAM from
the Visibility/Graphics Overrides dialog as seen in the image below. This is what I did to
create the the images above.

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Visibility/Graphics Override dialog for 3D Energy Model view
Once we push this "Revit Elements" based model to Insight we understand this more
detailed design iteration results in a more accurate Cost/EUI. It is interesting to see that
the super simple thermally zoned mass analysis,from the previous post, offered
reasonable close preliminary information.
Walls-based model and Mass-based model in Insight
Setting the Mass Exterior Wall construction to uninsulated also applies to Revit's wall
elements. This may be a little confusing since the word "Mass" is in the name of the
parameter you are adjusting. When pushed out to Insight, we see the "BIM Setting" is
properly positioned at uninsulated for the Wall Construction input.
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Insight 'BIM setting' aligns with Revit setting
Like yesterday, I went in and applied an override in the Schematic Types dialog (within
the Energy Settings dialog) and selected an R38 construction. When we subsequently
push a model to Insight there is something important to understand... the EAM is totally
static geometrically and in terms of information. So, if we don't delete and recreate the
EAM this new change would not influence the analysis.
When pushing the model to Insight, we are conveniently prompted to automatically

recreate the EAM as shown in the image below. However, I think it is best to do it
manually and visually inspect it for any irregularities; for example, someone decided to
model all the wall types just outside the building.

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Insight export prompt within Revit
After deleting and recreating the EAM we get the expected results in Insight!
Insight 'BIM setting' aligns with revised Revit setting
This workflow represents a simple yet powerful opportunity to enhance the performance
of most any project being developed in Revit. Like any tool, taking the time to
understand it's various parts is key to getting accurate results. Continuing the focus on
walls, in future posts, I will talk about using Revit materials to define the thermal
properties in a wall, and then another post will look at some things to keep in mind
when it comes to Window to Wall Ratio (WWR). So stay tuned for more...

In the previous two posts on Insight 360 and walls, we looked at how conceptual and
schematic wall constructs are applied when mass elements and Revit's wall elements
are used. Those posts can be found here:
• Autodesk Insight 360 - Walls; Part 1,
• Autodesk Insight 360 - Walls: Part 2
In this post I want to highlight how Revit determines the Window to Wall Ratio (WWR).
Early on in a project this value does not matter on the Revit side, as there is a dynamic
input for WWR for each face (N,E,S,W) of the building. Thus, this input can be changed
within Insight irrespective of the Revit model and it's settings.

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First, let's see how we define WWR when using mass elements. I am using the same mass
model from the "Part 1" post. In case it was not clear in that first post, the entire building
is represented by a single mass element. That is interesting when you consider
the Energy Analysis Model (EAM) resulted in separate vertical walls in the same
plane; Exterior Walls and Underground Walls due to the Ground Plane setting in
the Energy Settings dialog.
If we want to set a baseline value of 40% (per ASHRAE 90.1) we can do so in

the Advanced Energy Settings dialog. Notice the related Target Sill Height and Glazing
is Shaded options.
When the EAM is created, we see the analytical windows are added. In this selected
example, the window is 201sf and the remaining above-grade wall is 302sf - thus, 40% of
the wall is window. None of the below grade wall is considered in this equation.

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When this EAM is pushed out to Insight 360, we see the BIM Setting for the four WWRs is
40%.
• TIP: Notice how the BIM Setting always aligns with zero on the vertical scale.
The great thing about Insight 360 is we can dynamically adjust the WWR without
needing to go back into Revit and make changes. In the image below, the Western
WWR was adjusted to be 95%, which resulted in the Energy Cost Mean changing from
$2.13 (sf/yr) to a less efficient $2.25 (sf/yr).
• FYI: The $2.13 value was based on a WWR range between 0% and 95%, and the
$2.25 is based on a single input of 95%.

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Quick closing tip... if you prefer EUI (kBth/sf/yr) over Cost (dollars/sf/yr), simply click on
the circle in the upper left corner.

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In this installment we will continue to look at how Revit determines the Window to Wall
Ratio (WWR) when creating the Energy Analysis Model (EAM) and how that relates to
the BIM Setting in Insight 360.
Using the same super simple model from the previous posts, I added three 6 foot square
windows as seen in the image below. Notice the east and west facing walls have no
windows. Additionally, the north face (not the clothing products) is represented by two
separate wall elements.
Here is a quick 3D view with the windows on the south facing wall.

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When the EAM is created, we see the modeled windows are now what is represented
(compared to analytical windows added to the mass geometry in the previous post).
The image below shows a window selected. Notice it is listed as an Operable
Window here, whereas the window for the mass element was a Fixed Window. For Revit
elements (i.e. Walls, Windows, Curtain wall) a Window family is always listed as an
Operable Window and a Curtain Wall is listed as a Fixed Window. I am not sure this
makes any difference once in Insight (If I find out I will update this post).
With the EAM pushed out to Insight, we see the BIM Setting (triangle symbol) for
the Eastern Walls shows a 0% WWR as we would expect based on the Revit model
shown above.

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The Southern Walls cost range shows a BIM Setting of 18% which is correct (333sf of wall
and 72sf of window), and this calculation does not include the parapet. Awesome.
Finally, the WWR for the Northern Walls is the sum total of both walls and the single
window. Hovering the cursor over the BIM Setting lists the actual value.

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In the post we will explore the way Window to Wall Ratio (WWR) is derived when both
Revit walls and mass elements define the Energy Analysis Model (EAM). In the previous
two ports we looked at each separately.
The image below shows the model used in today's post. The same model with walls
from the previous post along with the a mass element added to represent an addition.
Building elements with a mass added to represent an addition

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To use both Revit elements and masses in the EAM the Energy Settings dialog must be
accordingly as shown in the image below.
Tell Revit to use masses and building elements to create the EAM
Also in the Energy Settings dialog, the WWR can be set. This only applies to the mass
element.
Seeing WWR for mass elements
The image below is the EAM as seen in Revit. The walls and windows are explicitly
defined by the Revit elements, while the mass element has 40% glazing applied to the
three exterior sided.
• FYI: of course the mass element does not know how there will be a parapet so
the wall area and WWR are off a little.

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EAM in Revit
When pushed out to Insight 360 we see the BIM Setting matches what we saw back in
Revit.
Results as seen in Insight 360
In addition to what was defined within Revit, Insight allows the overall WWR to be
adjusted for each N/E/S/W face. Simply adjust the sliders to define a range until you are
more confident in a specific value. While defining a rage, the Cost/EUI listed is
the mean value.
One final note... as a test to see if I could, this entire post was created from my iPad.
Everything, except the screen captures. I added the mass element in Revit, created the
EAM and used Insight 360 all on the iPad.

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The EAM in Revit shown on an iPad

In the first two posts on Insight and walls, we looked at how conceptual and schematic
wall constructs are applied when mass elements and Revit's wall elements are used.
Those posts can be found here:

o Wall construction based on mass elements and energy settings
• Autodesk Insight 360 - Walls: Part 2
o Wall construction based on Revit elements and energy settings
In this post I want to highlight how Revit's materials can be used to define the thermal
properties of a wall's construction.
In the Energy Settings > Other Options dialog, checking Detailed Elements tells Revit to
use the thermal properties associated with each material used in the wall assemble.

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Notice, the default Revit materials have a Thermal asset associated with them as seen
in the image below. Also notice, the combined total of the wall assembly, based on
thermal properties and the thickness of each layer, is listed in the Edit Assembly dialog.
In this example, the selected wall type has an R value of about 32.
Before creating the EAM, as a test, I made sure and set the Schematic Types wall
construction to an uninsulated wall, and no override in the Schematic Types section.
This way we know the value within Insight is coming from the Material's thermal
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properties.
Below is a slightly more detailed model I used for this example.
This is what the EAM looks like. The jagged lines represent the thermal zoning... if you
look closely you will see there is a below and above the ceiling. The EAM understands a
space is not occupied when it's height is less than a specific value (5'-0" I think).

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For the first example, I changed the thickness of the walls Rigid Insulation layer to 1" (it
was 3"). When compared to the previous Edit Assembly image, notice the R value has
changed from 32 to 23.
When pushed out to Insight we see the BIM Setting is properly positioned in the R-
23vicinity.

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Back in Revit, I changed the Rigid Insulation thickness to a rather unusual 8", per the
image below, which equates to R-53, to see what that looks like in Insight.
In this case, the BIM Setting is all the way to the right, which is to the right of the R-
38input.

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I am told there are some limits to the rage for inputs when using materials to define a
wall's thermal resistance, and in some cases the run will fail and send you an email
explaining as much.
Earlier, I mentioned the EAM is tracking occupiable and unoccupiable spaces within
the building. When an EAM is first created, Revit also creates an Analytical Spaces
schedule as seen in the final image of this post. When your Revit model has
Rooms/Spaces, their names and numbers are also listed with each sapce. In this case,
the rows lacking this information are the plenum spaces (or mechanical shafs,
plumbging spaces, etc.).
• FYI: due to these extra spaces, the total area listed would not match the building
area.

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As a follow up to my previous Insight 360 post, Autodesk Insight 360 - Walls; Part 6, it is
helpful to know what happens when a Revit wall element does not have a thermal
value (or one that is too low).
This only applies when Detailed Elements is checked in the Energy Setting > Advanced
Energy Settings dialog,
If a material does not have a Thermal asset, it will not contribute to the wall assemblies
thermal properties. Notice here, in the image below, that a Thermal asset may be
deleted, The adjacent buttons allow a Thermal asset to be copied or replaced with
another property.
• For example, a wood stud wall could have the Thermal properties of batt
insulation applied in place of the wood studs, which has much lower thermal
properties alone. The drawback is that this trick does not account for the batt
insulation in material take offs, but does not affect the total wall thickness either.

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In this example, using the model from the previous post, I removed all the thermal assets
associated with the materials used by the exterior wall as seen in the image below.
When I push the EAM out to Insight 360 I get an email stating that an error occurred and
the model could not be processed. Notice, in the next image, the indication is that wall
is too thin or the thermal properties are too low.

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Once a model is in Insight 360 it is possible to select a surface and see "aim" number. If
this were a large complex project with just a few walls causing the problem, I am not
sure if there is a way to dial in quickly using this number.
Creating a schedule like the one below would be the best bet, looking for exterior walls
with low or no thermal resistance.
Autodesk Insight 360 - Floors; Part 1

Following my series of posts on Walls and Window to Wall Ratios, I will shift gears and
take a look a Floors in the context of energy modeling in Revit and Autodesk Insight
360. Again, looking at these various parts in detail, separately, should help to better
understand how simple, yet powerful Revit and Insight are.
For today's example I will use the model from my Residential Design using Autodesk
Revit 2018 textbook. This book is the #1 Revit textbook in the education market in the
USA.

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Notice the various floor conditions in this cutaway view of the model.
This is what the Energy Analytical Model (EAM) looks like for this project.
• Regressing to walls, for a moment, notice the difference between the foundation
walls adjacent to occupiable space (i.e. basement area) versus unexcavated
space.

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For the EAM view, notice I narrowed things down to just the analytical "floors".
This model has three of the four possible floor conditions.

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The second-floor floors are all defined at Interior Floors.
The main-level floors are all defined at Slab on Grade floors. Only the garage floor is
technically slab on grade, but for the EAM this means any floor at grade (as defined in
the Energy Settings dialog).
Finally, the basement floors are automatically defined at Underground Floors.
The fourth analytical floor type not represented here is Raised Floor, which is a floor
open to the air underneath.
Keep in mind it does not matter how the Revit floor is defined in the model, including
the Function setting (Interior or Exterior). If the floor is inside the building, it is inside the
building. The EAM algorithm figures that out on its own. The only setting that does
matter, in terms of defining the EAM, is Room Bounding; when un-checked, the element
will be ignored and is thus not part of the EAM.
• Tip: Un-check Room Bounding for walls around a trash enclosure so they are
ignored (sorry, went back to "walls" again).

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Following my previous post, Autodesk Insight 360 - Floors; Part 1, I want to share a few
more details about how analytical floors are automatically derived from the Revit
model. I will close with a brief mention of what Insight's main competitor, Sefaira,
requires in these situations.
Today's example will be based on the model shown below. This model has
a balcony defined by extending the main level 2 floor outside the building. There is a
similar situation happening with the roof, above the balcony.
Additionally, a portion of the level 2 floor is sloped as shown in the building section
below.
When the Energy Analytical Model (EAM) is created within Revit, we see how the
various conditions just mentioned are handled. Notice that balcony, and its roof, are
automatically separated and defined as a shade surface (same as the parapet as
discussed in a previous post). Additionally, the analytical floor is sloped in the EAM.
Although a great product, Sefaira is not this simple as they want you to model things, in
Revit, in a very specific way: How to model balconies, roof overhangs, and outside
patios for Sefaira. You can model this way and Revit will still create the EAM properly. I
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like the fact that Insight is more flexible. This flexibility also means the results are more
accurate when you consider some will forget, or not take the time to understand, these
specific modelling requirements. Although I could not verify this just now, last I checked
Sefaira did not support sloped floors.
With Revit and Insight 360, as long as there are no major gaps (e.g. a 10' hole in the
shell) in the model the EAM generally turns out accurate and ready for analysis. This is
great as this can be done in the main Revit model, even while the design team is
cranking on the SD, DD or even CD's!

More on analytical floors in Revit and Insight 360...
What happens if the roof is modeled as a floor rather than a roof? In the section below I
changed the roof, from my previous post, to a Revit floor element.
This model has a single floor element defining the entire roof. There are no roof
elements within this model.
In the EAM, the floor is listed as a Raised Floor. I guess this analytical surface type is used
if there is open air above or below (previous I said "just below").

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So, you might ask, how it this handled in Insight? If I change the floor construction (or
cost range), does that affect the roof and the floors in the building? The truth is, the
Revit EAM is converted to GBXML format when it leaves Revit and the "raised roof"
becomes a roof.
To verify this, after exporting the Revit EAM to Insight, you can use the Export command
to write the GBXML to a file.
In the Export dialog, notice all the options we can export,

including DOE2 and EnergyPlus.

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In the example below, I exported everything... this all comes in a ZIP file.
Notice, roof shows up in a search; if you recall, there were no roof elements in the Revit
model. Also, notice the referenced Construction ID.
If you search for construction-51 you see the definition matches the Conceptual
Typesfound back in Revit!

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Thus, once again, we don't have to be too concerned with how we model things in
Revit. Revit's algorithm that creates the EAM is pretty smart!

Another post about Revit's analytical floors. I want to talk about floors in linked models
and the room bounding setting for a link.
Often, on a multi-discipline project, the structural floor is linked in as part of the structural
model.
• FYI: In this case, the architectural model should not have the same floor element
in their model; this is bad for many reasons.
Below is a sample structural model with a slab on grade and a roof, along with some
beams and columns.
The structural model is linked into the architectural model; it is shown selected in the
architectural section below.

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If you try to create the EAM Revit will give this warning if the link is not set to Room
Bounding.
To set this, select the link, click Edit Type on the Properties Pallet and then check
the Room Bounding option.
The floor from the linked model is detected and helps define the EAM.

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If a model has an adjacent building linked in for context, it will not be part of the EAM if
it is not set to Room Bounding. If needed, create a Mass element in the same location
as the linked model to account for a shade; a mass becomes a shade surface if no
"mass floors" have been assigned to it.
Insight Utility Data

For Autodesk Insight, the utility data comes from the Energy Information Administration.
They publish state wide averages for residential, commercial and industrial, gas and
elec, month by month. Autodesk typically updates this data once a year. Of course if
you have the actual rates, you can update it yourself.
To see what the automated rates are, or to change them, open your Insight project,
click the settings tab on the right (as shown in the image below) and click the Utility
Rates...button. Also, notice there are several currency options to select from.

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When "Use automated rates service" is unchecked, you can edit the electricity and gas
rates manually.
These changes apply to all 'options' within the current Insight project.

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Thermal Resistance in Revit plus Related ArchDaily Article

I read an article the other day from ArchDaily on calculating the thermal transmittance
of a wall (see link below). It occurred to me to write a post on how Revit can calculate
thermal resistance - R-value - of materials and assemblies... here it is.
ArchDaily article:
How to Calculate the Thermal Transmittance (U-Value) in the Envelope of a Building
By way of comparison, let's look at the table "Calculating Assembly Wall R-Value"
from ColoradoEnergy.Org found
here: http://www.coloradoenergy.org/procorner/stuff/r-values.htm
*This image is posted by permission from Randy L. Martin
The referenced graph has a column calculating the stud-only condition and another
for insulation-only, filling the 3.5" space in the wall. Let's look at each condition in Revit:
Stud-Only Calc
If we open the residential template that ships with Revit, we see the R-value listed for
the wall type Exterior - Wood Siding on Wood Studs. R = 8.30

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However, the chart is dealing with a 2x4 (3 1/2") stud, not a 2x6 (5 1/2") so let's change
that in Revit (see image below). Notice the R-value has automatically changed. R =
5.90
If we delete all layers except one, in a given wall assembly, we get an R-value based
on that material's thickness, which we can use to compare to the linked chart. R = 0.68

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The chart below lists the component R-values and then a total. We should understand
there is a big hole with the default wall type... it assumes a continuous/solid 3 1/2" wood
layer with no space or insulation! However, this closely matches the "studs" column in
our example chart.
The one exception being the absence of the outside/inside air film layers. You don’t
need to add these for Autodesk Insight or any dynamic thermal simulation like DOE2 or
EnergyPlus because these are calculated throughout the simulation e.g. accounts for
the relationship between increasing wind speed and reducing exterior convection
coefficient.
Component R-Value
Outside Air Film -
Exterior Wood Siding 0.90
½” Plywood Sheathing 0.68
3 1/2" Fiberglass Batt Insulation -
3 1/2" Stud 4.21
1/2" Drywall 0.11
Inside Air Film -
Total 5.9
The thermal properties for gypsum board appears to be off, as several sources I have
checked list an R-value of 0.45 for a 1/2" thickness. However, for comparative analysis
this does not really matter. But you can change this per the example shown later in this
post.
It is worth pointing out that membrane layers are not included even though they have
thermal properties assigned in Revit, as zero times anything is zero!

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As just shown, Revit handles the calculation of resistance/conductance from a purely

first principles perspective i.e.:
• resistance = length / conductivity
• conductance = 1 / resistance
Revit interprets whatever you give it in terms of material thickness and conductivity. If
you have multiple layers its just the sum effect.
Insulation-Only Calc
Next, we need to look at the wall assembly with just insulation, no studs. We see that the
result is way off due to the specific Thermal Asset (TA) used for batt insulation. The next
couple images show how I did a quick internet search to find the correct Thermal
Conductivity, did a required unit conversion and updated the TA. TIP: If you have
access to WUFI Pro you can find accurate material properties in it's 'materials
database.'

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A search for proper thermal properties for fiberglass insulation...
We need to convert to the correct units... I used CalculatorEdge, Thermal Calculators:

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We can adjust the Thermal Assets in Revit when needed. In this case I enter the desired
thermal conductivity:
Now we have a more realistic R-value... notice in our reference link that the next table
down has a lower R-value for 3 1/2" batt insulation. R = 11.74

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Here are the results for the insulation-only example:

Component R-Value
Outside Air Film -
Exterior Wood Siding 0.90
½” Plywood Sheathing 0.68
3 1/2" Fiberglass Batt Insulation 11.74
3 1/2" Stud -
1/2" Drywall 0.11
Inside Air Film -
Total 13.43
If you do the math for the weighted studs (25%) v. insulation (75%) we end up
with 11.55. If we factor in the outside/inside air films the result would be 12.40 - pretty
close to the 12.03 in the referenced chart.
Combining Studs and Insulation

From Revit Help:
R-value A measure of the thermal resistance (or resistance to heat loss) through a
material layer of a given thickness. R-value = Thickness / Conductivity.
Note: In cases where a specific material layer relates to an air gap, a material of non-
uniform thickness (such as metal decking or an I beam) or combination of materials
(such as a metal stud partition - air and steel) manual adjustments to layer thickness
and/or thermal conductivity is required in order for the R-value to be calculated
correctly. This is not to be confused with the R-value for an entire wall, floor, or roof
element which is the sum of the resistances of each material layer that makes up each
element.
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Notice in the images below I created a custom Thermal Asset to account for the 25%
Studs and 75% Insulation, with the total R-Value using weighted values for conductivity,
specific heat and density.
The resultant R-value is the same as the manual effort. R = 11.58
Autodesk Insight

Dan StineLHB
Now, as expected, we see the correct R-Value in Insight when Detailed Elements is
checked in Revit's Advanced Energy Settings dialog.
The triangle in Insight's dynamic input for Wall Construction represents the current BIM
Setting, that is, the way it is currently modeled.

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Conclusion
While the thermal properties that ship with Revit may not be super reliable, just like the
content they provide, it is a starting point and an example of how things can work. Of
course there are several other challenges with assemblies, thermal by-pass and
openings, but this is a good place to start for early energy modeling and comparative
analysis.
BTW, thanks to Ian Molloy at Autodesk for answering a few questions I had related to
this post!

Dan StineLHB
Revit Energy Settings - HVAC Systems Defined

When editing the Energy Settings dialog in Revit, one of the options is HVAC System, as
shown in the image below.
For those in the know, the descriptions provided are enough to discern between the
options. For others, this is not enough... thus, Autodesk provides a detailed breakdown
of what is included in each system and assumptions made. This, in turn, is what
becomes the BIM Setting when the Revit-generated energy model is pushed out
to Autodesk Insight for dynamic energy analysis - see image below.

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Of course, it is a little confusing that the named HVAC Systems in Insight do not match
the Revit options. But, you can tell what you selected by the BIM Setting label and then
easily compare that option to those adjacent... knowing lower is better.
But, be careful not to get too focused on the details of the system i.e. the purpose of
that range of systems is not to show that range of systems but the range of systems. It’s
about the shape and slope of that curve, not the points on it. So instead of thinking
about the actual points, what this factor shows is the overall impact HVAC system
efficiency has on Energy from low, medium and high efficiency – how that’s achieved is
up the mechanical engineer and more detailed system analysis.
If the detailed descriptions are still not enough, then consider sitting down with a
mechanical engineer and note the various project types and efficiencies each option
may be suited for.
The list below comes from this Revit help document: HVAC Systems
2-Pipe Fan Coil System, Chiller 5.96 COP, Boilers 84.5 eff
• Water cooled centrifugal chiller (COP 5.96)
• Open, atmospheric pressure cooling tower with variable speed fan and 5-degree
Fahrenheit (2.8 degree Celsius) approach
• Forward curved constant volume fan and premium efficiency motor
• 0.25 inch of water gauge (62.3 pascals) static pressure Constant Volume duct
system
• Gas-fired hot water boiler with draft fan >2500 kBtuh, 84.5% combustion efficiency
• Variable volume hot water pump
• Hot water coil
• Variable volume chilled water pump
• Chilled water coil
• Variable volume condenser water pump
• Domestic hot water unit (0.575 Energy Factor)
4-Pipe Fan Coil System, Chiller 5.96 COP, Boilers 84.5 eff
Fahrenheit (2.8-degree Celsius) approach
system
• Hot water coil

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11 EER Packaged VAV, 84.5% boiler heating

• Efficient 11 EER, >20-ton Packaged Variable Air Volume (VAV) Unit, Water Reheat,
with Variable Speed Drive (VSD)
• Forward curved fan with VSD and premium efficiency motor
• 3.5 inch of water gauge (871.8 pascals) static pressure VAV duct system
• Integrated differential dry-bulb temperature economizer
• Gas-fired hot water boiler with draft fan >2500 kBtuh, 84.5% AFUE
• Constant volume hot water pump
• Hot water coil
• Hot water reheat boxes
12 SEER/0.9 AFUE Split/Packaged Gas, 5-11 Ton

• Efficient 12 SEER, 90% AFUE furnace split system with gas heat
• 2.0 inch of water gauge (498 pascals) static pressure Constant Volume duct
system
12 SEER/7.7 HSPF Split Packaged Heat Pump

• Efficient 12 SEER/7.7 HSPF (Heating Seasonal Performance Factor) < 11.25-ton
split/packaged heat pump system
system
12 SEER/8.3 HSPF Packaged Terminal Heat Pump (PTHP)

• 12 SEER/8.3 HSPF (Heating Seasonal Performance Factor) packaged terminal
heat pump (PTHP)
system
Central VAV, Electric Resistance Heat, Chiller 5.96 COP

• Forward curved fan with Variable Speed Drive (VSD) and premium efficiency
motor
• 3.5 inch of water gauge (871.8 pascals) static pressure Variable Air Volume (VAV)
duct system
• Resistance reheat boxes
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Central VAV, HW Heat, Chiller 5.96 COP, Boilers 84.5 eff (default)
motor
• 3.5 inch of water gauge (871.8 pascals) static pressure Variable Air Volume (VAV)
duct system
• Hot water coil
Residential 14 SEER/0.9 AFUE Split/Packaged Gas <5.5 ton

• Efficient 14 SEER/90% AFUE furnace <5.5-ton split/packaged system with gas heat
• Residential constant volume cycling fan
system
Residential 14 SEER/8.3 HSPF Split/Packaged Heat Pump

• Efficient 14 SEER/8.3 HSPF (Heating Seasonal Performance Factor) <5.5-ton
split/packaged heat pump system
system
Residential 17 SEER/9.6 HSPF Split HP <5.5 ton
• 17.4 SEER/9.6 HSPF <5.5-ton split/packaged air source heat pump, intermittent fan
mode
system
• Premium efficiency, on-demand tankless domestic hot water heater (0.85 Energy
Factor)

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Underflow Air Distribution

• Packaged Variable Air Volume (PVAV) system with under floor air distribution
motor
• 3.5 inch of water gauge (871.8 pascals) static pressure VAV duct system
• Hot water coil
• Improved efficiency domestic hot water heater (85% thermal efficiency)
ASHRAE Standard 209-2018 -- Energy Simulation Aided

Design for Buildings
This is very interesting… worth investigating for those involved/interested in energy

modeling and high performance design.
Standard 209-2018 -- Energy Simulation Aided Design for Buildings except Low-Rise
Residential Buildings (ANSI Approved)
AIA article: What style of energy modeling is right for a project?

"The ASHRAE 209 Standard makes it easier to define energy modeling goals and what
types of energy modeling are most useful for a project"
ASHRAE Article: ASHRAE Publishes Energy Simulation-Aided Design Standard

“defines nominal requirements for using modeling to support integrated design efforts”
The cost of ASHRAE Standard 209-2018 is $67 for ASHRAE members.
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Click here to view the preview PDF.
The AIA article is written by Kjell Anderson, AIA, who is director of sustainable design at
LMN Architects in Seattle, WA. While I do not know Kjell, I did work on a project with LMN
several years ago... the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center - Harbor side
Ballrooms Addition, which is partially pictured below.
Licaso Has Arrived! Annual daylight simulation software for

AGi32 and ElumTools
For professional lighting designers and architects who use AGI32 and/or ElumTools (my
firm uses both) you now have a new opportunity to perform climate-based annual
daylight simulations, including the calculation of annual daylight metrics. This can be
accomplished with Lighting Analysist's newest offering; LICASOⓇ.
Product description from the Licaso website (www.Licaso.com):

• Given an AGi32 or ElumTools/Revit environment, Licaso can compute workplane
illuminance for every daylit hour of every day for an entire year. From these
calculations a wide variety of annual daylight metrics can be accumulated.
These include: various flavors of Daylight Autonomy (Minimum, Maximum, Basic,
Continuous, Spatial), Useful Daylight Illuminance, Annual Sunlight Exposure,
Annual Daylight Exposure, and Average, Maximum and Minimum illuminance.
Presentation options include graphical Spatial Maps (2D or superimposed on a
rendered view), Temporal Maps, Temporal Map Charts and rendered views of
specific times and dates. Any/all of these can be included with statistical
summaries in a flexible and user formatted report.

Dan StineLHB
The image below is my Law Office model, used in two of my Revit

textbooks, with Annual Sunlight Exposure (ASE) spatial maps in the Rooms.
Law Office model with ASE spatial maps in the rooms
In the Licaso environment, once the calculation is complete, there are several ways in
which the results can be viewed. In the image below, notice the Pass/Fail column for
the selected metric!
For a sort of whitepaper and validation statement, check out this All Things
Lighting blog post by Ian Ashdown, P. Eng. FIES: LICASO and DAYSIM (2/11/2017).
A quote from this blog post:

• LICASO is the first climate-based annual daylight simulation software program
that is not based on Radiance. More than this, it is not even based on
the Radiance computational model of ray tracing. Rather, it relies on proven
radiosity methods,1 and in particular the algorithms that have been driving
Lighting Analysts’ AGi32™ and ElumTools™ lighting design and analysis software
products for nearly two decades. (See Lighting Analysts’ blog article Climate-
Based Daylight Modeling for further details.)
I plan on using this tool to help validate design solutions for Minnesota’s B3
Guidelines and the WELL Building Standard. Additionally, the goal is to use Licaso to
help inform our designs, not just document the outcomes.
The fruits of a BIM ecosystem are continuing to grow and blossom!

Dan StineLHB
Tally - Life Cycle Assessment - By KieranTimberlake

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an important component of a holistic sustainable design
approach to designing a building. In this post I will share a Revit add-in we use to
comply with State requirements here in Minnesota. The product is Tally by the
architecture firm KieranTimberlake - a full-service architecture, planning and research
firm based in Philadelphia, PA,
"The first LCA app that lets you calculate the environmental impacts of your building
material selections directly in an Autodesk® Revit® model."
Links:
• Product website: http://choosetally.com/
• KT website: https://kierantimberlake.com/pages/view/95/tally/parent:4
How it Works:
Project Set up:
First, we have to set up the project. This can be based on a full building assessment or...
Revit's design options - comparing LCA for two parts of the project. Tally will read the
components from a linked model, e.g. a structural model, but the Tally assignments
have to be done in that model.
LCA Database Assignments:

Once the project is set up, we simply start aligning Revit's elements/materials with Tally's
materials from the German database GaBi, which Tally uses.
To make an assignment:
Dan StineLHB
1. Right-click on a listed Revit element/material

2. Select Edit Definition
3. Make a selection
4. Specify options such as Service Life and Takeoff Method
In this next image, I right-click on a Revit column family from the list.
Now I select an appropriate material from the Tally database and click Apply.
After clicking Apply, we need to specify a few things. This step will vary depending on
the material. For structure, the Service Life defaults to "Building Life." Notice the
two Takeoff Methods and related options.

Dan StineLHB
Once a Revit element/material has been properly assigned, a green circle appears as
shown below. Also, notice the assigned information appears on the right when
selected. Thus, the goal is to get everything set to green before running the final report.
Tally breaks out the layers in a wall assembly so we can make proper assignments. We
can even insert materials not represented in the wall family, such as a vapor barrier (not
that it could not be in the family).

Dan StineLHB
Here I am assigning the gypsum board material...
I selected Type "X," a finish, and set Foil facing to "None" (or I will be). You have to
specify everything here before you can move on.

Dan StineLHB
This next image shows a fully defined wall assembly in Tally.
Here is an example of the options presented when selecting concrete. Hopefully the
structural engineer is engaged in this process and making these selections, not just
because s/he knew what to pick, but s/he should be part of the process of meeting the
overall project goals.
Generate a Report:
The final step is to generate a report to assess the project. If you look back at the first
Tally screenshot you will see a Save Report tab. Selecting this presents in the information
below. All the Report Information fields need to be filled out. Everything else is options. It
is also a good idea to review the Transportation Impacts (click #2, and then the next
image).

Dan StineLHB
This dialog lists nationwide averages for the materials used in your project. These can be
changed if needed. For example, where I live, there is a USG plant that makes acoustic
ceiling tile. So the distance for that material could possibly be modified if their product is
specified and used. We also have a Class-A railway system. So that may have an
impact on the delivery of some materials, especially for larger projects.
Results:
A few sample tabs from the resultant Excel file:

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A few images from the resultant PDF file:
Minnesota requirements
Here in Minnesota, where I live and work, there is a requirement that all publicly funded
projects comply with the B3 program, which is similar to USGBC's LEED program.
From the Minnesota B3 website:

"The B3 Guidelines can be applied to the design of new buildings or renovations to
meet sustainability goals for site, water, energy, indoor environment, materials and
waste. The B3 Guidelines are required on all projects that receive general obligation
Dan StineLHB
bond funding from the State of Minnesota. The guidelines can also be used on a
voluntary basis on any project. By using the B3 Guidelines, projects will automatically be
applying the SB 2030 Energy Standard. After design, during the building occupancy
period, the building will also use the B3 Benchmarking tool to track and compare actual
energy use and the B3 Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) to survey occupants on the
indoor environmental quality of the building." Reference
link: http://www.b3mn.org/guidelines/
Here is a glimps at the forms we need to fill out for a B3 project, highlighting the LCA
requirements.
B3 Life Cycle Assessment Guidelines

Dan StineLHB
A great research tool for anyone, via the B3 website, is the Case Studies Database.

Dan StineLHB
Tally Conclusion
Tally is a great tool to streamline the LCA workflow. The tool is worth looking into,
especially when required. However, some firms are starting to use this on all of their
projects. In those cases, Tally makes it a lot easier to accomplish that task. Of course,
this means your Revit model has to be accurate. Which it should be for many reasons;
energy analysis using Insight, or lighting calcs using ElumTools, and the list goes on...
Handout Conclusion
It should be clear that Autodesk is investing significant resources in the advancement of
its performance design tools. It is definitely worth spending some time learning to use
these tools. Hopefully this document will serve as a reference for those who are ready to
jump in and get started!
Be sure to follow my blog, BIM Chapters, for additional information on this topic;
bimchapters.blogspot.com.

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Dynamic Energy Optimization

using Autodesk Revit and Insight

Daniel John Stine

©2018 Stine Page 1 of 131

Copyright 2019 Daniel John Stine

©2019 Stine Page 2 of 131

About the Author:

Author’s Blog: http://bimchapters.blogspot.com/

©2019 Stine Page 3 of 131

Handout Table of Contents Video Table of Contents

2. Energy Settings 11 2. Quick Overview

3. Create/Delete Energy Model 14 3. Alternate Location

4. Visually Review Energy Model 16 4. Alternate Location; More Detail

5. AIA 2030 DDx 33 5. Massing Options

6. Optional Settings & Workflows 37 6. Massing with Building Elements

7. Reference Material 44 7. Building Elements

8. Relate Blog Posts 48 8. Inputs in Revit

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The following information is offered in addition to the specific commands outlined on

Figure 7.3-1 Comparing scenarios within Insight 360

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Here is a basic overview of the workflow:

1. Create a Revit model using masses, building elements, or both

2. Energy Settings dialog (Analysis tab)

o Review Energy Analytical Model settings

o All other settings are optional

3. Create Energy Model

4. Visually Review Energy Model

5. Launch Insight 360 for interactive project exploration

6. AIA 2030 Commitment Firms: Upload results to DDx

7. Optional Settings and Workflows

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Creating the Revit Model

Combined Massing and Building Elements

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Energy Settings The Energy settings essential to a valid

that must be considered to generate a

Now let’s take a look at each of these

Figure 7.3-8 The Location Weather and Site dialog

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Never use the Use Conceptual Masses option.

EAM Creation Level of Detail

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Automatic Thermal Zoning Settings

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Create/Delete Energy Model

3 Clicking this tool creates the analytical model,

This tab used to be exclusively for structural analytical visibility control

It is important to understand that the analytical surfaces do not update automatically

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Visually Review Energy Model

4 It is important to visually validate the Energy Model prior to running a

Figure 7.3-10 Hiding transparent model categories in 3D Energy

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Figure 7.3-11 3D Energy Model view adjusted to show only Analytical

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Review the Analytical Surfaces schedule to

The Analytical Spaces schedule can be

Due to the voids and plenum spaces,

These two schedules are based on