Free energy simulation from a gbXML file

powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command 'iwr -useb https://bimcli.com/install.ps1 -OutFile $env:TEMP\bim-install.ps1; powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File $env:TEMP\bim-install.ps1'

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Run a building energy simulation from a gbXML file with bim and [free OpenStudio tools](https://www.nlr.gov/buildings/openstudio) using [free EnergyPlus](https://energyplus.net/).

1. Get a gbXML file

Export gbXML from Revit with File > Export > gbXML. Configure Energy Settings in Revit before exporting. bim does not create the gbXML file; it starts with a file you exported from Revit or another BIM tool.

2. Install and check the simulation tools

bim energy install downloads and installs OpenStudio. Check that OpenStudio and EnergyPlus are available before running the model:

bim energy install
bim energy doctor

3. Add a weather file when needed

A gbXML model without a site location needs a weather file for an annual simulation. Pass an EnergyPlus Weather file (.epw) with --weather. The committed sample includes a site location; the recorded run below still supplies a weather file, so it does not establish whether that sample can run without one. A supplied --weather file takes precedence.

Download an EPW file for the project location from Climate.OneBuilding.org, a repository of building simulation climate data. The archive for a location includes an EPW file. EnergyPlus is the simulation engine used by this workflow.

4. Run the simulation

Run the committed sample with an EPW file available on your machine. Replace the placeholder with the path to an EnergyPlus Weather file for the project location:

bim energy run --in tests/fixtures/one_zone_office.gbxml --weather path/to/site.epw

For your own model, use --weather path/to/site.epw and replace the gbXML path with your file. The result below is from the sample run above; the machine-specific raw_dir value is omitted.

{
  "eui_kbtu_sf_yr": 24.88,
  "annual_kwh": 1883.3,
  "peak_kw": 0.35,
  "area_sf": 258,
  "end_uses": [
    { "name": "heating", "kwh": 1827.8 },
    { "name": "cooling", "kwh": 55.6 }
  ]
}

The result includes energy use intensity, annual energy, peak demand, area, and heating and cooling end uses. Values depend on the model and weather file.

See the energy command reference for the other energy verbs, or Revit automation for more ways to run BIM tasks from the command line.

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{% set ctaPosition = "end" %} {% include "install-cta.njk" %}

powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command 'iwr -useb https://bimcli.com/install.ps1 -OutFile $env:TEMP\bim-install.ps1; powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File $env:TEMP\bim-install.ps1'

Then ask your assistant to run bim describe --json. See what the installer does.