WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released Version 1.2.2 of its EnergyPlus building energy simulation software for modeling building heating, cooling, lighting, ventilating, and other energy flows.

The software provides such simulation capabilities as time steps of less than an hour, multizone airflow, thermal comfort, and photovoltaic systems. According to DOE, the new version includes a number of enhancements including additional input and output options, simplified definitions of HVAC systems, and speed improvements.

EnergyPlus is available for Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP and Linux. The software is offered for free download at DOE's Web site.

For more information, visit www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/energyplus.

Publication date: 05/23/2005